Agenda item

Reporting Person: Julie Meme

(NOTE: In accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct, Councillor S Hussain declared a non-pecuniary interest in the following item – Item 6 – Health and Wellbeing – arising from his role as a Governor of the NW Surrey Short Stay School, an establishment referred to in the discussion by Councillor Leach.  The interest was such that speaking and voting were permissible.)

The Group welcomed to the meeting Julie Mémé, the Health and Wellbeing Manager, and Councillor Debbie Harlow, Portfolio Holder for Health and Wellbeing.  Julie set out the process followed in developing the Strategy, the consultations undertaken, how the priorities had been identified and how, going forward, the impact would be measured and the achievements tracked.  It was emphasised that the ten year Strategy was a living document and would evolve over time. 

The report put the role of Woking Borough Council in context, within the much wider support environment for health and wellbeing, and the extensive partnership working with agencies and charities across the County, including hospitals, GPs, and the County Council.  By analysing the data gained through extensive consultation and feedback from partner organisations, the Council had identified five priority areas where the Authority could achieve the biggest impacts.  The five priority areas were mental health, isolation and loneliness, obesity, independent living, and the wellbeing of carers.  Councillor Harlow spoke in support of the Strategy, noting the extensive work undertaken by Officers to ensure the Strategy supported local communities in addressing the most pressing areas of health and wellbeing.

The Committee welcomed the report and the proposed action plan.  The action plan would develop over time, and would pick up on the points raised by the Members of the Committee.  It was noted that some of the forthcoming target dates for actions could need to be updated in response to the impact of lockdown restrictions.

The importance of communicating the services available through the Council to all residents was emphasised, noting that some communities were hard to reach and difficult to engage with, particularly on those matters of health which still had a stigma attached to them.  To this end, the Council was exploring all possible avenues of engagement, including hosting an annual Dementia Awareness Week, engaging with the homeless, working with partner organisations, arranging courses and working on specific areas of concern such as hoarding, domestic abuse and suicide.  The Committee was advised that ongoing public consultation and involvement would be arranged as the Strategy evolved, noting that Covid had limited the amount of pubic consultation in the drafting of the strategy.

The Members discussed the important role of the two Council Support Officers placed at St Peter’s Hospital.  The Officers reported to the hospital each day and attended ward rounds and consultants’ briefings, working with the patients returning home to ensure they received all the personal support necessary to enable them to live independently.

The role of Councillors in promoting the services available was discussed and Julie undertook to arrange a briefing for all Members to explain the services available and the ways in which referrals could be made.  The Committee Members emphasised the importance of the educational aspects to tackling issues such as obesity, being able to provide information in an understandable way in a variety of different mediums.

The particular impact on young people and their mental health was discussed and Councillor Leach suggested that Officers could explore close working with groups such as Outline and the NW Surrey Short Stay School.  Councillor Leach further suggested the possibility of working with the Youth Council to explore options to support young people struggling with their mental health.  Julie undertook to take forward the suggestions, welcoming the reference to the Youth Council and noting that the Council had already established strong relationships with local schools.

The Chairman summarised the key points raised during the discussion and thanked Julie and Councillor Harlow for their presentation, noting the challenges faced and the extensive efforts being made to address them.  The Strategy was warmly welcomed by the Committee and, following the presentation, the Committee agreed to recommend to the Executive the endorsement of the Strategy and associated action plan.

RECOMMENDED TO THE EXECUTIVE

That the Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2021-2031 be endorsed for recommendation to Council.