Agenda item

The Cabinet Member will update the Select Committee on any relevant issues. Select Committee members may ask questions regarding the update.

Councillor Vic Pritchard, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health addressed the Select Committee, a summary of the update is set out below.

Celebration of Mental Health & Wellbeing Services in B&NES

At the end of July we held a celebration of mental health and wellbeing services in Bath and North East Somerset.  People who have experienced mental health and wellbeing services in B&NES came together with providers and commissioners of services. The event was arranged to showcase the very wide range of mental health and wellbeing services that people are able to access in B&NES and, also, to mark the retirement of Andrea Morland, joint Council and CCG mental health commissioner, who worked closely with service users and carers and led the development of many of these services.

He said that the feedback was excellent and that the day was invaluable. He added that he hoped to hold a similar event again in the future.

The Accessible Information Standard

The Accessible Information Standard (AIS) is new legislation that came into force on 31 July 2016. It aims to ensure that disabled patients, service users and their carers receive information in formats that they can understand and have appropriate support to help them communicate.

All NHS and publicly-funded adult social care services must follow AIS by law, under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The AIS sets out how organisations that provide NHS and Publicly-funded adult social care services should give disabled patients and service users information that they can access and understand and receive appropriate support to help them to communicate.

Councillor Paul May asked if the Council’s website would need to conform to the AIS.

Councillor Vic Pritchard replied that it would.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson asked if there was a way of monitoring incidents that have occurred in hospital to see if ‘lessons have been learnt’.

The Director for Integrated Health & Care Commissioning replied that for each complaint received an action plan will be put in place and monitored. She added that Coroner Investigations and Serious Case Reviews are monitored locally and by NHS England and will also have their own action plans.

Councillor Geoff Ward asked if he was aware of a project in Fleetwood that had been launched to improve the general health and wellbeing of the local population.

Councillor Vic Pritchard replied that he had and said that he considered B&NES to be leaders on this initiative such as this and the preventative agenda.

Councillor Lin Patterson asked how this period of reorganisation would affect the provision of mental health care young people once they become 18. She added that there appears to be a drop off in care after this age currently and that this can lead to problems.

The Director for Integrated Health & Care Commissioning replied that the CCG has received additional financial support to improve / enhance the transition period for this age group. She added that the future intention is to commission services along an all ages pathway and to further integrate services across age groups. She informed the Select Committee that they were due to receive a report regarding Personal Budgets and Transitions at their January 2017 meeting.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member for his update on behalf of the Select Committee.