Agenda item

The Panel will receive an update from the B&NES, Swindon & Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB) on current issues.

Laura Ambler, BSW ICB addressed the Panel and highlighted the following sections from the update report that had been provided. A copy of the report will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes.

Health Inequalities funding update

BSW Integrated Care Board is working to tackle health inequalities across B&NES, Swindon in Wiltshire. In B&NES, a health inequalities core network team was established in May 2023.

The team works closely with partners in a number of areas including overseeing a cross-partnership B&NES Health Inequalities Network, awareness raising, supporting health inequalities work at the RUH and in primary care, holding outreach events and coordinating and allocating health inequality-related funding streams and leading applications for any further grants relating to health inequalities.

Grants have been awarded to 12 projects in B&NES for 2024/25 including inclusive afterschool clubs for children with SEND, perinatal mental health support, targeted family support for vulnerable families in Twerton and developing a new service for people experiencing homelessness to access palliative and end of life care.

Royal United Hospitals awarded £21.6m grant for energy efficiency projects

A £21.6million decarbonisation grant will bring the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust one step closer to achieving its net zero goals.

The grant has been awarded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as part of the Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and will fund improvements including more environmentally friendly lighting, insulation, and heating and cooling controls.

When the proposed improvements are completed, by 2026, they will result in an estimated 24 per cent annual reduction in carbon emissions over which the RUH has direct control.

Dental Van update

On 7th February, the Department of Health and Social Care published its Dental Recovery Plan with the ambition to make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer for our population. One priority is to bring dental care directly to under-served, more isolated communities via the deployment of mobile dental vans. On the same day as the dental recovery plan was published, the Secretary of State named the 12 ICBs where dental access remains most challenging, which included BSW ICB.

Options are now being appraised for the acquisition of vehicles, and a national market engagement exercise as part of a procurement exercise has taken place. We are still waiting for the service specification.  We are keen in BSW to ensure these plans support and supplement the ongoing local work with the Public Health teams to support access and our focus on inequalities and oral health plans.

We are working across the South West and as an ICB we are scoping the unmet need and vulnerable populations and key demographic areas for a targeted approach, including specific areas for the van to deliver services with a view the service will commence September / October 2024.

Councillor Joanna Wright asked how our local areas will become included in the visits of the Dental Van.

Laura Ambler replied that they are currently mapping where the local vulnerable communities and populations are and then assessing where they will be the most receptive. She added that, without promising, it was understood that B&NES has particular pockets of deprivation that would benefit from this work.

Councillor Wright asked if there would be enough dentists and dental staff available for the service to progress.

Laura Ambler replied that they are looking at the models of staffing that can be introduced alongside the levels of treatment that can be offered as part of the project.

Councillor Wright asked if the ICB were able to feedback in anyway to Government the issues relating to NHS dentists not being paid enough.

Laura Ambler replied that she was aware that this was being addressed at a national level, but was not able to supply any direct information at this time and offered to bring further information to the Panel through their future update reports.

Kevin Burnett said that he welcomed the Health Inequalities funding and asked if any of it could be assigned to proactive projects.

Laura Ambler replied that they are attempting to do that more in this second round of funding and that Mental Health was identified as a key focus on this occasion.

Kevin Burnett asked how much influence the ICB will have on the decisions relating to the Dental Vans.

Laura Ambler replied that there will be a national policy directive, to which a regional plan will be formed and that we will need to respond to.

Councillor Dave Harding said that he was sure that Councillors within the rural areas of B&NES would help in providing further data if needed.

Laura Ambler thanked him for that offer.

Councillor Ruth Malloy commented that it was interesting to hear about the new service for people experiencing homelessness to access palliative and end of life care and would appreciate further information on that in future reports when appropriate.

She also asked if further information could be given to the Panel on the proposal for pop-up Dental Services.

Laura Ambler replied that they could seek to bring further information on these matters in their future update reports.

Kevin Burnett raised the following subject areas and asked if any additional information could be given to the Panel on them.

·  BSW ICB SEND representative

·  Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS)

·  Pharmacy capacity levels

·  Police – Attending incidents with Mental Health

·  RUH Services

·  Birth Trauma

Laura Ambler said that written updates could be provided on most of these matters and gave the following initial response.

BSW ICB SEND representative - Gill May is the Chief Nurse for BSW ICB and its SEND representative. Amongst other work she sits on the Local Area Inclusion Board. They would like to discuss further with Kevin what level of information he is seeking.

Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) – An excellent project and one that they can provide further information to the Panel.

Police – Attending incidents with Mental Health – Very constructive work has been undertaken with the Police on their approach to attending incidents that involve people suffering from Mental Health issues.

The Chair, on behalf of the Panel, thanked Laura Ambler for her update.