Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Ahmad and Councillor Harkness.

There were no items of urgent business received.

There were no declarations of interest received.

There were no public questions received.

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance and Value for Money

Select Committee meeting held on 28^th June 2018 are attached for approval.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Performance and Value for Money Select Committee meeting held on 28^th June 2018 be agreed as a correct record.

The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 19^th June

2018 are attached for noting

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meeting held on 19^th June 2018 be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Children’s Services which provided an overview of key trends and developments in the delivery of free early education entitlements for two, three and four year olds since the report to the Performance and Value for Money Committee in November 2017. Members were informed that despite some recent improvement, school readiness in Oldham, as measured by the percentage of children reaching the Good Level of Development in the Early Years Foundation Stage at age five, continues to be significantly below national and regional averages.

Members were updated on the current position with regards to:

·         Universal funded early education entitlements (3 and 4 year olds).

·         Two year old Entitlement.

·         Extended 30 hours entitlement.

·         Free education entitlement uptake rates: termly comparisons.

·         Quality.

·         Children who are looked after.

·         SEN Inclusion Fund 2017/18: Support for speech, language and communication.

Members were informed that whilst the data presented provided a positive picture in terms of the uptake of early years’ free entitlement in Oldham, there remained work to be done in translating the data into positive outcomes that enable all children to be ready for school by age five.

Members asked for and received clarification in regards to how those that need the entitlement most are targeted. They were informed that the Department for Education provided a list of families seven times a year, and those that were currently not linked up were sent to early help to check their eligibility. It was noted that the hardest part was getting parents to see the benefits that the placements bring to the children, and in the last quarter 90 parents declined the placements.

Members asked for clarification on the number of schools in Oldham in relation to 2.9.2. They were informed that there are 64 schools with nursery provisions of which 2 are rated inadequate and 7 rated as requires improvement.

Members asked for clarification on whether the uptake of nursery placements in the schools had affected the funding for the whole school. Members were informed that to date, there has been no significant impact however there may be going forward. It was noted that the schools with the lowest uptakes have been targeted and some were already in the process of changing their business models.

Members noted that it may be beneficial to talk to the Members of the Council who are Governors at a school, and that they needed to be proactive and not reactive in order to drive up uptake.

RESOLVED that the content of the report be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Strategic Director of Reform which following a previous report to PVFM in December 2017 which set out savings to Public Health Services to be made in 2017/18 and 2018/19, provided an update on the impact on outcomes relating to the sexual health (with a focus on young people) and smoking cessation.

Members were updated on the current position with regards to:

·         Teenage pregnancy.

·         Chlamydia detection and screening.

·         HIV testing coverage.

·         Smoking cessation rates.

Members were informed that, in order to achieve savings, Positive Steps had reduced the opening hours of the young people’s sexual health service to 5 hours per day. There has been a reduction of 30 minutes in the service specification between Monday and Friday. The Saturday opening hours are 30 minutes longer than required in the service specification as the revised opening hours have been matched to service usage patterns to ensure that the service remains open at the time when young people are most likely to want to access it.

Members were informed that there had been an overall decrease in teenage pregnancy since 2011, however the teenage conception rate in Oldham was higher than the averages for England, the North West and Greater Manchester. Members were informed that the use of high quality Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) along with the use of effective contraception can help reduce the number of young people contracting a sexually transmitted infection, and those more likely to be pregnant by 18.

Members were informed that the Chlamydia detection rates amongst under 25 year olds historically had been among the best in England, however analysis of the most recent released sexual health data from Public Health England (PHE) identified a significant drop in detection rates and screening activity for Chlamydia in Oldham.

Members were informed that the in year data from PHE showed a substantial decline in HIV testing rates in the Borough, with Oldham having the lowest HIV testing rate in England. Members noted that testing amongst women was particularly low and the main cause of the overall low rate.

Members were informed that Oldham’s smoking prevalence rate had reduced from 18.8% in 2016 to 16.6% in 2017, this being the biggest overall reduction on smoking prevalence in Greater Manchester in recent years with a reduction of 5.7% since 2015. It was noted that although there has been a decline in smoking, the smoking at time of delivery in pregnancy rates had increased in 2017 to 14.1% after staying static at 13.3% for the previous three years. Members were informed that although the number of people accessing Stop Smoking services has declined, Oldham’s quit rate has remained consistent at 46% for the last two years.

Members asked and received clarification on whether school pupils were provided with information on HIV testing. They were informed that HIV is included in the school curriculum.

Members stated that the smoking cessation did not include data on E-Cigs and that the full harm of them  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Consideration was given to a report of the Strategic Director of Reform which provided a detailed performance review of the percentage of infants who are fully or partially breastfed at 6-8 weeks old. The report had been brought to the Committee as an exception report due to non-achievement of the corporate target for 2017/18.

Members were informed that the last three performance reports up to September 2017 had shown no improvement in the number of infants who were breastfed. Members were informed that the 2017/18 corporate target set for this indicator was 42%, however provisional data suggested the actual year end performance was 38.5% (subject to national validation).

Members were provided with further details with regards to:

·         6-8 week breastfeeding rates in Oldham.

·         Review of ward level performance for the last three years.

·         The benefits and challenges of increasing breastfeeding rates.

·         The support, interventions and services in place to improve breastfeeding in the Borough.

Members were informed that giving nothing but breast milk is recommended for the first 6 months (26 weeks) of a baby’s life. The benefits of breastfeeding are both wide ranging and long lasting for both mother and child. It was noted that breastfeeding reduces a baby’s risk of developing ear and chest infections, diarrhoea and vomiting, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), tooth decay, childhood leukaemia, obesity and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Breastfeeding mothers also reduce their risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis (weak bones).

Members were informed that in Oldham, evidence suggests that there appears to be a higher prevalence of South Asian mothers who breastfeed their babies compared to the white British communities. Mothers from a higher socio-demographic status and more affluent areas appear to have higher breastfeeding rates compared to mothers from lower socio-demographic status and more deprived neighbourhoods.

Members were advised that across the Oldham wards, there is a wide variation in breastfeeding rates, with higher than average rates in Saddleworth North, Saddleworth South, Werneth and Coldhurst wards. The lower rates were seen in Chadderton South, Failsworth East and Failsworth West. It was noted that the rates are broadly higher in wards with less deprivation and/or high South Asian populations, in line with national evidence.

Members were provided with a list of Baby Welcome Scheme venues in Oldham. Members noted that some wards have more venues than other, and queried whether the Baby Welcome Scheme could be a condition when a business is applying for a licence. It was stated that breastfeeding needs to stop being a taboo subject and that being a Baby Welcome venue will promote the business also.

RESOLVED that:

1.    The revised target of 40% for M860 CP 2.02ii - % of all infants due a 6-8 week check that are totally or partially breastfed be agreed.

2.    The content of the report be noted and Members support the continued efforts of 0-5 services to improve breastfeeding rates.

3.    The proposal to develop a policy which supports Oldham to become a ‘breastfeeding friendly town’ be supported in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

RESOLVED that the Corporate Performance Report for March 2018 be noted.

RESOLVED that the work programme be noted.