Agenda item

Consideration was given to a report of the Strategic Director of Reform which updated the Board on the work being undertaken around Thriving Communities and Place Based Integration.

Members were informed that Oldham was a place that had enormous assets in terms of its people and community and these strengths could be built on to help meet the challenges to improve the health and wellbeing of residents, with a focus on;

·         Loneliness, social exclusion and loss of confidence/purpose

·         Physical and mental health

·         Reacting to place issues in a joined-up way

The Board noted that Thriving Communities and Place Based Integration were about igniting whole-system change and putting early intervention and prevention at heart of everything the Council did, using the strengths and ingredients for change that were already within communities and wider systems, and linking people in with the right kind of support far earlier in the care pathway. The work was highly innovative and had received positive press nationally and interest from other councils as best practice.

Members were informed that the Thriving Communities Hub was having a positive impact. Social Action, the main focus, was developing social prescribing to improve health and wellbeing. It enable people to connect to groups and activities. Fast Grants provided small amounts of money to fund local initiatives. The Social Action Fund was available for a small number of larger projects.

Members were informed that different ways of working had been tested as part of Place Based Working. Real outcomes had been achieved and a framework was in development and progressing

Members noted that Oldham was leading on Place Based Working within Greater Manchester and was one of three areas invited to speak at a conference.   

Members sought and received clarification/commented on the

following points:

·         What had been learned that could be used in future – learning had been both positive and negative, and had been applied elsewhere. An example was given of enabling staff in a community team to work outside their usual roles. Sharing information about cases and places had been very useful. There had also been a major impact on staff morale as staff could see the value of what they were doing and know they were making a difference.

·         Would it be a framework or definitive model – there would be a definitive set of principles to be applied in a common way. These may be delivered differently in each area to meet the needs of each place.

·         Would the teams have a standard make up – there had not been a common make up as skills and knowledge were geared to each population. Where there was particular issue, work could be concentrated in a small area for a short term. Sustainability would be built in to enable progress to continue when that work ended.

·         Ways of District working – this was subject to an ongoing review. District Teams currently worked routinely in an integrated way with partners.

·         Exit strategy – this would be dealt with on a case by case basis, ensuring aims were achieved and progress sustainable. The small focussed teams could not be permanent and there would always be the local resourced team.

·         Review of impact – this would be ongoing  

RESOLVED that:-

1.         The two programmes of work be noted.

2.         The Board would support and engage with the projects as the programmes grew.

3.            An update on progress would be brought to the meeting of the Board in June 2019.