Agenda item

The Committee scrutinised a report of the Director of Public Health, which updated members on the progress of the Thriving Communities Programme and to establish the next steps for the programme in the context of the recent evaluation of the programme, and the Council’s wider transformation programme.

The Committee was advised that in 2018 £2.69m had been agreed to fund the Thriving Communities programme from the Greater Manchester Transformation Fund as part of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care transformation fund to support devolution. The aim was to accelerate the Thriving Communities element of the Oldham Model and to deliver the common objectives of the Council’s health and social care integration. The programme was a 3-year programme which focused on: building upon our strengths and supporting groups in the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector; supporting people earlier in the care pathway; and driving the shift to increasing earlier intervention and prevention.

The initial three-year funding period of the programme concluded in March 2022, however funding has been agreed with the CCG, alongside reserves from the initial programme budget, to continue some elements of the programme into 2022/23.

The report detailed five Social Action Fund (SAF) projects that were three years into delivery of VCFSE led projects tackling loneliness and social isolation. Some of the projects had completed their work, a number had extended the timeframe of their projects utilizing funding not spent during the lockdown period, as follows:

a.    BAME consortium – BAME Connect programme of activities e.g. Yoga & Connect, Cook & Connect plus a befriending offer. This project will continue until December 2022 and is actively seeking further external funding to continue the programme.

b.    Wellbeing leisure (OCL) – community based physical activity, working with community partners to deliver exercise opportunities and train volunteers. This project will continue until March 2023.

c.    Oldham Play Action Group – intergeneration activities and cooking – virtual activity programmes challenge. The SAF funded activity has completed in June 2022, however the organisation is actively seeking external funding to continue the approach developed through SAF.

d.    Groundwork consortium – focusing on food and growing. Project completed September 2021.

e.    Street Angels – the organisation continues to grow and develop, during 2022 remaining SAF funding is supporting the transition to a new base and work to develop a new operating model in light of changing needs within the town centre night-time economy.

It was suggested that the representatives of the Committee’s membership, the Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committee and that of the Health and Wellbeing Board include this matter (Thriving Communities Programme) in their discussions regarding health inequalities in the Borough, referred to at Minute 9, above.

Resolved:

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    That the Director of Public Health, representatives of the Committee’s membership, the Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committee and that of the Health and Wellbeing Board include this matter (Thriving Communities Programme) in their discussions regarding health inequalities in the Borough, referred to at Minute 9, above.

3.    That further reports, updating members on progress, be submitted to future meetings of the Committee