Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the Interim Director of Public Health County Durham which provided an update on the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme County Durham since the service transferred to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust on 1 April 2016.

The Interim Director of Public Health County Durham was pleased to report that since the transfer of the service good progress was being made and a strong relationship with the new provider had been developed.

The Health and Wellbeing Board agreed to create the Healthy Child Programme Board as an additional sub-group which would bring partners together to work on specific pieces of work.

Councillor Allen stressed the importance of appropriate representation on the Healthy Child Programme Board and asked who would be involved. The Member was informed that although membership had not been agreed, it was envisaged that representation would include One Point, Social Care, the voluntary sector, Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust (TEWV) and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The Interim Director of Public Health County Durham stressed that the Healthy Children Board would be a core group of agencies which would not replicate the work of the Children and Families Partnership Board.

The Board received a presentation from the Head of Children’s Public Health and Nursing County Durham, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust on progress with the transfer of the Healthy Child Programme and what was happening now with the 0-19, 0-5 and 5-19 Agenda.  

In terms of what would happen next the Head of Children’s Public Health and Nursing County Durham, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust highlighted the following actions:-

·         Development of the Healthy Child Programme Board in County Durham

·         Youth awareness and mental health training

·         Embedding 5 Emotional Resilience Nurses into Locality Teams

·         Community Drop In Service for Children and Young People (including school holidays)

·         Engage and consult with all Schools and early Years Settings

·         Engage and consult with parents, carers, children and young people

·         Develop a patient/client experience and engagement tool.

The Interim Corporate Director, Children and Young People’s Services, Durham County Council advised that positive comments had been received from Head Teachers about the new arrangements for links with schools, and the young people’s nursing service.

Following a question from the Chief Clinical Officer of Durham, Dales, Easington and Sedgefield Clinical Commissioning Group (DDES CCG) about how primary care were engaged, the Board was informed that all health visitors were mandated to attend safeguarding meetings on a regular basis and were encouraged to continue to visit GP practices.

The Chief Clinical Officer DDES CCG noted the discrepancy in service provision between North Durham and DDES with regard to maternal smoking at delivery. The Head of Children’s Public Health Nursing County Durham, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust explained that communication between the midwife service and health visitors was excellent, however whilst maternal smoking was identified in ante-natal risk assessments health visitors and midwives were not involved until the later stages of pregnancy.

In response to a question from the Chairman, the Member was informed that the Programme picked up issues such as self-harm and mental health needs in young people through school drop-ins. For children in the older age range new links were being developed with colleges. Community drop-ins would also be a mechanism to pick up such issues and an ‘app’ was being developed.

Resolved:

That

(i)            the contents of the report be noted and the presentation be received;

(ii)          a Healthy Child Programme Board be developed as a Sub-Group of the Health and Wellbeing Board;

(iii)         the continuation of the mobilisation/transition board to provide assurance of the safe and effective delivery of the specification for such a large contract, be noted.