To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on

The Minutes of the meeting held on 27^th July, 2004 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

A representative from the Police Force will be present at the meeting to give an update in relation to crime figures etc.

Sergeant Turner explained that year-to-date recorded crime for 2004/5 was 799 with 269 crimes having been detected.  This equated to a 33.7% detection rate.  This compared to the same period in 2003/4 of 1,053 recorded crimes - a reduction of 24.1%.  There had been 137 incidents of crime in July compared to 152 in August. 

The following was a summary of a breakdown of categories of incidents :

A representative from the Primary Care Trust will be present at the meeting to report on progress

Nigel Porter, Chief Executive of the PCT was present at the meeting to give an update.  He circulated copies of the Sedgefield Primary Care Trust’s Annual Report for 2003/4 which summarised what the Trust was trying to achieve, detailed objectives and its performance.  The report also dealt with the financial aspects of the Trust.

The Forum was informed of the change to out-of-hours surgery arrangements due to take place from 1^st December.  It was explained that doctors emergency Saturday morning surgeries would cease.  The Urgent Care Centre at Bishop Auckland Hospital would consequently expand its service to cover Saturday mornings.

A query was raised in relation to how patients’ issues were dealt with.  It was explained that a Patient Liaison Advisory Officer was in post to pick up issues and examine the reasons for problems.  It was considered that this service needed to be publicised.

It was explained that the Patient and Public Involvement Forum had devised a Health Centre questionnaire to establish patient needs in relation to the provision of facilities at the new Health Centre in Newton Aycliffe.  A copy of this was circulated and was to be completed and returned to Councillor Crosby or the Pioneering Care Partnership Centre.

Members were also informed of the PCT Third Listening Event to be held on 18^th October in Newton Aycliffe Youth Centre from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.  

To consider the attached document

Consideration was given to a summary of a Government document in relation to the NHS Improvement Plan.

The document summarised the ambitions of the NHS over the next few years and how those ambitions would be made reality.  There had been a significant increase in funding - £33m in 1997 to £67m this year.  The amount spent per person had increased from £680 per person to £1,345 per peson over the last seven years.

By 2008 the NHS had to provide patients with no more than an 18 week waiting period from seeing GP to being treated in hospital.  There was also to be more choice for people in relation to where they were to be treated etc.

There would also be changes in the way services were provided with more people being treated in the independent sector.

Patients would also have a right to access their own care records.

In relation to performance more local targets would be set. Communities would be consulted as part of this process.

Arrangements have been  made for the head of Neighbourhood Services to attend the meeting to give a presentation regarding the above

Glyn Hall, Director of Neighbourhood Services, attended the meeting to give a presentation regarding the above.

It was explained that Sedgefield Borough Council had invested significantly in the Community Safety Service over the past decade.  The Service’s achievements included the development of the Community Force, the establishment of Sedgefield Borough Community Safety Partnership and the creation of the Community Care Force Centre, which included a combined CCTV and Community Alarm function. 

It was reported that in early 2003, Holden McAllister Partnership had been commissioned by the Borough Council to undertake an independent review of the Council’s Community Safety Service.  The report confirmed that Community Safety continued to be seen as a priority for residents of the Borough and concluded that whilst the development of the Sedgefield Borough Crime and Disorder Partnership had provided a framework for strategic intervention by partner organisations, the development of a Community Safety Strategy specifically for the Borough Council was a logical next step. 

With regard to the operational elements of the service, the report acknowledged that the development of the Community Force during the 1990s had been a bold and innovative step.  The Community Force had been one of the first schemes used to inform the national development of Neighbourhood and Street Warden initiatives and latterly, the Police Community Support Officers initiative.   The report concluded, however, that although the Community Force as a concept was pioneering, it now needed to refocus and together with the CCTV function, be set within the Corporate Strategy. 

It was explained that the service re-engineering would begin with Community Force Officers being re-designated Neighbourhood Wardens, with an increased emphasis on community engagement/public re-assurance, creating stronger links with Neighbourhood Management by targeting areas of greatest need, having powers to issue fixed penalty notices and operating flexible working patterns in response to need.

It was pointed out that the transition was supported by the recent Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Neighbourhood Renewal Unit national evaluation of the Neighbourhood Wardens Programme the evaluation recognised the unique role Neighbourhood Wardens played in neighbourhood renewal and recorded the overriding message from the evaluation that in successful schemes Neighbourhood Wardens can and were having an impact in areas of increased resident satisfaction, reduced fear of crime particularly for older people, decline in overall rates of crime, perceived improvements in environmental problems and contributing to tackling anti-social behaviour.  In fact, the ODPM evaluation did commend Sedgefield Borough Council’s existing Neighbourhood Warden Scheme that operated at Dean Bank, Ferryhill and West Ward, Newton Aycliffe in their efforts to reduce youth disorder and anti-social behaviour by engaging young people in a number of innovative initiatives.

The re-engineered Sedgefield Borough Council Neighbourhood Warden Service included features identified by the ODPM evaluation as common in schemes that were working well such as having a tailored and flexible approach, involving a wide variety of stakeholders including resident participation, active and represented steering groups, good management, partnership based, highly visible, targeted deployment based on need and having good quality and well trained staff.  Neighbourhood Wardens would be community based although provision would be made for a central mobile response, including the out-of-hours service up to 10 p.m. and targeted joint working between the Wardens as a team and with others such as Police, Environmental Protection Officers, Neighbourhood Management, Housing Management and Tenancy Enforcement.  The Wardens would work with Resident Groups and Schools and provide re-assurance to vulnerable groups.

Deployment of the thirteen Neighbourhood Wardens within the local communities had been determined by development of a matrix of needs taking account of population, levels of deprivation, recorded crime and anti-social behaviour, Council housing stock numbers, priority areas amongst older private sector housing, NRF and other partnership funding and other services operating within the area. Based upon the above assessment Neighbourhood Wardens would be deployed within the five management areas across the Borough targeting communities of greatest need.  Deployment according to the needs based assessment matrix would be kept under regular view and any adjustments would be made accordingly.

It was noted that the Council would have access to the Airwaves digital radio communications system used by Durham Constabulary to promote joint working and information flow between Police Headquarters/Officers and the CCTV Control Rooms and Neighbourhood Wardens.

The Forum was also informed that the Council’s CCTV service was programmed to be reviewed in the final quarter of 2004, and a Community Safety Strategy for Sedgefield Borough was being developed, which would take account of the changing external environment and link Council services to the strategic directions set by Government Office, Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership and the Local Strategic Partnership.

It was pointed out that an article regarding the Neighbourhood Warden Service would be included in the October edition of Inform and arrangements were being made for the new wardens to hand deliver leaflets regarding their services to every household in the Borough.

Specific reference was made to the establishment of the Neighbourhood Warden Steering Group.  The Group would include in its membership, representatives from the five Area Forums within the borough.  It would meet on a quarterly basis, and monitor and review performance and be involved in service planning.

The Forum agreed that the nomination of a representative for Area 5 Forum to the Group would be considered at its next meeting.

Next meeting is scheduled to be held on 30^th November 2004

Next meeting to be held on 30^th November, 2004.

Consideration was given to the Minutes of the L. S. P. Board Meeting held on 21^st July, 2004.  (For copy see file of Minutes).