Agenda item

The Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children and Children in Care NENC ICB, Karen Watson, presented the Annual Health Update (for copy of report and presentation see file of minutes). 

The Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children and Children in Care updated the Panel on issues relating to services the NENC ICB commissioning, with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust providing medical services for care experience young people and those with a plan for adoption, with Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust providing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).  She explained as regards the services that were commissioned by the Council’s Public Health Team, with Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust 0-25 Service providing Review Health Assessments for Durham children living within the Local Authority boundary. 

The Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children and Children in Care provided update information as regards the six local priority areas in relation to:

1.      Improving access to a local dentist to increase compliance for dental health assessments for Children in Care in Durham.

2.      Ensuring the needs of children from Durham who are living out of area and improving compliance of Out of Area (OOA) health assessments within statutory timeframes.

3.      To understand the number of Children in Care accessing CAMHS services and to have assurance that their needs are fully met.

4.      To increase the compliance of primary care GP information to inform Initial Health Assessments (IHAs) and Review Health Assessments (RHAs) - a digital solution to improve the quality of GP information is being redeveloped.

5.      Every care experienced young person should be offered a health passport to understand their health history.

6.      To ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have access to services and support to meet their needs.

The Panel were informed of the 2024/25 priorities from the national perspective, in relation to work being undertaken around new NHS numbers for children who are adopted, and with the national group working with NHS England looking at NHS numbers for UASC, to help prevent duplicate NHS numbers.  The Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children and Children in Care noted Durham priorities including CLASP development day; continued Health Partnership meeting; and focus on the Young Peoples priority ‘Physical and Emotional Health – right person, right service, right time’.  She noted that first steps would include: to consider any mapping of emotional wellbeing services; and to strengthening the notification process to health when young people come into care.

The Panel learned of the work of the ICB Children in Care Priority Group, noting the Designated Nurse Safeguarding Children and Children in Care was the lead for that workstream.  Members noted areas of work included: benchmarking tools; dental recovery pathway; development of a Children in Care Dashboard; Care Leavers’ Pathway for GPs; Digital Health Passport; Early Deaths of Care Experienced; and Children in Care Week.

Resolved:

That the report and presentation be noted.