Agenda item

To receive an update on the role and impact of Neighbourhood Collaboratives in Wiltshire.  These initiatives aim to bring people together to reduce health and wellbeing inequalities and are aligned to the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing strategy. 

The Chairman noted that the Committee received information about neighbourhood collaboratives in September 2023 as part of the background to Integrated Care. To provide an opportunity to ask questions on the matter, the item was being brought to this meeting so that members could consider whether there were opportunities to support the initiatives at a divisional level.

The Chairman then introduced Clare O’Farrell and Emma Higgins from the ICB to present the item and field questions from the Committee.

The pair noted that the initiative formed part of a suite of work aimed at moving to a more preventative approach to healthcare, and also added that there was a raft of data available to members upon request.

Councillor Mike Sankey enquired about how to add the Melksham cohort, while Councillor Vigar observed that neighbourhoods will each have different priorities, asking about whether it would typically be an independent organisation responsible for the outreach work or if it could be Wiltshire Council itself. Clare O’Farrell confirmed that it could be either depending on who was best placed.

Diane Gooch expressed her enthusiasm for co-production provided it was genuine, while also remarking on a number of satellite surgeries out of area in Calne, asking about the scope for public engagement.

Clare O’Farrell confirmed that there were individuals in the partnership who scrutinised the co-production element to ensure its validity, and that the programme was first and foremost about gaining an insight into local concerns, with work being started recently on the military population among other things.

The Vice-Chairman asked about the methods in which these collaboratives grow, asking about how community groups could contribute? It was explained that growth was largely through word of mouth for the time being, but that sharing platforms were already active. It was also noted that new joiners represented their own kind of challenge, albeit a welcome one, and that many individuals joined via their GP.

Irene Kohler commented that particularly with regards to the military community, small, grassroots organisations were often best-placed to connect with such hard-to-reach communities, remarking that these organisations were often already under tremendous pressure. She asked if the collaboratives were in a position to assist and empower these organisations to avoid over-burdening them. It was explained that the partnership element of the initiative was not about asking such organisations to do any more than they currently do and was far more about fostering support between such organisations and connecting them to enhance their reach without enhancing their workload.

The Chairman asked how members could get involved. It was explained that members were welcome to be include in circulation lists and conference spaces, and that the collaboratives would also be engaging closely with Area Boards going forward.

Resolved:

·         To request, if available, further information about the community engagement and co-production used in the collaborative process

·         To request an update on the impact of neighbourhood collaboratives in 2025.

·         To support the involvement of members in neighbourhood collaboratives and request a contact list for collaboratives.