The minutes of the last meeting held on 6 December 2022 were approved as a correct record.

Presentation by Stuart Youngman, Senior Primary Care Manager (Dental) North East & North Cumbria

The Committee received a presentation from Stuart Youngman, Senior Primary Care Manager (Dental) North East and North Cumbria which provided an update on NHS Dentistry Access.

The presentation covered a summary overview of NHS Dentistry, an outline of the formally commissioned NHS Dentistry position in Gateshead and the continuing pressures and challenges.

The impacts of COVID-19, dental recruitment and retention, NHS dental contract and system reform, local risk mitigation actions and local risk mitigation actions were reported to Committee.

The next steps were outlined to the Committee as follows:-

·        NHS Dentistry is still a recovering national and local system with continuing COVID-19 backlog pressures impacting that we will continue to pro-actively review and risk manage taking into account current national regulatory system and workforce operating constraints.

·        Await the announcement of further national dental regulatory, workforce and system reforms during 2023 and review the impact that initial national reforms that were introduced from November 2022 are beginning to have?

·        Review the impact of our locally introduced risk mitigation initiatives so that we can continue to use that learning to help keep our local NHS Dentistry service provision and access to care stabilised whilst we await further national dental system and workforce reforms.

·        Continue to work and engage positively with all our local dental professional leads, newly emerging NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and wider partners to ensure we continue to explore all local opportunities to improve NHS Dentistry access for patients and influence the development of national system and workforce developments during 2023.

RESOLVED – That the information be noted

Report  and presentation by Yvonne Probert, CEO Tell Us North

The Committee received a report and presentation by Yvonne Probert, CEO Tell Us North which provided an update on the range of work being carried out by Healthwatch Gateshead.

The report provided the Committee with an introduction to Healthwatch Gateshead, background on its work and a summary of leadership and decision making. It also outlined details on its staff and volunteers, sustainability and resilience and collaboration.

The report then outlined engagement, involvement and outreach work undertaken from February 2022 to January 2023 and details of current active work as well as looking ahead and next steps.

The work plan for the next year and the priorities for 2022/23 were outlined as:-

·        Accessible Information Standards

·        Keeping Warm

·        Substance Misuse

·        Health Literacy

·        Veterans Mental Health

·        Nutrition and

·        Developing Youthwatch Gateshead

Report of the Directot of Public Health

The Committee received a report from the Director of Public Health which provided a brief overview of some of estimates of level of need for substance misuse services in Gateshead and detailed what services and interventions are available for Gateshead’s adult residents.

The report provided a background to the Gateshead Recovery Partnership (GRP), a summary of prevalence and unmet need as well as details of treatment services available to clients, which are split into three elements:-

·        Clinical support

·        Treatment and Care Element, and

·        Abstinence, Recovery and Wellbeing Element

The report also outlined Alcohol harms, partnership working and details of performance.

Report and presentation by Steph Downey, Service Director Adult Social Care

The Committee received a report and case study presentation providing an update on the Adult Assessment Support and Engagement Team (ASSET) following the initial launch of the service in June 2021.

ASSET has a remit of providing an early signal driven intervention for residents experiencing chaotic lifestyles, multiple exclusions, and negative social outcomes. The focus of the team is to identify those at risk of entering Care Act arrangements at an earlier stage, whilst strengthening links with other agencies across Gateshead both statutory and non-statutory, as well as providing advice, information, and a higher level of signposting.

The Committee were advised that the ethos of the team is to provide an enabling, collaborative approach in which the person identified as needing support and those providing the support, work together to determine outcomes that draw on strengths and aspirations. This is relationship-based, solution focussed approach and co-ordinated with other parallel processes they may be involved in such as Safeguarding, ASB or other pathways. Colleagues in the service have a range of b backgrounds including substance misuse, exploitation, mental health and safeguarding.

In the first 12 months the team have had 1896 referrals. Overarchingly ASSET have provide direct intervention in 1388 of their referrals, with the remainder being closed as inappropriate or reassigned to other LA functions.

Joint Report of the Chief Executive and the Strategic Director, Corporate Services and Governance

The Committee received a report which set out the provisional work programme for the municipal year 2022/23.

Appendix 1 set out the work programme as it currently stands and highlights proposed changes to the programme in bold and italics for ease of identification.