Cheshire West Health and Care Partnership Committee Update
Papers available here: https://cmttpublic.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=1136&MId=7536
Chair: Professor Paul Kingston, Chester University
9th January, 2025
Why does this Committee meet?
The Cheshire West Health and Care Partnership Committee is made up of Members from the following organisations:
- Cheshire West and Chester Council
- The Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board
- Cheshire and Wirral Partnership
- Countess of Chester Hospitals
- Mid-Cheshire Hospitals
- Healthwatch
- And Cheshire West Voluntary Action, on behalf of the Voluntary, Community, Faith, Social Enterprise Organisations within Cheshire West Place.
The Committee meet to discuss, agree and hear updates on progress for work areas that can only be achieved by colleagues within all of these organisations working together.
The meeting takes place every other month, and is held in public. Cheshire West Citizen’s are able to send questions up to three days before the meeting around the agenda items.
These can be sent to:
Tanya.jefcoate-malam@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk
Updates from the 9th January, 2025
Welcomes, Actions and Apologies
For the first time, Professor Paul Kingston joined the Committee as an Independent Chair (from the University of Chester), with the aim of giving scrutiny and challenge to the meeting agenda and topics.
Paul commented that he is keen to add value and seek assurance on behalf of Cheshire West residents that priorities are being progressed that will improve their health and care.
Unfortunately, due to the recent Christmas period, the agenda and papers for this meeting were not sent out a week in advance, as is the commitment of the Committee.
The Committee wished to apologise for not enabling citizens to raise questions about agenda items in advance on this occasion. Cheshire West Place are still very keen to hear any feedback about items discussed. Therefore, this update will provide a brief summary of each of the topics discussed. Any further questions can be directed to the following email address:
Tanya.jefcoate-malam@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk
Joint Outcomes Strategic Needs Assessment Board
Jo McCullagh, Public Health Consultant from Cheshire West and Chester Council attended the Committee to present a proposal to bring together the work priorities for colleagues within Place organisations who deliver Data and Business Intelligence. Jo explained by bringing these Teams together within a new Board and Group, it is hoped that data and intelligence continues to be better used to prioritise, plan and deliver against our health and care priorities, as well as improving relationships between partner organisations and reducing duplication.
To see the kind of information that is used to help with setting these priorities, please see the Ward Profiles that are available here:
Inspection of Children’s Services
Simone White, Interim Director of Children’s Service from Cheshire West and Chester Council, attended the Committee to update on the recent Inspection of Children’s Services within Cheshire West.
Although the results of this inspection have meant that Cheshire West has received the outcome of “Requires Improvement”, the Inspection Report clearly identifies a number of areas of good practice.
The Report also identified some areas where improvements are required, and an Action Plan has already been agreed and being progressed to work towards these areas. The progress against some of these actions are impacted by the fact that demand within Cheshire West for Children in Care is increasing.
The Inspection Framework makes it clear that Partnership Working is very important to achieving a well-functioning system and improving inspection results, as well a joint working to progress the prevention of Children in Care.
All Place Partners were asked to commit resource and support to improving this important area. The full inspection report can be viewed here: 50255617
Adult Social Care – Care Quality Commission Inspection
Emma Cleminson, Senior Commissioning Manager at Cheshire West and Chester Council attended to give the Committee an update on the work that is being undertaken to ensure Cheshire West are ready for their Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in early February 2025.
A Cheshire West and Chester action plan, setting out key areas of focus required to ready the organisation for this inspection was described along with the need to demonstrate close partnership working and reduce the boundaries across organisations for the benefit of the people of Cheshire West. Emma pointed to some of the shared benefits integrated working has already delivered such as the Local Voices Framework describing our approach to co production; involving local people in service changes.
Healthier Futures – Development of Mid-Cheshire Hospital’s Leighton Site
Russ Favager, Senior Responsible Officer for Mid-Cheshire Hospital attended the Committee to give an update on the Healthier Futures Programme. This Programme looks to improve the Leighton Hospital site to ensure it is fit for the future, helps support the local environment and is able to meet the needs of the community including the development of a new health campus on the Leighton site.
Russ explained that a consultation window will soon be opened so that local people are able to feedback and influence the development/plans for this site.
Further information on the Healthier Futures Programme can be found via Mid Cheshire’s monthly newsletter on this topic, available here:
https://www.healthierfutures.mcht.nhs.uk/
Community Partnership Update
Community Partnerships are an innovative forum where Health, Care, Third Sector Organisations and members of a local community can come together at a neighbourhood level to identify local priorities and agree how to work together to make progress against these. Within Cheshire West, we have agreed to hand over the leadership of this programme to the local community organisations, with Cheshire West Voluntary Action taking this leadership role.
Neston and Willaston Community Partnership attended to present on their local priorities, and the progress they had made, particularly around dealing with people who live within Cheshire West but attend Wirral Hospitals. Two impactful case studies were given that demonstrated the positive impact of the Community Partnership working collaboratively with the third sector (Cheshire Community Action) to enable people in Neston who need some support to be more easily discharged home after an inpatient hospital stay at Arrowe Park.
It was agreed that each Community Partnership would take it in turns to give a similar presentation through the year, highlighting the local work and priorities of each Partnership.
For more information, please visit the Cheshire West Voluntary Action Website here: https://cwva.org.uk/communitypartnerships