Health inequalities: Place and Wellbeing Programme Steering Group minutes - December 2022

Attendees and apologies

• Elizabeth Sadler (Chair), Deputy Director for Covid-Ready Society, Scottish Government
• Valerie Arbuckle (Deputising), Partnership Development Manager, Police Scotland
• Sam Cassels, Place Principle Advisor, Scottish Government
• Angela Davidson, Deputy Director for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing, Scottish Government
• Nicola Dickie, Director of People Policy, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
• Gill Hawkins (Deputising), Health Protection and Public Health, Scottish Government
• Diana Hekerem (Deputising), Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Rikke Iversholt (Deputising), Technology Enabled Care & Digital Innovation, Scottish Government
• Lynn MacMillan, Head of Health Inequalities Unit, Scottish Government
• Lynne Nicol, Deputy Director of Planning & Quality, Scottish Government
• Jane O’Donnell, Deputy Director for Local Government and Analytical Services, Scottish Government
• Gordon Paterson, Director of Social Care, NHS Education for Scotland
• Susan Paxton, Director, Scottish Community Development Centre
• Pamela Smith (Deputising), Public Health Scotland
• Kimberley Somerside (Deputising), Policy and Engagement Officer, Voluintary Health Scotland
• Joy Tomlinson, Director of Public Health, NHS Fife
• Alison White, Convenor, Social Work Scotland

Apologies

• Naureen Ahmad, Deputy Director for General Policy, Scottish Government
• Dominique Allwood, Assistant Director for Improvement, Health Foundation
• Marion Bain, Public Health Advisor, Scottish Government
• Lorna Birse Stewart, Chair, NHS Tayside
• Ruth Glassborow, Director of Improvement, Health Improvement Scotland
• Vicky Irons, Chief Officer, Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership
• Angela Leitch, Chief Executive, Public Health Scotland
• Karen MacNee, Deputy Director for Health Improvement, Scottish Government
• Gerard McCormack, Head of Transformation, Performance and Improvement, Improvement Service
• Dona Milne, Director of Public Health, NHS Lothian
• Carol Potter, Chief Executive, NHS Fife
• Karen Reid, Chief Executive, NHS Education for Scotland
• Peter Seaman, Associate Director, Glasgow Centre for Population Health
• Claire Sweeney, Director of Place and Wellbeing, Public Health Scotland
• Clair Thomson, Collaboration Transformation Manager, Police Scotland
• Margaret Whoriskey, Deputy Director for Technology Enabled Care and Digital Innovation, Scottish Government

Items and actions

Welcome and apologies

Elizabeth Sadler, Deputy Director for COVID-Ready Society with Scottish Government, welcomed the group and the minutes from the previous meeting were approved with no changes. Elizabeth Sadler also introduced Lynne Nicol, Deputy Director of Planning and Quality with Scottish Government, as a new member and thanked Heather Knox for her contribution to the group. Discussions are ongoing as to whether the new Chief Executive for NHS Lanarkshire will take her place in the Steering Group.

Enabling Local Change: revised scope

Chris Stothart, Enabling Local Change Workstream Lead for the Place and Wellbeing Programme within Scottish Government, summarised key findings from the review of the Enabling Local Change workstream and outlined the recommendations from a recent re-scoping and prioritisation exercise. It was highlighted that the original aim and objectives described a suite of mutually reinforcing activities that ideally should be progressed in tandem. Due to limited resources, only three streamlined objectives will be taken forward at this time.

Chris Stothart described how objectives were selected based on time-limited opportunities and sequencing to lay the necessary groundwork for future activity. The workstream's focus will be on key areas where national support would be helpful to enable local change – specifically access to data and intelligence at a granular level, deploying Public Health Scotland support to local public health teams and ensuring health leaders are engaging proactively and consistently in community planning partnerships across Scotland. Proposed next steps were also shared.

Members were supportive of the revised aim and objectives and the described activities. Several members suggested Chris Stothart link in with Health Improvement Scotland colleagues and the quality improvement team to progress the described activities. Members encouraged Chris Stothart to consider the need for wider health system leadership participation in community planning partnerships, beyond public health and directors of public health. The importance of balancing national priorities with local need was also raised and members encouraged this be reflected in workstream planning going forward.

Communities: next steps

Kimberley Smith, Communities Workstream Lead for the Place and Wellbeing Programme within Scottish Government, proposed five actions for taking forward the funding objective of the workstream. An overview of the progress in relation to the framework was given and next steps set out. Suggestions were welcomed on how to best engage with relevant local public sector decision-makers.

Members were content with the proposed actions. Joy Tomlinson, Director of Public Health with NHS Fife, agreed to send suggestions of people who could join the Co-production Core Group and offer a local commissioning perspective.

Anchors: update

Úna Bartley, Team Lead for the Place and Wellbeing Programme with Scottish Government, updated the group on progress of the task and finish groups and proposed next steps.

Members were supportive of the suggestion that NHS Boards are asked to develop an anchors plan. A caveat for this was to consider if this is the best way to embed anchor activity within and across NHS Boards. It was agreed that the plans would need to be a means of signalling that anchor activity as a priority. It should be clear whether the plans are for Scottish Government or NHS Boards and the intended outcome. It was suggested that an alternative to asking for a full anchors delivery board could be asking NHS Boards to state their top two or three priorities to progress Anchor activity.

Úna Bartley highlighted that the team are working with Public Health Scotland to develop a communications strategy. Members agreed the strategy should raise awareness amongst all staff of what anchor activity looks like in practice. This could be done by developing visuals and examples of good practice. For example, how the employment of priority groups can address child poverty.

It was also suggested that the workforce strand should include looking at ensuring staff have trauma training. This would be a way of supporting people into employment.

Action 9:

• programme team to meet with Valerie Arbuckle, Police Scotland

Programme charter

Lisa Cohen, Programme Manager from National Services Scotland, outlined the adjustments made to the Programme Charter which is due to be presented at the Portfolio Board in January. Members were asked for feedback on the draft via email.