The Council’s health and wellbeing strategy has proven successful at improving the wellbeing of employees – demonstrated by a 12% improvement in the overall health and wellbeing of employees. It is thought that this strategy could be packaged and rolled out to other employers in Tameside to contribute to improving the health status of the wider population of Tameside.

Inherent within Health and Safety legislation is the need for Occupational Health Services. Government Strategies Securing Health Together and Revitalising Health and Safety set targets for Occupational Health Units within local authorities.

The Occupational Health Unit uses a Pre-employment Fitness for Work System offering a wide range of health screening and assessment including a Health Surveillance System that involves a general health assessment, audiometric screening, respiratory screening, vibration screening, skin screening, vision screening and work sites visits.

The Occupational Health Unit already provides a service to High Peak Borough Council, New Charter and Sports Trust. It wishes to extend its service to small and medium businesses within Tameside, specifically businesses with health related issues such as chemical users, wood cutting, labourers etc.

Liverpool City Council has already carried out a great deal of work in this area and is considering bringing in a voluntary code banning children from using sunbeds, a move supported by the World Health Organisation.

The Department of Health’s Cancer Reform Strategy sets out the governments proposals to expand the Sunsmart Campaign, aimed at promoting behaviour change to prevent skin cancer, and review options for regulation of the industry by gathering more information about the number and distribution of sunbeds and the scale of sunbed use by minors.

In support of the Cancer Reform Strategy, the Health and Safety Executive has worked with the Department of Health and with key stakeholders to produce a revision of the guidance leaflet INDG209 ‘Reducing health risks from the use of UV tanning equipment’. Since the original guidance, there has been considerable technological change in the sunbed industry as well as an expansion in sunbed use. This, coupled with the growing concern about the number of young people using sunbeds, has resulted in the new draft guidance that is out for consultation.

The guidance is aimed at employers and self-employed people who operate UV tanning equipment – sunlamps, sunbeds, tanning booths, but also has advice for customers. The consultation deadline is 17th July.

The North West Fluoridation Evaluation Group was established to identify potential fluoridation schemes and establish the costs for each scheme.

A cost benefit analyses for each of the four options will be undertaken and the results presented to the North West PCTs. After this, Tameside and Glossop PCT will be in a position to make a decision as to whether they should request NHS NorthWest to undertake a formal consultation to fluoridate the water supply.

This Scrutiny review will consider the arguments for and against fluoridating the water supply to enable the Scrutiny Panel to present their views in a consultation.

New legislation introduced in 2004 that all patients should be able to see a primary care doctor within 48 hours and a primary care professional (‘someone who offers appointments’) within 24 hours. In March 2005, all prebookable appointments to be made no less than two days in advance. This Advanced/Improved Access system was brought in to prevent long delays in obtaining an appointment to see a doctor and was intended to improve access to healthcare provision for patients.

Hartlepool Borough Council carried out a review of access to GP surgeries in 2006 and found that, with specific reference to this issue, that the Advanced Access system worked well in some surgeries but was a disaster in others and was more a matter of interpretation and flexibility. The Scrutiny Panel in Hartlepool felt that queues outside surgeries was a large problem and recommended that it should be addressed.

TOPP
Tameside Older Peoples Project has been running since May 2007. The ‘Open Door’ system involves a health and social care ‘check and support’ service ran by 100 volunteers (over 55) and a personally delivered information service. Older people are visited in their home and a home-based ‘check up’ is carried out. Advice and information signposting people to services and other sources of help is provided based on the assessment. Information on the quality of existing services will be fed back to help shape commissioning decisions.

National Evaluation
The Department of Health has commissioned a national evaluation of the POPP programme to assess to what extent the aims of the projects are being met. Evaluations carried out in October 2007 assessed the achievements and learning points from the programmes on a national scale. The Head of Adult Services contacted the Panel to request that assessment from a local perspective.

The PCT Obesity Strategy “A Strategy for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Tameside and Glossop, 2006 – 2008’ has five overall aims:

1. Reduce the number of Tameside and Glossop residents who are obese.
2. Reduce the number of Tameside and Glossop residents who are overweight from becoming obese and encourage the achievement and maintenance of a health weight.
3. Prevent Tameside and Glossop residents from becoming overweight and encourage the maintenance of a healthy weight.
4. Reduce inequalities in health across Tameside and Glossop caused by obesity and overweight.

The Strategy sets out recommendations for multi agency action to tackle obesity in Tameside and Glossop.

Tameside and Glossop PCT are currently in the process of developing their Obesity action plan in line with the Strategy. One of the requirements of the action plan is to involve Overview and Scrutiny.

HCOP 2.4b The number of older people (aged 60 or over) that are helped by Tameside MBC, the local pension service and other partners to make successful new or increased claims – Pension Credit

HCOP 2.4c The number of older people (aged 60 or over) that are helped by Tameside MBC, the local pension service and other partners to make successful new or increased claims – Council Tax Benefits

No data collected for third quarter because outcomes aren’t logged until three months after claim. Exceeded cumulative target for quarter 2. Awaiting year end results.

Welfare Right Service provides clear, concise, free and confidential advice and representation in matters of welfare benefits. The Service includes undertaking casework, offering representation at appeal hearings, providing training and debt advice.

Concerns with the Service

• Not enough has been done to raise awareness about the benefits available to people, particularly older people.
• Service is delivered by a number of different departments within the Council. This can lead to lack of communication and coordination and therefore poor delivery of the service.
• Had £100,000 overspend 2007/08 which has since been cleared but which will need to be considered for future costing.

A number of shortcomings in Records Management were found in 2006/07 and there were some areas of weakness in regard to tracking systems, audits, training of staff and managers, standardise formats for paper records and use of the NHS Number. Progress was made in 2006/07 but this standard was considered not to have been met in 2006/07. An action plan has been put in place to secure further improvements and this was implemented in 2007/08 but as it was ongoing during this period, the PCT did not comply with standard C9 until October 2007. The PCT was compliant during the second half of 2007/08.

The Panel might want to consider examining the action plan and monitoring the success of its implementation to ensure that the PCT complies with standard C9 in 2008/09.

Tameside MBC received a sum of money from the Department of Health to appoint an independent host organisation to set up and run a LINk in Tameside. The process of appointment involved a wide range of stakeholders from NHS Trust, PPI Forum representatives to Overview and Scrutiny and Adult Services. On 1st June the contact with Tameside Third Sector Coalition will officially begin.

In order to ensure that the host is carrying out it tasks effectively and supporting a well organised and highly structured LINk, there needs to be performance monitoring mechanisms in place. A member of the Local Authority will be appointed to monitor the contract with the LINk.

Overview and Scrutiny has an important role to play in monitoring the performance of the LINk, not only because it has to develop and maintain an effective relationship with the LINk itself, but also because it need to ensure that the LINk is working to represent the views of local people.