Healthy Croydon Briefing July 2007

IDeA Healthy Communities Peer Review update
Healthy Croydon has been working with the Improvement & Development Agency (IDeA), other local authorities, PCTs and a range of national organisations to inform the development of a new Peer Review process. The Healthy Communities Peer Review aims to assist local authorities and their partners develop effective approaches to improving health and well-being. The new Peer Review will be informed by a benchmark which looks at performance in four areas:

• Leadership
• Empowering communities
• Making it happen
• Improving performance

Croydon Council was asked by the IDeA to be one of the first authorities to pilot the new peer review. The review team, headed by Tony Elson, former Chief Executive of Kirklees Council, visited Croydon from the 24th to the 26th April. They met a broad range of officers and members within the Council, frontline staff, staff from partner organisations, voluntary and community sector representatives and members of the public.

A draft report was sent to the Council by the IDeA and is being considered by Council leadership and Healthy Croydon's Executive Group. The final report is expected in August 2007. Initial feedback identified a numbers of areas of particular strength including robust partnership working, a strong performance management culture and excellent community engagement. The pilot review also identified a number of areas for consideration including the need for clearer emphasis on outcomes, the need to strengthen member and officer leadership, and the need to ensure strategy and business plans across the Council reflect the health improvement agenda. There are also opportunities to build the role of Overview and Scrutiny in health improvement and to learn from the experience of the Healthy Schools programme.

A copy of the final report and management action plan will be distributed to all members of the Partnership. Work is already underway in a number of areas highlighted by the Review including a ‘fitness for purpose’ review of Partnership Groups and the development of strategic framework for health improvement. Members of the Partnership will be kept regularly updated on developments.

For more information about the Healthy Communities Peer Review contact Steve Morton, Healthy Croydon Partnership Manager
Tel: 020 8760 5773
Email: steve.morton@croydon.gov.uk

Healthy Croydon @ Croydon Summer Festival
Healthy Croydon organised a healthy living marquee at this year’s Croydon Summer Festival which took place in Lloyd Park on 14 & 15 July. Free fruit and still water were one enticement for people visiting the Healthy Croydon marquee. PCT and Council staff, alongside local voluntary organisations, spent two days promoting and encouraging healthy living at the Festival. There was a particular emphasis on small lifestyle changes that people can take to reduce the risk of diabetes, stroke and coronary heart disease. We also aimed to show people how healthy living can be fun!

There were a variety of displays in the marquee with service information and fun activities covering a range of topics including Mental Health and Well Being, Physical Activity, Smoking Cessation, Breast and Cervical Screening. In addition, local Afro-Caribbean and Asian Cookery clubs were able to give delicious healthy eating tips and recipes.

Nurses were available to carry out blood pressure and waist measurement checks, which many visitors took advantage of. These simple tests were particularly effective as people were able to see how a reduction of only a few centimetres on their waist measurement would move them from a ‘high risk’ to a ‘low risk’ group of getting diabetes. Those that had high blood pressure were advised to visit their GP. The health checks were complemented by advice from local Diabetes UK representatives.

Children had the opportunity to draw ‘a picture of health’ which uncovered plenty of budding young artists and vivid imaginations. The pictures also showed that young people do already have good knowledge about what they can do to live healthily. Young people also enjoyed looking at replica food and were surprised by the amount of salt, sugar and fat hidden in everyday foods.

The marquee welcomed hundreds of visitors from a wide range of ethnicities and ages, all benefiting from all the information and advice on offer. The Mayor, several local councillors, MPs and the new council Chief Executive all visited the marquee during the festival. Many visitors completed evaluation forms saying they had taken away useful information and positive messages about how they might be able to lead healthier lives.

Croydon Health Profile 2007
Croydon’s Health Profile has recently been updated. The 2007 Croydon Health Profile can be found at http://www.communityhealthprofiles.info/

Headlines from the Profile include:

• On average, men in Croydon live longer than in England as a whole, although for women life expectancy is similar to the England average.
• Death rates from major causes, such as cancer and heart disease and stroke are similar to the England average.
• There is a high rate of reported violent crime compared to England as a whole although the rate is lower than the London average.
• Croydon is estimated to have a higher percentage of adults who eat healthily, and a lower proportion of obese adults compared to the England average. Binge drinking amongst Croydon residents is estimated to be below the average for England.
• The percentage of the population with recorded diabetes is higher than average, which is consistent with Croydon's ethnic mix.
• Teenage pregnancy rates are high in Croydon compared to the England average.
• Areas in the north and east of Croydon tend to have higher levels of deprivation than those in the south.
• Men in the least deprived areas live over 6 years longer than those in the most deprived areas, and women almost 5 years longer on average.
• There is a low proportion of people in routine and manual occupations in Croydon compared to England as a whole.
• 1 in 5 of the White British population in Croydon is in these occupations compared to over 1 in 4 in England.

Electronic records - Croydon first again!
After being the first area in the country to go-live with the electronic prescriptions service, Croydon PCT has once again taken the lead. If a patient moves to a new area, their electronic record can now be transferred to their new GP through the NHS Care Records Service computer network. Previously this could only happen between GPs using the same IT systems. GPs in Croydon took part in a successful trial to send records between different computer systems. Now trusts around England will follow suit.

For more information about the Electronic Records trial contact John Toole, Head of Information Management and Technology
Tel: 020 8274 6097
Email: john.toole@croydonpct.nhs.uk

Homes for the Future (New4Old) Programme
Councillor Margaret Mead, Cabinet Member for Health & Adult Social Care will be placing the last piece of concrete at the top of the Heavers Farm building on 20 September. Heavers Farm is one of 4 sites being redeveloped as part of the Homes for the Future Programme (formerly known as the New4Old programme).
Homes for the Future is the council's programme to modernise residential and day care services for older people in Croydon. It has the backing of Central Government and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Funding. Credit approval has been secured for £38 million.
More information about Homes for the Future can be found on the council website or from Adriana Costantino, Homes for the Future Project Officer
Tel: 020 8726 6500
Email: adriana.costantino@croydon.gov.uk

Beacon Awards – Round 9
Croydon is seeking its 7th Beacon award following this year’s double award for Increasing Voluntary Sector Delivery and Delivering Cleaner Air. A small project team has worked with a wide range of individuals and organisations to compile evidence to support an application under the Local Strategic Partnerships and Local Area Agreements theme. Short-listing of applications will take place in October. Panel assessment visits will then be held in November and December 2007, which will give an opportunity to present additional material and more examples of good practice from Croydon. Panel presentations will take place in January 2008 and short-listed authorities will hear the final decision next March.

For more information about the Beacon scheme and Croydon’s application contact Amanda Guest-Collins, Policy Officer
Tel: 020 8604 7010
Email: amanda.guest-collins@croydon.gov.uk

Rogers Review
Peter Rogers’ report on the ‘National enforcement priorities for local authority regulatory services’ was published on the 21st March this year alongside the Budget. Its recommendations were accepted in full by the Government. The Review sets out 5 National Enforcement Priorities (and one short term Priority) and criteria for selecting local priorities. The National Enforcement Priorities are:

• Air quality, including regulation of pollution from factories and homes (includes air quality plans)
• Alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment licensing and its enforcement
• Hygiene of businesses selling, distributing and manufacturing food and the safety and fitness of food in the premises
• Improving health in the workplace
• Fair trading (trade description, trade marking, mis-description, doorstep selling)
  Plus,
• Animal and public health, animal movements and identification – a time limited priority due to a review of delivery

Croydon council will be working with partners to identify local enforcement priorities. The criteria for selecting local priorities are that an issue:
Causes significant harm within a local authority area,
Generates high levels of local concern,
Is such that local authorities can make a difference to outcomes in their locality and
Can be dealt with by each local authority independently of what other local authorities do

For more information about the implications of the Rogers Review for Croydon contact Mike Pilgrim, Divisional Director Public Protection
Tel: 020 8686 4433 x 65433
Email: mike.pilgrim@croydon.gov.uk

Consultations
A consultation on Croydon’s Draft Joint Strategy for Mental Health and Social Care in Older Age 2007 – 2010 was launched on 9 July 2007. The Draft Joint Strategy sets out the strategic direction and development of mental health services for older people, based on a comprehensive needs analysis, over the next 3 years. The strategy aims to ensure older people with mental health conditions are supported to live actively and independently for as long as possible and to ensure fair access to services tailored to individual needs. The consultation ends on 1 October 2007.

For copies of the consultation document contact Sue Cousins at Croydon PCT
Tel: 020 8274 6237
Email: sue.cousins@croydonpct.nhs.uk

If you have any queries or would like to discuss the strategy please contact Claire Godfrey Assistant Director Older People, Physical Disabilities and Sensory Impairment Partnership Commissioning on 020 8274 6251 claire.godfrey@croydonpct.nhs.uk