Agenda item
Ageing Well Strategy - Scoping Paper
Minutes:
Keith Burns, Programme Director of Special Projects, LBTH, introduced the report. Keith explained that originally, this strategy was focused around residential and care home services in the borough, but that it has since broadened in scope and now encompassed a much wider range services and aims. The strategy has a number of parallels with other strategies being considered by the Board, for example the Health and Well-Being Strategy, the Housing Strategy and others.
The tabled strategy should be seen as an introductory proposal. Stakeholder engagement is planned, including with residents and community/voluntary sector bodies, and it is hoped this engagement will help define the scope of the strategy. Keith asked the board to specifically note the proposed governance arrangements, production timeline and the ambition that the strategy be co-produced with local stakeholders
The Chair welcomed the strategy, in particular the following elements:
a) The broadening of its scope to focus on ‘ageing well’, as she believed that the definition of an older person is changing and that ensuring wellbeing for older people today involves more than the traditional view of social care. She felt ageing well involved a range of partner services and the full range of Council services.
b) The commitment to involve the Board and other stakeholders in its production. The Chair felt this reflected a genuine commitment to work with local people and community groups to define the strategy in terms of what local people really want.
The board recognised that the strategy had broadened in scope and asked that future iterations of the strategy and reports to the Board reflect this, by including the full range of services to be explored. Specifically, it asked that the strategy include a focus on skills and knowledge and work in later life. The Board welcomed the strategy’s recognition that ageing is changing and that traditional ways of viewing older people’s needs was no longer sufficient to ensure wellbeing in older age. It stressed that we should no longer simply view older people as just ‘users’ of services, but should also ask how they can contribute and recognise that such contributions can have a real impact on their wellbeing.
The Board asked that the strategy also explore elements of intergenerational work. Members felt there are really good examples of such work in the Borough which officers could explore.
The Board RESOLVED to:
1. Approve the proposed governance arrangements for development and delivery of the strategy, including the creation of an Ageing Well Strategy Group to act as a sub-group of the Board;
2. Approve the proposal that the governance arrangements for the Ageing Well in Tower Hamlets strategy incorporate oversight of the actions and deliverables associated with the key aims of the Older Persons’ Housing Statement (2013-2015), which are currently being incorporated into the borough’s new Housing Strategy 2016 – 2019;
3. Agree the proposed exploration of the feasibility of committing to making Tower Hamlets a dementia friendly borough by 2020, in line with the Alzheimer’s Society’s challenge, during the development phase of the strategy;
4. Note the high level project plan for developing the strategy along with the identified interdependencies and to identify any additional interdependencies that require consideration as the strategy is developed;
5. Note the planned activities to engage residents and stakeholders in the coproduction of the strategy and to identify any additional co-production opportunities or requirements;
6. Note that proposals for reporting progress on delivering the strategy to the Board will be brought forward when the draft strategy is brought to the Board prior to its final approval.
Supporting documents:
- ITEM 3 - Ageing Well report_FINAL (29.07.2016), item 2.3 PDF 175 KB
- ITEM 3 APPENDIX 1 - Transforming dementia care_Guide, item 2.3 PDF 1 MB