Agenda item

Phil Holmes, Director of Adults, Health and Wellbeing (DMBC) gave a presentation to the Board outlining the work being undertaken in developing Local Solutions approaches in Doncaster’s neighbourhoods, together with Locality Plans.  It was noted that Team Doncaster was committed to supporting people, families and communities with local solutions that addressed their needs and built on their strengths in the place where they lived.  Working in a way that was responsive to local issues and assets, and investing funding alongside local communities (rather than “doing to” them) would increase local health and wellbeing by giving people more control over their lives and stronger connections with others.

Phil explained that the Local Solutions model was a way of collaborating on a more geographical basis with Doncaster people that felt more joined up.  He outlined the ways in which this approach might help partners to deliver services for people that were more specifically targeted to the needs of local communities and how this could be done in a more joined up way.  The Board noted some specific examples of how the model might be applied, such is in supporting stronger families and improving access for people to Adult Social Care and Primary Care services.  It could also connect with Town Centre issues where there were cohorts in relation to rough sleeping and homelessness, and some instances of anti-social behaviour by younger people.

The Board noted that it was proposed to use non-recurrent Better Care Fund monies to invest in preventative working and address health inequalities in each of Doncaster’s localities/neighbourhoods via provider collaboratives.

During subsequent discussion, in answer to a question regarding how and when the provider collaboratives would be established, Anthony Fitzgerald explained that this approach was about bringing the various existing provider forums together with other organisations to drive the model forward.  He envisaged that voluntary, community and faith organisations, together with the Primary Care networks and GP Federation would play a significant role in this regard, but he added that the finer detail was still being worked up.

In commenting on the Local Solutions model, Cath Witherington stated that it was important that there was a consistency in approach in order to ensure that residents had equal access to whatever services they needed.

Jackie Pederson explained that there was already a provider collaborative in place, but that this currently mainly comprised the statutory organisations such as DBTH Trust and RDaSH.  There was recognition that this needed broadening to also include voluntary sector organisations and the ambition was that this collaborative would enable all partner organisations from every sector to sit down together to look at the resources available and decide how best to use them, as opposed to all competing against each other for funding.  She stated, therefore, that the necessary infrastructure to take this model forward was already there, and that plans were in place to start having conversations across organisations, including the voluntary sector and primary care, to bring the wider provider collaborative together.

After the Chair had asked for a progress report on this issue to be brought back to the Board’s next meeting in January 2022 so that the Board could be updated on how the conversations and meetings between partners were being progressed, it was

RESOLVED:-

1)            To note the development of Local Solutions approaches in all of Doncaster’s neighbourhoods and the opportunity to build on these alongside local organisations of all sizes;

2)            To note the development of Locality Plans that will be informed by engagement with local people and communities, building on existing strengths and addressing identified needs;

3)            To endorse the use of non-recurrent Better Care Fund monies to invest in preventative working in each of Doncaster’s localities/neighbourhoods; and

4)            To receive a further update on progress with this work at the Board’s meeting in January 2022.