Decision details

In respect of an offer of £100k funding from NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group:

• To authorise the Council’s Executive Director for People and Change to sign the funding agreement with the NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group whereby a grant payment of £100k will be paid to the Council
• The grant will enable the Council to work in conjunction with the Cheltenham Integrated Locality Partnership, health commissioners and the Gloucestershire Strengthening Local Communities steering group to deliver community focussed work based around local priorities with a focus on reducing health inequalities.

Given the functions and enabling roles which district councils have across the determinants of health, they can play an important role in improving the health and wellbeing of their citizens and communities. In particular, for health inequalities to be addressed effectively, interventions must be built on developing community-based programmes, which enable empowerment, control, self-determination and the freedom to lead lives that people have reason to value.

The NHS can no longer operate without greater awareness of how people’s circumstances affect their ability to be full partners in their care. Services need to understand and address this wider context. Local NHS providers and commissioners need to find opportunities to participate in initiatives that shape the wider community within which they operate and ensure they are advocates for health creation. A joined up approach that treats the ‘place’ and not just individual problems or issues is necessary. With the development of Integrated Locality Partnerships (ILPs) the time is right for this work to expand. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant there has never been a greater need or opportune moment to ramp up collaboration and action at a local ‘place’ level.

The grant from NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group will enable the Council to work in conjunction with the Cheltenham Integrated Locality Partnership, health commissioners as well as VCS organisations and communities to deliver community focussed work based around local priorities with a focus on reducing health inequalities.

Process to be followed

Whilst various community and asset based approaches could be employed, they should follow a common approach that will involve:

• Identifying local priorities in conjunction with ILPs and communities
• Developing projects that utilise the skills, knowledge and organisations found in the local area to address identified priorities
• Developing outcomes for each project once priorities have been identified and provide assurance that these outcomes are being met

Reporting

Progress reporting will be via verbal updates to the Gloucestershire Strengthening Local Communities steering group.

A bi-monthly written update will also be produced. This report will include outcome measures as they are identified

None

Consultation with One Legal