Agenda item

7.1

The Chair of Healthwatch Sheffield presented a report outlining the findings of a review of citizen/service user engagement on strategic partnership boards in the City.

7.2

In presenting the report Maggie Campbell circulated an additional paper providing an analysis and amended recommendations.

7.3

She reported that Strategic Partnership Boards in the City were all structured differently. Some had independent Chair people, some received funding from statutory partners and all had different levels of citizen/service user representation.

7.4

It was noted that there was a perception that ‘Partnership Boards’ were the same and functioned in the same way with the same representation, however the reality was that they were all very different. This needed careful consideration, both to ensure that their relationship with the Health and Wellbeing Board was optimised, and so that the expectations of involved citizens could be better managed.

7.5

The timing for the completion of surveys may have impacted on the number of responses as well as the timing as the surveys had been sent out for completion during August. The deadline was extended on two occasions to increase the number of responses.

7.6

Members of the Board made comments and asked questions, as summarised below:

The questions asked in the survey were the correct ones to ask. It was not always appropriate to establish Boards for each individual issue but there was a need for a mechanism for engagement on a strategic level.

The Cabinet Member for Health, Care and Independent Living, sat on three Partnership Boards and was aware that they were all different and had a different role. She wasn’t clear however what the lines of communication were from those Boards to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Some of the Boards related to specific service provision areas. It was important to keep the communication going and feed things in different directions.

The Boards had evolved from when they were first established and had a very clear purpose. They all engaged but they shouldn’t be thought of simply as engagement vehicles but as strategy vehicles of which engagement was a part.

Resolved:  That the Board:-

1.

Notes the findings of the report and requests that the report be shared with the Chairs of the Partnership Boards.

2.

Gives consideration be given as to how the Partners for Inclusion Board be supported and included within the Partnership Board structure.

3.

Requests that Chairs of the Partnership Boards look at ways in which they can better support Citizen Representatives.