Agenda item

8.1

The Committee received a report of the Director of Commissioning, Inclusion and Learning which set out Sheffield City Council’s (SCC) draft approach to support people with dementia and their families. Present for the item was Councillor Michelle Cook (Cabinet Advisor for Health and Social Care), Emma Dickinson (Commissioning Manager, SCC), Nicola Shearstone (Head of Commissioning for Prevention and Early Intervention, SCC), and Jim Millns (Deputy Director of Mental Health Transformation and Integration), who worked across NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust.

8.2

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions, to which responses were provided as follows:-

·         In response to a question concerning the workstreams over the next six months, Nicola Shearstone confirmed that ‘Prevention’ and ‘Early Identification & Living Well’ were being led by Sheffield City Council and ‘Assessment & Transitions’ and ‘High Dependency’ were being led by the Clinical Commissioning Group.

·         Emma Dickinson confirmed that poor lifestyles could contribute to dementia, in particular high blood pressure and vascular disease, and that a generally active lifestyle was beneficial.

·         With regards to the national statements, Members discussed their experiences both from their own lives and from their casework. In particular they noted the person-centric approach and its importance in day to day life as well as care.

·         Ms Dickinson advised that safeguarding was included implicitly in the draft approach, but undertook to make this more explicit, raising awareness of the risk of abuse or safeguarding issues and facilitating intervention at the appropriate time, before critical help was required.

·         Members noted the need to involve provider organisations with regards to Dementia-friendly communities in order to raise awareness in staff and empower them to offer assistance. Emma Dickinson advised that this was one of the intentions under the high level priorities, building capacity and awareness beyond statutory services.

·         With regard to the fragmentation of health services, Ms Dickinson advised that community-based roles could help address the need for closer engagement with families coping with dementia, and Nicola Shearstone added that this would ensure expertise in dementia care was available to everyone and discussions were being held at the earlier stages of care.

8.3

RESOLVED: That the Committee (i) thanks those attending for their contribution to the meeting, (ii) confirms that the national statements reflect the needs of Sheffield, and (iii) notes the contents of the report and the responses to the questions.