Agenda item

5.1

The Co-Chairs of the Board submitted a report in relation to the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. It had been agreed that each progress on each outcome would be examined one by one. Outcome 1 of the Strategy was about the wider determinants of health, including employment, housing and poverty. Board Members were invited to discuss the report in depth and pay particular attention to the Living Wage, Fuel Poverty and Worklessness.

5.2

Members of the Board made comments on the matters contained in the report summarised as follows:-

·        The Council was moving towards becoming a Living Wage employer. Sheffield University had made the same commitment and the Chamber of Commerce had agreed to support the principle of the Living Wage where companies could afford it. There were concerns about viability for some companies.

·      The Sheffield Executive Board was tasked with overseeing the implementation of the recommendations from the Fairness Commission. The role of this Board was to identify things where the Board felt it could make a difference.

·      The health and care sector were working towards the implementation of the Living Wage by 2019. The sector was looking at minimising the impact of austerity measures putting pressure on staff.

·      Within the health and care sector the introduction of the Living Wage would increase costs and reduce demand. Poverty was a driver of ill health.

·        The Clinical Commissioning Group paid above the Living Wage. Sheffield Children’s Hospital and the Health and Social Care Trust also paid the living wage. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals supported the Living Wage in principle and were looking into its implementation.

·        The introduction of the Living Wage across the City was an ambition for the Fairness Commission but could not be considered a target. It was about winning the hearts and minds of employers and continuing to influence their decisions.

·      The implication for welfare costs of the implementation of the Living Wage should not be forgotten. This would move some of the burden onto the employer where it should be and would result in more money being available to invest in health services.

·      There had recently been a Board established to look at the social and equality impact of future investments of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The Health and Wellbeing Board could help by feeding in the health and social impacts which needed to be achieved.

·        When the Regional Growth Fund had been established it was understood that a lot of the economy was based around small businesses. The bid was therefore for a lot of money to be managed on a small scale. It was not just about the creation of a large number of jobs but also the importance of the type and quality of those jobs. There was no wish to create jobs which were low skilled with no prospect of progression.

·      The Sheffield Executive Board would examine progress towards the creation and implementation of a city-wide fuel poverty strategy. The Council had established a Green Commission to look at how the cost of energy could be reduced.

·      The Director of Public Health would investigate progress with the Warm Homes and Healthy People project and report back to the Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health.

Resolved that the Board:

1. Accepts the Living Wage, Fuel Poverty and Worklessness as key areas of focus arising from the Fairness Commission and that progress on Outcome 1 of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be reported to this Board and the Sheffield Executive Board;

2. Supports the ongoing programme of needs assessment and requests that a report be submitted to a future Board meeting on tackling air quality; and

3. Requests another update on this outcome in September 2015.