Agenda item

Report of Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing

The Board considered a report of Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, which sought approval to take forward a local Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health in support of the national programme.

The report indicated that the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health recommended that Public Health England (PHE) established a national Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health programme to support local Health and Wellbeing Boards. The aims of the national programme were to facilitate national and local actions around preventing mental health problems. The national programme had been established and was responsible for supporting the establishment of local prevention concordats. A Consensus Statement described the shared commitment of the organisations that had endorsed the Concordat, a copy of which was set out at Appendix 1 to the report. 

There were four qualifying criteria required to declare a local Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health:

·  An Elected Member (or Senior Officer) signed up as a Mental Health Champion

·  A current suicide prevention action plan, supported by a multi-agency partnership

·  An established Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) describing local system mental health need (or commitment to start one within 3 months of declaring a concordat).

·  Sector wide commitment to sign up to a shared concordat statement, usually signed off by the local Health and Wellbeing Board.

Public Health England (PHE) were asking that organisations interested in signing up to the Concordat complete and submit a short commitment action plan template, capturing key areas of work ongoing, a commitment pledge for the future year and a named signatory. A proposed template was set out at a second appendix to the report. Submission of the template was required by 1st March, 2019. The Board were informed that Warwickshire Health and Wellbeing Board and County Council had already signed up to the Prevention Concordat.

Coventry’s current position against the four qualifying criteria was positive. The city had a current Suicide Prevention Strategy action plan and multiagency partnership. The JSNA included mental health indicators and the Place Based JSNA approach was currently being implemented and would feature Mental Health and Wellbeing as a central theme. Dedicated CAMHS Needs Assessments had been completed and there was a range of resources describing mental health needs supporting the work of the BHBCBV Mental Health workstream. 

The report requested Members nominated a Mental Health Champion who would be asked to support the ongoing campaign and engagement work and maintain links with the Board.

The report set out the key options to be considered when deciding to declare a concordat and how the concordat could be used to support ongoing work around mental wellbeing. It was recommended that the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health was progressed as a development and engagement campaign/project that amplified and added value to existing programmes of work including local Mental Health transformation and the Year of Wellbeing. A local Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health would support population wide approaches to the promotion of public mental health and wellbeing, for children, young people, adults and communities across Coventry.

The Board discussed the added value to be gained by declaring the Concordat and the officer resource to support the work. Professors Meyer and Daly offered the support of both local universities to assist by drawing on research evidence to inform the focus of activity. The importance of using plain English to help the public’s understanding was highlighted. Councillor Caan was put forward as the Mental Health Champion.

RESOLVED that:

(1) The plans to take forward the National Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health programme be endorsed and agreement be given to supporting the Consensus Statement set out at Appendix 1.

(2) Councillor Caan be nominated as the Health and Wellbeing Board level Mental Health Champion.

(3) Agreement be given to declaring a local Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health for Coventry and over overseeing local delivery.

(4) The proposed wording for a Coventry Health and Wellbeing Board commitment pledge be endorsed.