Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Court Room, St. Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE.

Contact: Alice Morgan  0300 330 700 e-mail: alicemorgan@northampton.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcomes, introductions and apologies pdf icon PDF 182 KB

Minutes:

Present: Cllr Oldham (Co Chair), Veronica Male Northants Dementia Action Alliance (VM), Brian Nichols (BN Individual), Geoff Summers (GS Individual), Tony Mallard (TM Individual), E Simms (ET Individual), Ann Timson (AT (Individual), Alice Morgan (NBC), Nisha Mejer (NBC), Hazel Gray (HG NFRS), D Samwell (DS NFRS), Jeanette Pidgen (JP Nene CCG), John Rawlings (JR Individual), Janice Duffy (JD Labour Cllr), D J Hewitt (DH Individual).  

 

Apologies: Jacqueline Forrest Smith, Madeline Boyes, Roger Rumsey, Hazel Tuttle, Maureen Hill, Malcolm Hill, Michael Hill and Christiana Owusu-Akuffo

2.

Minutes and Matters Arising pdf icon PDF 74 KB

Minutes:

Minutes recorded as true record.

 

No matters arising

3.

Co-Chair Elections

Minutes:

Roger Rumsey nominated as Co- Chair for another year. The forum seconded this.

ACTION: NM to let RR know.

4.

Jeanette Pidgen and Changing Minds

Minutes:

GP services are under huge pressure and the Primary Care sector is at breaking point. Changes have to be made. GPS are dropping services such as blood tests and repeat prescriptions.

 

Cllr Oldham: Some are replenished automatically in some surgeries. GP practices differ and there is no consistency.

 

JP: Demand is high and there are not enough GPs. It is being reviewed as to how to attract GPs to this area.

 

GPs are not charged when they refer patients to hospitals.

 

 

ACTION: JP to invite representative from GP Alliance to next forum meeting.

 

AT obtained a 16 page document to look at the NHS Constitution and Charter to obtain some answers. Not answered all the questions.

 

JP: Other documents to review – GP 5 year Forward View and Mid Staffordshire Report – Francis Report.

 

ACTION: NM/AM to ask Roger Rumsey about which document he looked at.

 

JR: Northampton County Council is very poor. There is bed blocking and care homes are being closed. This is not specially about the health service. We need to look at our lifestyles. Councils need to help create a healthier society.

 

A discussion took place where forum members explained their own personal experiences with the health service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.

Northants Fire and Rescue

Minutes:

Northants Fire and Rescue Service - Debbie Samwell and Hazel Gray

Northants Fire and Rescue are consulting with the community on their Draft Community Protection Plan. DS gave a presentation on the plan – ACTION: To be circulated with the minutes.

 

Questions:

Cllr Oldham asked for clarity around the 8 minute timescale for a response. DS gave an explanation of how areas were historically designated into categories and had different response times – A risk – city, B risk - large town (8 mins) , C risk – large village (10 mins), D risk – small village (20 mins). Later, risk standards all become localised, and Northamptonshire set all response times at 8 minutes. However, 8 minutes is now a little tight to achieve; 10 minutes is more achievable, and a reasonable time to get to a house with someone on the phone providing risk critical and safety advice. After the time of recognising a fire, you are likely to have an hour upstairs in a new build house to evacuate. The response time starts as the phone call is made.

TM commented that NPH now have a zero tolerance approach to the storing of items that could be seen as a fire hazard in communal areas. TM asked whether problems are being caused for the Fire Service due to the town expanding and there being greater pressure on traffic. DS advised that she can get more information on new builds and can see if a talk can be delivered.

DS advised that every call in answered nationally within a 5-7 second target. Within 60 seconds upon receiving a call, a fire engine will be mobilised. If the fire is a house fire, three engines are automatically sent from different directions.

VM asked what is in place for those who do not have the capacity to understand advice given on the phone around risk management and safety. DS advised that the fire service have links with BT, who provide a service for those that are hard of hearing or cannot understand what is being said. There is a facility to speak through someone at BT, or type on a screen etc. DS also advised that questioning techniques are used by those on the phones, to find out further information.

BN asked about how risk is assessed for own firefighters. DS advised that staff are never put into dangerous situations. Always assessing the risk and ensure their safety is paramount.

DH commented that Northamptonshire has always has the lowest spend in terms of the service in the Country, and that current changes are being driven by austerity. DH also raised concerns about the safety of crew, and claimed that 9 crew were sent to hospital after the Carlsberg incident. DH also shared concerns that if another major incident had occurred at that time, the service wouldn’t have been able to cope. DS advised that in the case of the Carlsberg incident, crew were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Action Plan pdf icon PDF 384 KB

7.

Community News Exchange

Minutes:

Community News Exchange

 

The Way Café – St Giles Church Centre, St Giles Terrace, NN1 2BN – Team of people who offer support to those who have relative or friend who has been diagnosed with dementia. Dates for future meetings:

Jan 23rd, Feb 20th March 5th, April 16th, May 21st, June 18th, July 23rd, Sept 3rd, Oct 1st, Nov 26th, Dec 17th

 

10:30am -12pm.

 

Name of organiser Helen Thomson – 01604 706146.

 

BN – For information. His Street organised a party to mark the 90th birthday of the Queen. It took 11 weeks, but permission for a road closure was granted by NCC.

JR – Would be nice to have a larger attendance at meetings if guests are attending to speak. ACTION: all members to help share the details of the forum, to see if we can increase attendance.

 Also asked if VM can give a talk at a future meeting. ACTION: allocate an agenda item to VM in May, to provide an update on the Dementia Action Alliance.

 

 

8.

Suggestions for Items for Future Meetings or Forum Activities

Minutes:

Suggestions of items for future meetings

GP surgeries talk from Nene CCG, and Cllr Hallam – Cabinet Member for the Environment (January)

Adult Social Care (March)

Dementia Action Alliance (May)

Bus Station -Steve Bird, Stagecoach, and Cllr Hadland Cabinet Member for Regeneration-

 

9.

Any Other Business

Minutes:

Working age people at pension age who have died, what happens to their pension? National Insurance fund – every year in surplus. What happens with this money?

GS – Greyfriars site. Suggestion, to plant 1000 trees of the plot, to help towards the environment concerns following the Northgate development.

DH – Thank you to the person who made the decision to install the John Clare statue in the Guildhall Courtyard. Makes people smile, a masterpiece.

 

10.

Date and venues of future Forum Meetings

26th January 2017 2-4pm, The Guildhall

 

 

Minutes:

January 26th 1.30-4pm. The Guildhall, Northampton.