The Head of Housing and Communities introduced the report which gave an update on the health system in Kent following significant changes in administration.  She drew Members’ attention to the information contained on page 12 of the Agenda which set out the new structure, highlighting the challenges faced now that Swale was split into two areas with Sittingbourne and Sheppey falling within the Medway and Swale Health and Car Partnership Integrated Care System (HCP) and Faversham and the rural area within East Kent.  The Head of Housing and Communities said there were a number of subgroups that sat beneath the main Health and Care Partnerships (HCP) including those in the voluntary sector who Swale Borough Council (SBC) regularly engaged with.

Members asked questions and made points including:

·         Was there much input from the HCP in relation to health infrastructure for new developments?

·         raised concern that residents in Teynham and Lynsted were still without a GP surgery;

·         referred to the recent issues at the Oasis Academy on the Isle of Sheppey and hoped the education and health situation would be rectified so that young people on the Isle of Sheppey were not disadvantaged;

·         preventative health initiatives in the Borough had been cut;

·         the system was disjointed and more GP’s were needed;

·         long term Government action was necessary;

·         raised issues within planning applications in relation to the number of properties that were built before contributions were triggered;

·         the HCP were spending time getting structures in place, but there was still work to be done;

·         there were a lot of walking aids in the community that should be allowed to be returned to hospitals;

·         performance indicators of health care providers should be transparent;

·         referred to the investment in the new medical school in Canterbury with a long term aim that if students were trained locally, they would work locally;

·         the viability of providing GP surgeries under a Section 106 Agreement needed more careful consideration and it was important that the HCP were consulted and challenged developers on what was required to run a GP surgery; and

·         small branch surgeries were not the answer for new communities.

In response, the Head of Housing and Communities said there were regular meetings with Lead Officers on Section 106 Agreements for new developments and officers were working to improve projections including the Planning Policy team carrying out more detailed mapping.  She said that premises and funding for a surgery in Teynham were being actively pursued and Kent County Council Education were working with the Department for Education on the Oasis Academy.

The Head of Housing and Community said the new health and social care structure was more integrated and SBC would have more interaction at different levels with different groups than it did under the Clinical Commissioning Group.  She said that the HCP shared the frustration of the viability of providing GP surgeries, when developers had not carried out the proper research, and projected plans needed more careful consideration.

The Chair proposed the recommendation which was seconded by Councillor Angela Harrison.

Resolved:

(1)  That the update provided on the new structure for health systems in Kent be noted.