Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed board members to the Wellbeing Board and introduced Jo Pitman from West Midlands Police to the membership of the board.    

Apologies for absence were received from the following Wellbeing Board members:

Councillor Margaret Bell (Warwickshire), Councillor Ian Bevan (Dudley), Councillor Kamran Caan (Coventry), Councillor Tony Dicicco (Solihull), Councillor Karen McCarthy (Birmingham) and Pete Wilson (West Midlands Fire Service).

The following substitute had been received from a Wellbeing Board member:

Andrea Simmonds (West Midlands Fire Service) for Pete Wilson.

The Chair gave thanks to everybody involved in the Commonwealth Games and to Mark Fosbrook for his work on accessibility.  The Chair noted it was a fantastic and well organised event that showcased the West Midlands exceptionally well and hoped the legacy from the Commonwealth Games would be seen for years to come to benefit everyone.   

The Wellbeing Board considered the minutes of the previous meeting.

Resolved:

(1)  The minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 13 July were agreed as a correct record.

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

The Chair noted for Wellbeing Board members to send their expressions of interest for the role of Vice-Chair to the Governance Services Officer for the board to vote and appoint at the next Wellbeing Board. 

The board received a presentation from the Head of Health and Communities to update on the focus of the Trailblazer Devolution Deal Health Proposal following previous feedback received from board members and health and care leaders. 

The Head of Health and Communities welcomed further comments and observations from board members on whether the board was satisfied that all previous comments had been addressed, if there were any further amendments for recommendation, and how best the proposal could be championed amongst local and regional partners. 

The board thanked the Head of Health and Communities and his team for their work in developing the proposal, and noted their support of the four devolution asks and principles of the proposal to add value to the health and inequalities of the region.

The Head of Health and Communities thanked the board for their comments and observations and noted that the added value was the WMCA’s goal.  The next steps would be to schedule key dates for further conversations with colleagues from the Directors of Public Health, Integrated Care Boards and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities to note detailed feedback and make any final changes, as well as to champion the devolution deal health asks with meetings scheduled for the WMCA to discuss with local authorities and partners.          

Resolved:

(1)  The Trailblazer Devolution Deal Health Proposal was discussed and noted.

The board considered a report from the Strategic Lead for Wellbeing & Prevention and the Include Me WM Manager on the growing purpose, impact and value of the WMCA’s Include Me WM Citizen’s Network and Panel. 

The board received a presentation from the Include Me WM Manager to highlight a summary of the Include Me WM Citizen Panel 2022/23 priorities which had been developed following consultation with its members to highlight the importance of both sport and physical activity in health outcomes, additional barriers which prevent disabled people getting active and improved health outcomes for disabled people.

Resolved:  

(1)  The Wellbeing Board advised how members could support in strengthening the local to regional citizen voice by linking to local authority, emergency services and NHS networks.

(2)  The Wellbeing Board discussed the Include Me WM Citizen Panel priorities and advised on its role to gather further evidence and influence on needs and barriers.

(3)  The Wellbeing Board to continue to champion the commitment to being an exemplar region in improving the health outcomes of disabled people and co-development of future initiatives with the panel.

The board considered a report from the Head of Health and Communities on an update to the Wellbeing Board High-Level Deliverables and milestones to date. 

The Chair thanked the Head of Health and Communities for the updates and noted that it would be good for the Wellbeing Board to receive an impact on the legacy of the Commonwealth Games and in how disability may have changed as a result, as well as to obtain feedback on the outcomes from the implementation of innovative pilots to reduce health inequalities and physical inactivity as a long-lasting legacy partnership with Sport England following the Commonwealth Games.     

 Resolved:

(1)  The progress to date on the 2022/23 High-level Deliverables was considered.

(2)  The Wellbeing Board to continue to receive an update on the High-level Deliverables at each future board meeting was agreed.

The Wellbeing Board agreed for the following items at future board meetings. 

Agreed:

(1)  Update on WMCA and Sport England’s Commonwealth Games legacy plan.

(2)  The Head of Health and Communities noted his team now sat within the WMCA’s Economy, Skills and Communities Directorate and would be beneficial for members of the team in skills and employment to attend a future Wellbeing Board for identification of overlaps and for the board to be made aware of opportunities in skills for disabled people in the region.