Agenda and minutes

Resolved to appoint Councillor Barnard as Vice-Chair for the 2023-24 municipal year.

Councillor Barnard - leave

None.

Last meeting held on 14 March 2023 (for confirmation)

The Committee agreed the minutes of the last meeting held on 14 March 2023 as a correct record and they were signed by the Chair.

Report of Corporate Director for People

Councillor Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, introduced the report.

The report was jointly presented by Lucy Hubber (Director of Public Health), David Johns (Deputy Director of Public Health) and Matt Corder (Public Health Principal). The following was stated:

·  Nottingham City Council is responsible for improving the health and wellbeing of the local population. This responsibility, along with the overarching aim to increase healthy life expectancy, was made explicit within the Council’s Strategic Plan 2023-27 ‘People outcome – living well in our communities’;

·  the latest analysed data (June 2022) showed that healthy life expectancy for both men and women in Nottingham was significantly lower than the England average: with men living 5.7 years less in good health, and women 6.8 years less in good health. The risk factors which contributed most to the onset of disability and the foreshortening of life included smoking and tobacco, diet, nutrition, physical inactivity and alcohol and drug use;

·  Nottingham City Council commission services to reduce the prevalence and impact of these modifiable behavioural risk factors, such as tobacco use, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Historically, these had been commissioned as separate services and delivered by multiple service providers. Contracts for these commissioned services were due to end 31 March 2024 and a new offer of support was required to ensure health and wellbeing services met the current and future needs of local communities and delivered Best Value;

·  from April 2024, the Council intended to amalgamate a range of health improvement interventions into one service model, referred to as an Integrated Wellbeing Service (IWS). The Council would seek to commission a prime provider model, which would be responsible for delivering the service functions in an innovative, dynamic and flexible manner across Nottingham, ensuring Best Value with the following objectives:

o  maintaining and improving the health of Nottingham City residents;

o  preventing future ill-health and its negative impacts on the local population;

o  reducing future and existing pressures on local health and care services;

o  putting the service user at the centre of provision, in-line with the personalisation agenda;

·  the proposed IWS would provide a single-entry point to health and wellbeing support for residents wishing to address lifestyle and behavioural factors (such as smoking or weight management) whilst considering support and signposting around the wider determinants, such as emotional wellbeing and other factors that might be negatively impacting their health;

·  the service would take a life-course approach to prevention of ill-health, valuing the health and wellbeing of both current and future generations. The service would recognise the significant role the wider determinants of health play, and help individuals receive the support they required and related to the conditions which people are born, live, learn and work;

·  this would follow a sensitive and responsive local needs approach by working ‘with’ rather than ‘in’ communities. To that extent, the service would take an asset-based approach built on local need. The behaviour change service would be required to link with, and complement, the existing offers in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Report of Corporate Director of Finance and Resources

Jacqueline Armand, Employee Wellbeing Manager, presented the report and stated the following:

·  the Council is required to have in place a comprehensive range of occupational health services in order to be able to meet its common law and statutory duties of care for the health, safety and welfare of employees in their working environment, and to provide advice and medical assessments in relation to sickness management. This included, but is not limited to, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Health and Safety regulations;

·  the benefit to service users was that by having effective wellbeing contracts in place, the Council can reduce sickness absence and improve service delivery by looking after their employee’s health and wellbeing. This service should also mitigate the risks, as far as is possible, of staff making a successful claim against the Council for breach of the legal obligations referred to in the report;

·  the Council currently had an Employee wellbeing service, which encompassed an internal Occupational Health Services and employing Occupational Health Advisors and wellbeing practitioners. Additional support to the service was currently provided through procured contracts for Occupational Health Physicians, Physiotherapy services and a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, which provided confidential counselling services for employees 24/7, 365 days per year;

·  it was proposed that a procurement exercise be undertaken requesting tenders for each support service as outlined above. The services would support wellbeing of colleagues and help them remain in, or achieve a successful return to, work, which supports economic wellbeing;

·  the services would also enable the council to meet the contractual obligations that it had to third parties, where it provided a full range of Occupational Health services;

·  by having three distinct contracts, it was envisaged that this would attract smaller local suppliers to tender, driving local spend and jobs and achieving best value.

Resolved

(1)  to approve:

(a)  the planned commercial strategy to secure Employee Wellbeing services, to commence from September 2023, as detailed in the report:

(b)  a tender process for the services outlined for a term of 3 years, plus an optional 1+1 years (3+1+1, a maximum of 5 years), in accordance with the Council’s constitution and legal requirements, including compliance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015, at a maximum total cost of £1,050,000;

(2)  to delegate authority to the Director of HR and EDI to approve the outcome of the tender process and award contracts to the successful bidders.

Reasons for recommendations

1.  The Council has three core Employee Wellbeing Contracts that provide a range of Occupational Health Services to all NCC Employees as well as academies, schools and two district councils (via a formal legal contract –see below for further details). These services support the Council by focusing on prevention, intervention and rehabilitation to enable colleague to remain fit for work.

2.  It is recognised that a range of wellbeing initiatives can add value to attendance management; help improve performance and provide valuable support to managers and employees.  Nottingham City Council is looking for a provider/s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To agree to meet at 10.00am on the following Tuesdays during the 2023-24 municipal year:

Resolved to meet at Loxley House at 10.00am on the following Tuesdays during the 2023-24 municipal year: