Issue - meetings

Coventry and Warwickshire Dementia Strategy

Meeting: 04/05/2022 - Health and Wellbeing Board (Item 4)

4 Coventry and Warwickshire Dementia Strategy pdf icon PDF 306 KB

A discussion item on Coventry and Warwickshire’s Dementia Strategy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Claire Taylor from WCC Strategic Commissioning and Sharon Atkins from Commissioning at Coventry City Council gave a joint presentation to the Board to accompany a circulated report and appended draft Coventry and Warwickshire Dementia Strategy.

 

Following an extensive period of stakeholder engagement and further development of the strategy, Coventry and Warwickshire’s Living Well with Dementia Strategy would go through formal approval processes at both councils in June/July 2022. Subject to those approvals, the strategy would be published and shared widely. The associated strategic delivery plan would include a range of actions to be undertaken across Coventry and Warwickshire, as well as actions specific to each area. The delivery plan for year one was currently being developed, with many of its actions underway already. The financial implications stated that many of the ambitions and priorities would utilise existing partner resources or involve bids for funding. WCC had allocated funding of £60,000 per annum to support development and implementation of the Dementia Strategy in Warwickshire.

 

The presentation outlined the process for developing the year one delivery plan and invited comments and suggestions to support development and delivery of the plan for 2022-2023.

 

Members of the Board made the following points:

 

·       Amongst the South Asian community, dementia was not understood. There was a need to bear in mind health inequalities and to focus activity based on the data available. More information was sought about where people presented. An offer from CWPT to work together, especially to make its units and estate more dementia friendly.  It was welcomed that prevention was at the heart of this strategy. Sharon Atkins provided further information about the funding available to address inequalities and an initiative in Coventry to provide additional support for the South Asian community. There was knowledge of which groups were less likely to access support and the offer to work with CWPT was welcomed.

·       Councillor Seccombe was mindful that some people did not want a diagnosis, were fearful of it or could not see what difference a diagnosis would make. There were many different types of dementia with patients having varying needs. More information was sought about training, which was very important, especially for those working in a care environment. It was noted that the strategy had a lot of priorities and was questioned how people could be held to account with there being so many priorities. In response, the target within the plan (and that set by NHSE&I) was for 66.7% of people thought to have dementia to receive a diagnosis. This had not been achieved to date. Further points acknowledging the differing views of patients regarding diagnosis or perceived benefits and the support available.

·       It was questioned if GP doctors were involved in the diagnosis aspects. There had been a scheme for GPs to be trained and provide community-based assessments, which was working well prior to the pandemic. GPs were now instructed not to participate in such initiatives which was a frustration. Reference was made to an assessment project in care  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4