To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 18 September 2018 .

Decision

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 18 September 2018.

Report of the Director of Population Health & Wellbeing

The attached report in three separate sections, provides the Task Group with an overview of the key strategies and plans that relate to work on alcohol, age friendly and health protection in Manchester and Greater Manchester.

At the meeting of the Task Group, colleagues from the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, Public Health England and the University of Manchester will provide an objective assessment of what Manchester is currently doing and what we can learn from best practice elsewhere.

The group considered the report of the Director of Population Health and Wellbeing that was presented in three sections relating to alcohol related harm, the Age Friendly Manchester Programme and Health Protection. The Group agreed to consider the report in three distinct sections.

Alcohol related harm

The Director of Population Health and Wellbeing referred to the main points and themes within the report relating to alcohol related harm, which included:-

·                Information on the co-design of a single Greater Manchester Drug and Alcohol Strategy with the widest possible range of partners, stakeholders, voluntary and community sector organisations and people with lived experience;

·                Key indicators relating to alcohol harm in Manchester;

·                The ambitions of the Draft Greater Manchester Strategy 2018-2022 with its 6 identified priority areas; and

·                Information on areas identified for development including prevention and early intervention activities: reducing drug and alcohol related harm and building recovery in communities; reducing drug and alcohol related crime and disorder; managing availability and accessibility and establishing diverse, vibrant and safe night time economies.

Members also viewed a video that described the work of the Communities in charge of Alcohol project, launched in 2017 to combat the growing number of people who were drinking excessive amounts of alcohol across the city region, noting that the Manchester Project in Newton Heath and Miles Platting had commenced in June 2018.

Some of the key points that arose from the Members’ discussions were:-

·                What lessons had been learnt from successful Tobacco campaigns that could be used to address public attitudes towards alcohol;

·                Recognising that there was often a link between alcohol and tobacco use a combined approach to these issues would be better and which would also be better use of resources;

·                The importance of connecting alcohol services with other health services such as mental health and sexual health programmes;

·                Recognising that patterns of drinking behaviour had changed, noting the increase in drinking at home;

·                Consideration needed to be given to including Public Health as an objective of licensing conditions; and

·                Noting the pilot schemes in North Manchester how were the outcomes of these to be measured.

The Deputy Director for Population Health informed Members that a campaign would be launched on the 15 November 2018 across the city region entitled ‘Big Alcohol Conversation’. The purpose of this consultation exercise was to engage with people and test public attitudes towards the issue of alcohol. This conversation would be delivered via a range of mediums and allow for self-assessment so people could consider how they used alcohol. She said that it was recognised that there were a range of issues that contributed to alcohol misuse, including access to cheap alcohol. She described that attitudes towards alcohol needed to be addressed in the same manner as behaviour change was influenced towards the use of tobacco. She said to achieve this a public mandate was required and the consultation exercise was designed to help achieve this across the city region.

The Senior Advisor, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The purpose of this item is for Members to feed back on their findings and are invited to propose recommendations based on the evidence they have considered. These recommendations will then inform the final report which will be submitted to the final meeting of the Task and Finish Group which will conclude this investigation.

Members were invited to feedback on their findings and were invited to propose recommendations based on the evidence that they had considered. These recommendations would then inform the final report that would be submitted to the final meeting of the group for approval.

The Chair advised that Members would be invited to consider this and he would informally meet with the Members following the next meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee to discuss the proposals for the final recommendations.

Decision

That the Group would informally meet following the next meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee to discuss the proposals for the final recommendations.

Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit

Members are invited to review and approve the terms of reference and work programme.

Members were invited to review and approve the terms of reference and work programme.

Decision

To agree the terms of reference and work programme.