Agenda and minutes

Minutes of the Meeting held on 10^th December, 2014 (previously circulated). 

The Minutes of the meeting held on 10^th December 2014 were signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

A member of Lancashire County Council’s Public Health Team will be present at the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed Alan Orchard, Public Heath, Lancashire County Council to the meeting.

Members heard a presentation which gave details on strokes, why they happened and how they could be prevented. Statistics for the Lancaster District were shown which were above the national average with Lancashire being one of the worst regions in the country. At ward level, it was noted that there was a connection between areas of deprivation and higher numbers of strokes.  This was mainly down to lifestyle choices, although another reason for strokes was down to a person’s genes.

One way of identifying the imminence of some types of stroke was a simple pulse check which could identify Atrial Fibrillation.  A main indicator of Atrial Fibrillation was an irregular heartbeat and therefore the importance of knowing your own pulse rate was stressed.

The Committee was informed that temporary or mini stroke (Transient Ischaemic Attack) were quite often not detected and were often misinterpreted as a temporary episode, but these were a sign that a stroke was going to occur and early recognition and intervention could save someone’s life.

Members were reminded of the signs of a stroke - FAST – Face, Arms, Speech and Time, if a patient reached hospital within 4 hours they had a much higher chance of recovery. It was agreed that all care home and day centre staff and carers should be suitably trained in how to recognise a stroke and literature should be displayed in care homes for staff to see.

The importance of health checks was discussed and also pulse checking for Atrial Fibrillation.

The Committee discussed the need for people who lived alone to be reached quickly by emergency services. It was suggested that key safes should be installed for those people living alone who had life line alarms. The police could be provided with a list of the codes for the key safes allowing quicker access into people’s homes by the emergency services. It was agreed that the relevant agencies would be contacted to ascertain if this was feasible.

Resolved :

(1)        That Alan Orchard, Public Health Coordinator, Lancashire County Council, be       thanked for his informative presentation.

(2)        That Lancashire County Council’s Adult Social Care Services be requested to       promote awareness of stroke and mini stroke (Transient Ischaemic Attack)       recognition within its care homes and day centres for all staff by way of training,       as well as posters being displayed prominently in staff areas.

(3)          That the local Clinical Commissioning Group be requested to advise the       Committee of how far it detects Atrial Fibrillation as part of a wider strategy for       stroke prevention.

(4)        That the relevant agencies be requested to consider whether key safes could       be installed to allow quicker access into people’s homes by the emergency       services.

The Committee to consider.

The Committee discussed areas of concern for older people in the district. One issue that arose was that of carers visiting older people in their own homes and how the carers were trained, monitored and employed. It was agreed that this should be added to the Committee’s Work Programme.

Member were reminded that at the December meeting of the Committee, it had been agreed that the monitoring of Older People’s Homes both private and public should be considered. As this was such a large issue, it had not been possible to arrange for this to be considered at the January meeting. It was agreed that this issue would be included on the Committee’s Work Programme.

The Chairman invited other people present at the meeting to raise any issues.

David Rush from the Rainbow Centre advised that the Centre struggled to promote its services locally. It was reported that the Rainbow Centre was included on the Older People’s page on the Council’s website.

With regard to the annual meeting of the Committee to consider older people’s issues, it was agreed that future meetings should take place in the summer to encourage members of the public to attend.

 Resolved :

(1)          That the issue of carers visiting older people in their own homes and how the carers were trained, monitored and employed be added to the Committee’s Work Programme.

(2)          That the monitoring of Older People’s Homes both private and public be added to the Committee’s Work Programme.

(3)          That the annual meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider Older People’s issues be scheduled on the Committee’s Work Programme for the summer.

(4)          That the Rainbow Centre be thanked for its hospitality.