Agenda item

The Board will consider the Kirklees Children Looked After and Care Leavers

Annual Health Report April 2022 – March 2023.

Contact:

Gill Addy, Designated Nurse for Looked after children

The Board considered the Kirklees Children Looked After and Care Leavers Annual Health Report (April 2022-March 2023) presented by Gill Addy Designated Nurse. It was explained that the reporting period covered recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and there were some challenges to services as a result. It was also highlighted that:

• There had been continuing capacity pressures on the team during the year.
• A hybrid model (telephone and face to face) remained post-pandemic for Initial Health Assessments (IHA).
• There was also the option for IHA’s to be carried out via an extended face to face session for those less suited to the telephone aspect.
• There had been a significant rise in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) coming to the area which impacted on the IHA provision, but statutory timescale completion remained very good.
• There had been increasing pressures i.e., child health complexities, numbers of UASC, etc… on the nursing team.
• This had resulted in postponing some previous preventative work and a need to prioritise some activities.
• Bank staff had been used to carry out some nursing administrative tasks to help alleviate pressure.
• Dental access had improved and had been supported by the ‘Flexible Commissioning’ programme.
• This enabled all Children Looked After (CLA) and care leavers in Kirklees to access dental services.
• Strength and Difficulty Questionnaires’ (SDQ’s) return rates used to screen the emotional wellbeing of children aged 4 to 17 years, remained low, despite efforts to improve compliance.
• Discussions continued with the Children’s Social Care Service to look at alternative methods of distribution.
• The inclusion of a trauma screening assessment for UASC by a Locala GP, added a valuable dimension to the support options.
• This pilot programme had now ceased and work had been undertaken to try to seek further funding to reintroduce this work.
• Liaison with the sexual health and substance misuse outreach workers continued reinforcing a collaborative working model.
• The data showed that:
  • 201 IHA’s (including 18 requests from other authorities) were completed, compared to 146 the previous year.
  • There was a significant rise (from 19 to 30) in UASC entering care, and the increase resulted in catch-up schedules being used more widely.
  • 652 Review Health Assessment’s (RHA) were completed (including 55 requests from other authorities).
  • Immunisation rates averaged at 91% across all ages, and teenage boosters remained the most common outstanding immunisations.
  • Children’s emotional health benefited from the development of the LA Placement Support Service.
  • 20 UASC benefitted from a ‘trauma screening and report’ project, led by an experienced Locala GP.
  • 130 Care Leaver health histories were written and distributed.
• There was a long-standing, dedicated, experienced health workforce in place which was co-located and linked through technology to support collaborative working.
• The Proposed Action Plan 2023-24 included:
  • To consider the development of an UASC IHA assessment form.
  • An Audit on the demographics of young people who admitted to vaping at their RHA.
  • To raise awareness of the opportunity offered through the Integrated Care Boards to provide free prescriptions, Optician and Dental support, to care experienced young people who were working and not claiming benefits.
  • To continue to pursue the business case, to increase the capacity in the team to improve health assessment timescales, additional work related to the IHA clinic, and the timely preparation of care leaver health histories.

The Board noted the update and expressed support for the provision of free prescriptions for care experienced young people and asked when this might be implemented. In response, Stewart Horn - Head of Children’s Integrated Commissioning, advised that this would be a decision for the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and agreed to provide further information around time scales to the Board. 

RESOLVED: The Board noted theKirklees Children Looked After and Care Leavers Annual Health Report and it was agreed that further information around time scales for an ICB decision on prescriptions, dental and optician support be provided to the Board.