Appendix 2(d) EIA form - LWN Model_draft_v0.2
Argyll and Bute Council · 26 March 2025
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 26 March 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Equality Impact Assessment Section 1: About the proposal Title of Proposal Adapting existing model of building healthy communities within Argyll and Bute: disinvesting from the Living Well Network approach, to invest in a Living Well Community Assets approach. Intended outcome of proposal The existing Living Well Networks (LWNs) are for people with an interest in building healthy communities. They provide an opportunity for partners to come together to find out what issues matter to local communities; to plan activities and events together; and to network with individuals, services and organisations with an interest in improving health. Argyll and Bute HSCP Public Health team has provided funding for the network coordination time for a number of years. The Living Well Networks also identified a priority area from the Living Well strategy to focus on in their meetings each year. In 2022, the Living Well Strategy group merged with the Prevention Programme Board and undertook a refresh to become the Living Well Programme Board. This refresh has enabled a refocus on activity at two levels: 1. Community rehabilitation and wellbeing - Community Rehabilitation and Wellbeing Service to be provided by HSCP staff located within locality Physiotherapy departments and supported by Lead AHP. LiveArgyll facilities and staff to be accessed by these HSCP staff to deliver rehabilitation, strength & balance and education classes. 2. Community assets for Living Well priorities - person centred social support to connect people to community-based activities. This action includes developing and sustaining community-based support, for example using community development and co- production approaches. This proposal will cease the Living Well Network model and HSCP investment in the Living Well Network coordination time will come to an end. The HSCP will implement a new approach to building healthy communities within Argyll and Bute through focusing on Community Assets for Living Well priorities. This model will focus on community development, coproduction, reduce duplication, and support the development of community assets from the ground up. Description of proposal This proposal will see the cessation of the Living Well Networks in their current form. The aim of building healthy communities will be achieved through the ‘Community Assets for Living Well priorities’ group. This move will step away from an information sharing and networking approach. Although the value of these things are recognised, due to efficiencies, the HSCP is required to disinvest in some projects, in order to invest in transformational change that should hopefully achieve wider community benefit. The Community Assets for Living Well workstream currently has the following intentions: • Identifying existing assets and resources within local communities to support Living Well intentions. • Recognising the power of local people in making their communities good places to live.
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• Supporting community action on shared priorities for Living Well. • This proposal addresses the limitations of the current Living Well Network model which primarily focuses on information sharing and moves toward an action-based coproduction model. Community Assets for Living Well will take a local place-based approach for Community Asset development. HSCP Strategic Priorities to which the proposal contributes • Community Coproduction • Prevention, early intervention and enablement • Living Well and active citizenship Lead officer details Name of lead officer Samantha Campbell Job title Health Improvement Principal Department Public Health Appropriate officer details Name of appropriate officer Jenny Dryden Job title Health Improvement Lead Department Public Health Sign-off of EIA Date of sign-off Who will deliver the proposal? The work will be led by the Community Assets for Living Well priorities’ group, a multi-partner sub-group of the Living Well Programme Board. Section 2: Evidence used in the course of carrying out EIA Consultation / engagement Over the past five years, two reviews have taken place to review the Living Well Network aims and objectives. In 2019, a review was undertaken using the methods below: 1. Semi-structured interviews with Coordinators of locality HWNs 2. A survey sent out to all members of HWNs, collecting their opinions 3. A consultation day with the HWN Coordinators and the Health Improvement team 4. A survey sent out to senior managers and stakeholders This review identified some of the following strengths and weaknesses of the current model: Strengths • opportunity for networking to help create partnerships and collaborative working • an effective platform for information sharing • gateway to creating strong links with the Third Sector and public Weaknesses • lack of strategic direction • little region-wide coordination and poor inter-locality awareness, with good knowledge of the networks amongst members but a lack of knowledge/awareness from general public/staff In terms of the efficacy of the HWN at improving local health and wellbeing, opinions were split, with 33% of respondents feeling that their HWN was “very” or “extremely” effective, compared to 11% who felt it was “not so effective” or “not at all effective”, and 45% who felt it was “somewhat effective”. Respondents also felt that the network key objectives were networking, connecting people to support in their area, and promoting local services. Suggestions for future directions of the networks also emerged from this engagement, recognising that that the model may duplicate work of other partners, e.g. Argyll and Bute Council Community Planning Structures and Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface.
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Suggestions for future directions including scoping sustainable models of funding and scoping community hub options for each local area. However, for a number of reasons, these directions had limited success. Engagement and consultation subsequently took place in 2022, where an options appraisal on the networks considered whether alternative models of community capacity building and coproduction could meet the strategic needs of Argyll and Bute HSCP. The identified option was: • Restructure the Living Well networks to have a clearer, more strategic focus on co- producing health and wellbeing initiatives. The 2019 review suggested coproduction be embedded organisationally, and that stronger links could be made to the strategic plan and commissioning strategy. This was operationalised on a pilot basis through Locality Planning Groups, with networks being more closely aligned to these groups. Feedback was gathered from partners throughout this pilot. After a year it was recognised that limited success could be made with this approach. In addition, the Locality Planning Group model temporarily paused. The engagement and consultation described above was used to inform the proposal, and also informs the Equalities Impact Assessment. Further engagement on the Equalities Impact Assessment of the new proposal took place with members of the wider Public Health team. Data: The key outcomes of the current Living Well Network model are described below, with further detail on their link to the new proposal. Outcomes and objectives of Living Well Network Proposal Planning for Health and Wellbeing Planning for health and wellbeing will be undertaken via the new Community Assets approach. Coordination of Local Network. The local networks are used to disseminate information, expert advice for health improvement, and as an opportunity for local updates. Service users and service deliverers, including those with protected characteristics can access this information in a number of alternative ways including: Argyll and Bute Council Community Planning Bulletin, Area Community Planning Groups, HSCP Locality Planning Groups, HSCP social media, Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface networks and news bulletins (Adults Health and Wellbeing; All Our Children; and Social Enterprise). Health, wellbeing and support service information can also be accessed on https://abcd.scot/ Argyll and Bute’s Community Directory. A new proposal led by the Community Assets Group will enhance and leverage this resource as a centralised platform to create a 'One Front Door' approach to accessing Health and Wellbeing information and support services in Argyll and Bute. Represent Health & Wellbeing Network at other meetings. No longer applicable. Data on service providers (current Living Well Network Coordinator organisations): The current Living Well Network Coordinator organisations are: two third sector organisations, and two independent contractors. Three operate from mainland Argyll and Bute, and one from island Argyll and Bute.
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Other information This proposal will retain £30,000 funding to achieve this aim – the direction and investment of which will be agreed in partnership with the Community Assets for Living Well group. Gaps in evidence This is an evolving model and evidence will be gathered on an ongoing basis to identify best practice and potential improvements. Section 3: Impact of proposal Impact on service users: Negative No impact Positive Don’t know Protected characteristics: Age X Disability X Ethnicity X Sex x Gender reassignment x Marriage and Civil Partnership x Pregnancy and Maternity x Religion x Sexual Orientation X Fairer Scotland Duty: Mainland rural population X Island populations X Low income X Low wealth X Material deprivation X Area deprivation X Socio-economic background X Communities of place X Communities of interest X If you have identified any negative impacts on service users, give more detail here: If any ‘don’t knows’ have been identified, when will impacts on these groups be clear? Third sector organisations and other community groups involved in the networking are identified as the ‘service users’. For some of these groups, we have identified some aspects as unknown. Removing a networking opportunity may have an impact on these third sector organisations. However there are other networking opportunities across Argyll and Bute, impacts will be monitored and mitigations will be put in place wherever possible How has ‘due regard’ been given to any negative impacts that have been identified? Care will be taken in the proposal to ensure that community asset action plans developed maintain a place-based approach, and that rural and island populations are included within this community asset approach. The range of other opportunities for networking will also be shared widely. Impact on service deliverers (including employees, volunteers etc.): Negative No impact Positive Don’t know Protected characteristics: Age X
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Negative No impact Positive Don’t know Disability X Ethnicity X Sex X Gender reassignment X Marriage and Civil Partnership X Pregnancy and Maternity X Religion X Sexual Orientation X Fairer Scotland Duty: Mainland rural population X Island populations X Low income X Low wealth X Material deprivation X Area deprivation X Socio-economic background X Communities of place X Communities of interest X If you have identified any negative impacts on service deliverers, give more detail here: If any ‘don’t knows’ have been identified, when will impacts on these groups be clear? Two potential impacts on service deliverers have been identified and will be explained in more detail. The current service deliverers (known as Living Well Network Coordinators) are two third sector organisations and two independent contractors. Three operate from mainland Argyll and Bute, and one from island Argyll and Bute. This proposal will end the contractual relationship with all four service deliverers. These organisations/individuals may wish to undertake work under the new model, however this is unknown at present and will be dependent upon their direction and the action plan developed by the Community Assets group. This will therefore impact on the income of the individuals/organisations. How has ‘due regard’ been given to any negative impacts that have been identified? Section 4: Interdependencies Is this proposal likely to have any knock-on effects for any other activities carried out by or on behalf of the HSCP? Yes Details of knock-on effects identified The Community Assets Group is a subgroup of the Living Well Programme Board, which is a multi-partner board (including HSCP). This proposal will have a positive impact on Community Asset work. Some HSCP staff use the current network mailing lists for engagement requests and information sharing. HSCP staff will be informed of the end of the current networks and directed to the following sources of information distribution: • Argyll and Bute Council Community Planning Bulletin • Area Community Planning Groups
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• HSCP Locality Planning Groups • HSCP social media • Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface networks and news bulletins (Adults Health and Wellbeing; All Our Children; and Social Enterprise). Current distribution lists will also be shared with the HSCP Communications and Engagement team. Data protection compliance for this has been undertaken through the existing contract and privacy policies. Section 5: Monitoring and review Monitoring and review In 2025, Public Health staff will review and consider their role in the Community Assets work, to ensure that they are able to identify EQIA impacts and update this document accordingly. This will take place quarterly in the first instance.