Agenda item

Ms Karikari, stated that the Casserole Club was a community food sharing scheme, which connected people in a local area who were passionate about food and cooking and the community with older people who could not cook for themselves, to share meals on a regular basis. The benefits included: reduced social isolation and loneliness; improved food provision among older people; helping people to stay independent for longer; strengthened connections between generations within communities; and providing a flexible approach for people to volunteer their time and skills locally.

Ms Karikari stated that volunteers were required to complete a criminal records check and food hygiene test. Local recruiters such as Age UK helped to find diners and sign them up. The Casserole team helped to match cooks and diners.

The report which had been tabled, set out the development of the Casserole Club and its achievements. The Casserole Club was not currently live in the three boroughs.

Catherine Pymar stated that Open Age, which had started 21 years ago in Kensington & Chelsea, championed an active life for older people. It worked across the three boroughs to enable anyone aged 50 or older to sustain their physical and mental fitness, maintain an active lifestyle, develop new interests and make new friends.

Open Age had over 4,500 members and provided some 400 weekly activities. There had recently been a grant from Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

Lunch groups were held in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea, both in restaurants and sheltered housing schemes, with a local delicatessen delivering to groups. A two course meal was provided for £4.50. Open Age was able to subsidise meals up to a value of £8.50, through grants.

Open Age tried to help particularly those people who were isolated and lonely and had issues with public transport. Home visits were made to encourage people to participate in activities and help with public transport was provided. The focus was to get people out of their homes and to build on the community and networks in the local area, thereby reducing isolation. Open Age aimed to  support physical and mental wellbeing, to engage with the local community and to use local businesses.

Pat Bunche, Interim Director of White City Enterprise, a not-for-profit social enterprise, soon to become a registered charity stated that the Enterprise helped the community to take on the delivery of local services for White City and Wormholt.

There was a good opportunity for jointed up work in getting residents into the community. Projects included a support network for local parents called ‘Neighbourhood Mums and Dads’, aimed at young isolated families. The Enterprise was working with Big Local and Hammersmith United Charities to deliver a number of other befriending projects, aimed at vulnerable local people, generally older people. All projects relied on volunteers. An IT mentoring project helped people to get online and there were plans to develop community gardens.

The Community Champions, who supported their neighbours by passing on advice and building awareness, would host the Healthy Winter event at Parkview Centre for Health & Wellbeing the following week.

The ‘over 50s building’ had been transferred to the management of the Enterprise, and it was hoped that this would become a hub for wellbeing in the community. The Enterprise had recently met with Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank, and it was hoped to make a provision in the building, which would be more than just a foodbank, for example giving advice on how to cook healthy meals on a budget and the provision of some meals.

Mr Lines stated that malnutrition and social isolation were public health issues. However, the level of need was an issue because it was difficult to get an accurate number of malnourished people, as this data was not recorded. They tended to be people living at home, and malnourishment was linked with the growing prevalence of dementia. It was estimated that there might be up to 2,000 malnourished people in the borough. 1,000 people had been diagnosed with dementia, although the true figure was likely to be higher.

Effective interventions in respect of malnutrition were limited as there was a lack of evidence regarding people not eating properly. There were links with an aging population and other needs such as falls, physical activity and potentially fuel poverty.

Public Health was working closely with Adult Social Care to develop effective services to identify and screen people, which it hoped would be based at White City.

Councillor Carlebach noted that, in contrast, there was currently publicity in respect of obesity.

Ms Karikari responded that the Casserole Club aimed to provide more that a meal; it was a vehicle for bringing people together and for friendships. Ms Pymar stated that Open Age endeavoured to provide a healthy meal and also cooking classes. It encouraged people to cook and to think about nutritional values. Ms Bunche added that White City Enterprise had the potential to develop healthy foods, working with dieticians and to monitor people with whom it was working.

Councillor Brown stated that malnutrition and obesity were often found in the same person and mentioned a number of useful contacts, which he agreed to forward in an e-mail.

Action: Councillor Brown

Councillor Chumnery queried the relationship with foodbanks. Ms Karikari responded that it would be possible to explore in a particular area.

Councillor Barlow queried the support the Casserole Club would need to set up in an area. Ms Karikari responded that a new project would need access to the local authority website,  people to support with advice and guidance and matching diners and cooks and a key person to lead the project.

Councillor Lukey queried the service and assistance with transport, provided by Open Age. Ms Pymar responded that Open Age facilitated the use of transport. Westminster Community Transport provided transport specifically for residents of Westminster who found it difficult to use public transport unassisted. Hammersmith & Fulham had funded the development of this link for its residents who could not use public transport.

Ms Pymar indicated the range of services provided across Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, and specifically lunch clubs and Sunday lunch. There was capacity to offer more, with additional funding.

Mr Naylor stated that Age UK also provided lunch clubs and a befriending service and had recently carried out a survey of loneliness and isolation. There was a need for services to be individual and local, and transport was an essential part of a successful service. Mr Naylor offered to circulate the report entitled “Loneliness and Isolation - Evidence Review”.

Action: Bryan Naylor

Ms Karikari responded to a query, that the Casserole Club could not replace Meals on Wheels, which delivered good value meals to a large number of people. The Casserole Club was something slightly different, based on connecting people, more of a one to one relationship.

Councillor Vaughan asked the three guests how the Council could support their organisations, Ms Bunche suggested a potential way would be to identify an area where services were already being delivered and other resources were available and for a task group to join together the services provided by these different organisations.

Ms Pymar responded that she echoed the previous comment. Some people were challenged by transport. Council support from Adult Social Care and NHS GP surgeries, could help to identify people who could benefit, some of whom were isolated at home. Ms Karikari stated that it was necessary to start with service users to try to understand the situation and research and talk to the people who needed to be reached.

Members acknowledged the level of work in reshaping the service provision. It was suggested that; GPs and Adult Social Care could help to identify people who were at risk. In addition, there was available evidence from the experiences of local community services, the community champions and people who used the services.

Councillor Barlow requested that a future report included a breakdown of the £75,000 budget.

Councillor Vaughan summarised the key points:

1.      Research and mapping: for future arrangements to work properly, there needed to be a body of evidence, which would clarify the people which Adult Social Care was trying to target and to understand their needs.

2.      A pilot within the borough would test any further expansion of lunch clubs as a way forward.

3.      There needed to be clarity in respect of the offer.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.      The Committee recommended that a range of services to combat elderly isolation (lunch clubs, good neighbours, community groups befriending, etc.) were incorporated into the People First website.

Action: Mike Potter

2.       An update report would be added to the work programme.