Agenda item - Formal Public Involvement

This is the part of the meeting when members of the public can formally ask questions of the Board or present a petition.  These need to be notified to the Board in advance of the meeting Contact the Secretary to the Board at penny.jennings@brighton-hove.gov.uk

(a) Petitions - to consider any petitions received by noon on 22 July 2020;

(b) Written Questions – to consider any written questions received by noon on 22 July 2020;

(c) Deputations – to consider any Deputations received.

12a     Petitions

12.1    There were none.

12b    Written Questions

12.2    It was noted that three written questions had been received. The questions submitted and the responses provided by the Chair are set out below:

          Question from John Kapp –– Medication to Meditation

12.3  “Concerning medication to meditation, does the board agree that all prescribed interventions should be evidence based, that the gold standard is the systemic review, one of which (Cippriani et al 2017) found that all antidepressants are no better than placebos, but have side effects that include suicide, so do more harm than good, yet antidepressants continue to be prescribed to more than 7 million in England, whereas there have been thousands of research reports on mindfulness based approach courses which have been found effective in healing and curing most mental disturbance without side effects, and published in peer reviewed journals, so the HWB should ask the CCG to commission sufficient mindfulness courses so that all patients for whom they are clinically appropriate can access them within the statutory access times (2 weeks for psychosis, 6 weeks for ¾ of rest, 18 weeks maximum) ?”

        Chair’s Response:

12.4  Best practice indicates that all treatments should be evidence based. An informed discussion of the risks and benefits should take place before interventions are offered, with meta-analysis of multiple randomised controlled trials being considered the most robust evidence to inform medicine treatment choice. However pharmacological interventions are often only part of an effective treatment program, and not all patients will derive the same benefit. The decision to treat or not must be informed by the evidence but also individualised to each patient within the context of the NHS constitution and available NICE guidance, finite NHS resources, and a broader comprehensive care plan. 

Hopefully this covers the question in a broader sense with respect to evidence based practice. Antidepressants are just an additional form of intervention to support the patients and a competitive form. So intervention should be individualised.

12.5    Mr Kapp was invited to put a supplementary question.

Question from Janet Bray – Continuing Operation of a Dormintory Hostel in Hove

12.6  NB: Ms Bray indicated that she was unable to attend the meeting and has indicated that she was happy for her question and the response to it to be set out in the subsequent minutes of the meeting.

12.7  “We are now into the *11^th week of Lockdown. A well-known dormitory hostel in central Hove to continues to operating, continues to advertise weekly dormitory accommodation, and is housing people in violation of planning permission (i.e.: The premises shall be used as student/backpacker hostel only and for no other purpose, including in HMO or as a hostel where people are placed, homeless of have special needs with payment coming from a 3rd party).  Government guidance effectively deemed dormitory hostels should close. BHCC has known about the illegal operation of this hostel for 2 months (and the violation of Planning Permission for years) and yet it carries on in plat sight of the neighbourhood that remains incredulous.  Why has BHCC allowed this situation to persist? When will the dormitory hostel be closed?” *(NB: this was received following our June meeting).

          Chair’s Response

12.8    I have been advised that you have been in regular contact with the Council on this matter and received a response from our Head of Safer Communities on this matter earlier this month. However, I have forwarded this question on to the relevant department to respond if there has been any updated guidance of relevance.

          Question from Lara Hockman – Emergency Homeless Accommodation

12.9  NB: Ms Hockman was unable to attend the meeting but indicated that she was happy for her question and the response to it to be set out in the subsequent minutes of the meeting.

12.10  “Homeless people currently in emergency accommodation as a result of Covid-19 are facing a cliff-edge beyond which their health & wellbeing are severely at risk. Will the Board sign up to the following statement to protect the health & wellbeing of our city’s most vulnerable residents?

12.11  "We, the HWB commit to ensuring that sustainable accommodation is offered to all those housed in emergency accommodation and hotels as a result of the Government’s ‘Everyone In’ policy and will not let people return to homelessness or rough sleeping. This includes opening up access to council accommodation for people accommodated during the emergency.’’

          Chair’s Response

          This matter is being actively addressed by our colleagues in the Directorate of Housing, Neighbourhoods and Communities and in my response to the question we have attached links to relevant papers recently presented to Housing Committee. I would like to assure all our residents of the Council’s commitment to tackling the need for people to rough sleep in our city and alongside our adopted Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, recognising this is a complex situation, we are working actively in the current situation to secure accommodation to support this objective.

12.12  RESOLVED – That the questions submitted and the Chair’s responses to them be noted and received.

12c     Deputations

12.13  There were none.