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ARDS AND NORTH DOWN BOROUGH COUNCIL

8 January 2018 Dear Sir/Madam You are hereby invited to attend a meeting of the Community and Wellbeing Committee of the Ards and North Down Borough Council which will be held in the Council Chamber, 2 Church Street, Newtownards on Wednesday FEB 2018 commencing at 7.00 pm. Tea, coffee and sandwiches will be available from 6.00 pm. Yours faithfully Stephen Reid Chief Executive Ards and North Down Borough Council

A G E N D A

1. Apologies

2. Declarations of Interest

3. Deputations

3.1 Five Tennis Club Joint Strategy 3.2 Reverse the Trend

4. Consultation on Organ Donation (Report attached)

5. Community and Wellbeing Control Report (Report attached)

6. Summer Schemes Proposal 2018 (Report attached)

7. Lisbarnett and Lisbane Capital Grant (Report attached)

8. Killinchy District Community Association Capital Grant (Report attached)

9. Sports Forum Grants (Report attached)

10. Floral Development Works on Roundabouts (Report attached)

11. Notice of Motion

2

11.1 Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Cooper That this Council promotes the ‘is Angela working?’ initiative and encourages all local businesses and stakeholders to encourage awareness to protect those in need of help or protection in a public place.

ITEMS 12-13 *** IN CONFIDENCE***

12. Updated Leisure and VAT Issues (Report attached)

13. Bangor Sportsplex (Report attached)

14. Any Other Notified Business

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMUNITY AND WELLBEING COMMITTEE (18 MEMBERS)

Alderman Irvine Councillor Edmund Alderman Smith Councillor Kennedy Councillor Adair Councillor Martin Councillor Boyle Councillor McAlpine Councillor Brooks (Chairman) Councillor Menagh Councillor Chambers Councillor Muir Councillor Cooper Councillor Smart Councillor Douglas (Vice-Chairman) Councillor Thompson Councillor Dunne Councillor Woods

PRESENTATION TO

COMMUNITY & WELL-BEING COMMITTEE

14 FEBRUARY 2018

Ards and North Down

Tennis Clubs (ANDTC)

Introductions

Representatives of the 5 clubs

Alistair Dunn – Cloughey & District Tennis Club

Trevor Octave – Donaghadee Tennis Club

Robin Masefield – Helen’s Bay Tennis Club

Simon Chambers – Bangor Lawn Tennis Club

Brian McDonald – St Patrick’s Racquets Club

Tennis – a sport for life

Tennis - A sport for life, and for everyone

Non-contact sport

Suitable for all ages from 4 - 94

Under10s play with mini-nets, slow balls

and smaller rackets; can do in schools

Boys & girls & families can play together

All-weather surfaces and floodlighting

make tennis an all-year round sport

Tennis strengthens local communities

SPORTS COMPARISON TABLE

Comparing Sports FOOTBALL

SOCCER GAA

RUGBY

HOCKEYBASKET- BALL GOLF GYM TENNIS

Sport for life - can be played and

enjoyed at any age ?

Families can play and compete

together?

Can be played with and against

the opposite sex

New equipment makes game

easier to enjoy

Develops many physical

attributes useful in other areas

Provides a complete body

workout

Can be played for short times

and at 'short notice'

Participants learn to compete

'one-on-one'

Equipment and club

membership affordable

Collaboration in Ards & North Down

5 Clubs all affiliated to Tennis Ireland

4 already have Clubmark Accreditation

1 junior performance academy

Clubs have an agreed common strategy

Strategy endorsed by Sport Governing Body & discussed with Council officers

The Clubs now host U10 tournaments, share coaching, play adult friendlies etc.

Opportunity to expand schools tennis and free coaching for target groups

The 5 Clubs agree…..

Best way to increase membership is to

promote tennis in the community as a

participation sport for life

Tennis can be played by all age-groups,

contributing to healthy lifestyles into later life.

Tennis provides sporting opportunities for

designated and disadvantaged groups: girls

aged 14-18, women of all ages, and the

over 50s; learning disabled, wheelchair

users,

Council’s role in Tennis Sport Facilities Strategy – 10 year plan

Recent investment welcome eg Cloughey and Dairy Hall

Courts in 15 locations – but some urgently need resurfaced/upgraded, eg Helen’s Bay

Everybody Active – target groups

Work with Clubs, coaches for programmes to primary schools and other groups

Cooperative approach maximises scope to get funding from Parks Tennis and other sources

A win-win situation for Council and Clubs ?

Finale

Copies of our Strategy Document are

available to all Committee members

We are happy to take any questions you

may have…..

A&ND Tennis courts audit

Location Club namePrivate Club

or Council

Owned

Current

No of

courts

Current

Floodlit

courts

Target

floodlit

courts

Current

covered

courts

Target

covered

courts

Type of

courts

Bangor Bangor LTC Private Club 6 3 6 0 2 Astro

Newtownards St Patricks club Private Club 4 2 4 0 0 Astro

Helens Bay Helens Bay TC Club + public 3 0 3 0 0 Tarmac

Donaghadee D'dee TC Club + public 3 3 3 0 0 Astro

Cloughey Cloughey TC Club + public 3 3 3 0 0 Carpet

Ward Park, Bangor AGP Academy Council/public 11 2 6 0 4 Astro

Comber Leisure AGP Academy Council/public 4 4 4 2 2 Astro

Portaferry Leisure no club Council/public 1 1 1 0 0 Tarmac (rough)

Ballyholme Bangor no club Council/public 4 0 0 0 0 Tarmac (rough)

Seapark Holywood no club Council/public 4 0 0 0 0 Tarmac (rough)

Groomsport no club Council/public 2 0 0 0 0 Tarmac (rough)

Ballywalter no club Council/public 2 0 0 0 0 Tarmac (rough)

Greyabbey no club Council/public 2 0 0 0 0 Tarmac (rough)

Newtownards Dairy Hall Centre Council/public 0 0 3 0 3 Indoor carpet

Totals 49 18 2 0

2021 Target 33 11

Current Participation levels

Membership

figuresTI affiliated members

non-

members

attending

junior

coaching

outreach

schools

coaching

outreach

schools

coaching

Parks Tennis

Easter &

Summer

camps

Club Adults Juniors AllNo. of

Schools No. of kids No of kids

Bangor 125 80 205 30 1 150 60

Donaghadee 23 35 53 25 3 80 40

St Patricks N'Ards 32 8 40 98 5 180 55

Helens Bay 20 36 56 107 3 120 50

Cloughey 21 27 48 15 6 175 35

Totals 221 186 407 275 18 705 240

Total number of players participating in clubplay or coaching classes 2052

Unclassified

Page 1 of 2

ITEM 4

Ards and North Down Borough Council

Report Classification Unclassified

Council/Committee Community and Wellbeing

Date of Meeting 14 February 2018

Responsible Director Director of Community and Wellbeing

Responsible Head of Service

Head of Environmental Health Protection and Development.

Date of Report 29 January 2018

File Reference CW112

Legislation TheHealth(MiscellaneousProvisions)Act(NorthernIreland) 2016

Section 75 Compliant Yes ☒ No ☐ Other ☐

If other, please add comment below:

Subject Organ Donation

Attachments 1. CMO -Foreward-Organ-Donation 2. Promoting Organ Donation-2017 3. OD-Consultation-Key-Information-and-Policy-Background 4. Equality-FOI 5. Organ Donation-Response-Questionnaire

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride, has requested views on the issue of organ donation in Northern Ireland. Legislation introduced by the Assembly in 2016, required the Department of Health to promote organ donation. The Department of Health is using the opportunity to take stock of existing arrangements, consider approaches to promoting organ donation that have been successful both here and elsewhere, and plan for further progress. Through the consultation the Department is seeking views on a draft policy (attached) on ways to increase the number of successful organ and tissue donations.

Unclassified

Page 2 of 2

It proposes a series of commitments centred around coordinated engagement and education activities. These activities include the involvement of Local government and community groups. The Council has been consulted to help shape approach to fulfilling this new statutory requirement, which will be to the maximum benefit of patients and to the health service in general.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Council respond to the consultation as per the completed “Consultation Proposals and Response Questionnaire” in Appendix 5

Foreword by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride

Organ and tissue donation and transplantation is a truly life-saving and life-changing achievement of

modern healthcare. It is one of the greatest gifts a person can give, either as a living donor, or by

donating their organs after death, and allows others to live full and happy lives, return to work and

contribute to society.

Northern Ireland has a proud record in this field. Figures show that we are amongst world’s best in

live kidney donations, supported by a truly world class service at the Belfast City Hospital, which

recently equalled the UK record by carrying out 5 kidney transplant operations in one day – just one

short of the world record. Our rates of deceased organ donation are also good, with the UK as a

whole currently the world’s 12th leading nation.

These statistics reflect our generally positive attitudes towards organ donation in Northern Ireland,

the skill and compassion of our healthcare professionals, and the well-developed infrastructure

which allows life-saving donation to proceed successfully in the limited circumstances in which it is

possible. Much good work has been done to achieve this since the Organ Donation Task Force

reported in 2008, followed by the launch in 2013 of the strategy Taking Organ Donation to 2020. But

we know that more can be done to build on this solid platform.

We know that most people would accept an organ if they needed one, yet at present only 42% of us

have signed the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR) in Northern Ireland. In addition, around 200

people in Northern Ireland are on the transplant waiting list, and every year around 14 people in

Northern Ireland die waiting for an organ transplant. Only around 1% of us will die in circumstances

where donation will be clinically possible, so ensuring that the wishes of all potential organ donors

are known when this does arise is of critical importance.

For this reason it is vital that we continue to educate and inform people about the benefits of organ

donation, and the importance of letting friends and family know our views and wishes about the

possibility of becoming an organ donor after we die. It is often difficult to imagine ourselves in such

difficult circumstances, facing such an important choice. By helping people to understand the

benefits, and have informed discussions, we aim to ensure when these circumstances do arise that

those making the choice on our behalf are fully aware of what we would have wanted.

Legislation introduced by the Assembly in 2016, requiring the Department of Health to promote

organ donation, presents us with a good opportunity to take stock of where we are, consider the

approaches to promoting organ donation that have been successful both here and elsewhere, and

plan for further progress.

Through this consultation the Department is seeking views on a draft policy on ways to increase the

number of successful organ and tissue donations. It proposes a series of commitments centred

around coordinated engagement and education activities. Your views will help to shape our

approach to fulfilling this new statutory requirement, which will be to the maximum benefit of

patients and to the health service in general.

Thank you for participating in this consultation. We look forward to receiving your views.

Dr Michael McBride - Chief Medical Officer

Draft for consultation

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH POLICY GUIDANCE STATEMENT

PROMOTING HUMAN ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND

11 December 2017


Promoting Human Organ Donation and Transplantation in Northern Ireland

Policy Guidance Statement

One person’s decision to donate their organs is a gift that can save and improve the lives of up to nine other people.1

As well as saving the lives of people who are awaiting an urgent transplant, a donated organ can greatly improve the quality of life for patients suffering from chronic illness, and their families and carers, whilst also bringing great comfort to donors’ families.

The number of both living and deceased organ donors from Northern Ireland consistently compares favourably to that of other countries, reflecting generally positive attitudes towards organ donation in our society and the strong infrastructure that supports it and knowledge about organ donation amongst our people, the giving nature as a society, and the skill and compassion of our healthcare professionals.

However, we know that more can be done. At present, around 200 people in Northern Ireland are on the transplant waiting list, and every year around 14 people in Northern Ireland die waiting for an organ transplant.

We know that the majority of people living in Northern Ireland would accept a donated organ if they needed one, yet at present only 41% of us have signed the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR). In addition, only a small number of us will die in circumstances where organ donation is clinically possible. It is therefore important that when these circumstances do arise, the opportunity to help others is not lost.

The health service can also benefit through the reduced cost of treating patients, whose health has been improved through this altruistic act, by releasing resources to provide treatments for patients suffering from other ill-health conditions.

KEY FACTS ABOUT ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION


Introduction

The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 Part 4 Human Transplantation Section 15 provides a duty to promote transplantation requiring that:

(1) The Department must— (a) promote transplantation, and (b) provide information and increase awareness about transplantation and the donation for transplantation of parts of the human body.

(2) The duty under subsection (1) includes in particular a duty to promote a campaign informing the public at least once a year.

The purpose of this statement is to provide guidance on the Department of Health’s (“the Department” or “DoH”) policy for implementing this statutory duty, that came into effect on [insert date]. Strategic Context The Department is a signatory to NHS Blood and Transplant’s UK-wide strategy Taking Organ Donation to 20201, which calls for a revolution in attitudes to consent to donation, and advocates a sustained and well-coordinated programme of communication activities to promote organ donation across all parts of the UK. Policy Aim The Department’s overall aim in implementing the new statutory duty is to build upon the principles of the strategy by promoting positive, cultural, long term change to 2020 and beyond, through an approach that is tailored to meet the needs of the Northern Ireland population. It is hoped that this will help to consistently secure authorisation to proceed with donation in 80% of potential cases; which in turn will consolidate and improve Northern Ireland’s standing amongst the world’s best performing regions and countries. In 2016/17, Northern Ireland had 22.7 deceased donors per million of population (pmp), and a world-leading 42.2 living donors pmp. Achieving this lies firstly in encouraging people to want to become donors through increasing their knowledge about the process and about the benefits it can bring, and secondly in increasing the rate of consent to donation given by their next of kin in circumstances where donation is

1 http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/to2020/

In Northern Ireland 770,000 people have signed the ODR (Sept 2017), accounting for 42% of the population. This has increased steadily from 30% in 2013 at the launch of the strategy Taking Organ Donation to 2020.

In 2016/17, the consent rate for

donation to proceed in Northern Ireland was 64%, compared to UK average of 63%. The 2020 Strategy target is 80%.

In 2016/17, Northern Ireland had 22.7

deceased donors per million of its population (pmp), compared to the UK average of 21.6 pmp (making the UK the world’s 12th leading nation). The five leading countries were: Spain (43.4pmp), Croatia, (38.6 pmp), Portugal (32.6 pmp), Belgium (31.6 pmp) and France (27.5 pmp).

In 2016/17 Northern Ireland had 42.2

living donors pmp compared to the UK average of 16.1 pmp. The five leading countries were: Turkey (45.4 pmp), South Korea (38.4 pmp), Netherlands (33.9 pmp), Saudi Arabia (27.3 pmp) and Israel (27.0 pmp).

KEY FIGURES

http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/to2020/


possible. This is more likely to occur when our organ donation wishes are already known through prior discussion, and when families are given the opportunity to receive appropriate advice from healthcare professionals at this difficult time. In 2016/17, almost four out of ten families, when faced with the decision, did not give their consent for donation to proceed, sometimes against the known wishes of the patient. Addressing the reasons for refusal in these difficult circumstances will help us consistently achieve the Taking Organ Donation to 2020 strategy target of an 80% consent rate. Following a detailed examination of all aspects of soft opt-out systems the NI Assembly decided in 2016 not to proceed with specific legislation to introduce a soft opt-out system as a possible means of increasing levels of organ donation in Northern Ireland. However, the Assembly in recognition of the importance of promoting organ donation, passed the legislation referred to in the opening paragraph, in The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, which places a statutory duty on the Department to: promote transplantation; and, and increase awareness about transplantation and the donation of human organs. The Department will therefore use this new statutory power to achieve higher rates of donation to be delivered throughout the consent journey under the current legal framework. The Act also requires the Department to lay before the Assembly an annual report about transplantation in that year. The report must include every five years: the opinion of the Department as to whether this Act has been effective in promoting transplantation, and; any recommendations the Department considers appropriate for amending the law so as to further promote transplantation. This statutory provision therefore provides the Assembly to review the policy at appropriate intervals. Key Underpinning Principle The Department is committed to working across the Health and Social Care (HSC) system, the public sector and wider society to promote organ donation in Northern Ireland through a coordinated, tailored and sustained approach to education and awareness, aimed at both members of the public and healthcare professionals. The role of the HSC organisations in delivering this is described below. Through this approach, we aspire to see more people benefit from this gift of life by striving to increase the number of organs available for transplantation. Objectives and Key Commitments Reflecting international best practice, activities to promote organ donation by Health and Social Care (HSC) organisations in Northern Ireland will focus on two primary objectives to be implemented through six key commitments to drive increased rates of organ donation in Northern Ireland. These are listed below and explained in detail in the remainder of this document.


Objective 1: Encouraging positive actions and behaviours in relation to organ donation

Commitments 1-5 The Department commits to increasing awareness of organ donation and the rate of consent by families by:

1. Developing a long term HSC Communications Programme;

2. Providing ring-fenced funding to coordinate and deliver communications

activity;

3. Utilising the potential of civic society to engage with all sectors of the community;

4. Working with Local Government to engage with local community based

initiatives;

5. Engaging with key target audiences including older citizens and children and

young people, to ensure greater levels of awareness and responsibility by the current and future adult population.

Objective 2: Developing appropriate training for healthcare professionals to increase levels of consent in order to achieve the 2020 strategy target of 80%

Commitment 6

The Department commits to increasing awareness of organ donation and the rate of consent by families by: 6. Providing high quality organ donation awareness training for medical

professionals Objectives and Key Commitments in Detail Positive actions and behaviours means making our organ donation wishes known. This primarily involves encouraging potential donors to join the Organ Donor Register

Objective 1: Encouraging positive actions and behaviours

in relation to organ donation


(ODR), and helping people to discuss their organ donation wishes with family and friends. The Department working with the HSC will deliver this objective by developing and implementing the following measures, focussing on activities that encourage the consent discussion, drive registration, develop the ODR as an effective marketing tool, and support promotion at a local level. Within this, the HSC will: Commitment 1 (i) Develop a rolling 3-year integrated HSC Communications Programme

Mass media advertising has been successful to a point in promoting positive attitudes towards organ donation, encouraging positive behaviours and influencing conversations2, however the effect of this approach in isolation can be short-lived. When combined with a sustained and co-ordinated programme of activities embracing contemporary marketing techniques the impact can potentially be more beneficial. This approach aims to embed a shift in public attitudes and a change in behaviours over the longer term, resulting in an anticipated higher rate of consent to donation. Public Information campaigns have, in the past, been delivered in Northern Ireland on an ad hoc basis by various stakeholders including charities, the Public Health Agency and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)3, working either individually or collectively, and in the absence of a coordinated, strategic and ongoing approach to communications. The Department therefore commits to developing a rolling 3-year integrated HSC Communications Programme. This Programme will combine regional and local promotional initiatives with NHSBT’s expertise and UK-wide evidence-informed campaign activity in a way that is suitably tailored to meet priorities identified for Northern Ireland organ donation activities. The Communications Programme and annual plans will take account of existing public information sources4 by engaging with the public on organ donation issues through various platforms including the mass media, social media and local promotional events. Annual plans will place particular attention on coordinating promotional activities in collaboration with relevant stakeholders (including charities, patients, donor families, HSC Trusts, local councils), around key dates for organ donation each year.

2 PHA report: Organ Donation - Evaluation of the 2017 public information campaign 3 NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a Special Health Authority in the NHS which is responsible for the allocation of organs for transplantation is across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales; management of the Organ Donor Register (ODR); and running public information campaigns in relation to organ donation. 4 The website https://www.organdonationni.info is the primary source of public health information about organ donation in Northern Ireland. It provides access to useful statistics, promotional resources in a variety of media, responses to Frequently Asked Questions, and links to facilitate registration on the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR)

http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/

https://www.organdonationni.info/


Commitment 2 (ii) Funding to Coordinate and Deliver Communications Activity

The Department commits to providing a ring-fenced annual budget to fund the Communications Programme, to include delivery of promotional activities by a regional coordinator. The role of the coordinator will include the development and delivery of the Communications Programme, overseen by a HSC Steering Group chaired by the Department. The Steering Group will comprise commissioners and HSC Trust Organ Donation Committees, clinicians and specialist nurses who are involved in organ donation and transplantation, as well as patient representatives. It will determine annual plans identifying priority areas for promotional campaign activity and funding in Northern Ireland, provide advice to the Department and Public Health Agency on these priorities, monitor the effectiveness of the Programme and ensure consistency in its delivery across the region. The coordinator will also be responsible for maintaining appropriate links with NHSBT’s ongoing campaign activity, in order to advise the Steering Group and coordinate as appropriate the delivery of any campaigns that will further Northern Ireland priorities within available the budget. Commitment 3 (iii) Utilise civic society by developing partnerships with other sectors

The communications programme will place particular focus on developing partnerships with employers and related business organisations, statutory organisations such as public libraries and universities, and community and voluntary organisations to maximise their contribution to promoting organ donation. Each of these bodies engage with their particular audiences, such as employees, clients and volunteers, through a variety of interfaces which have the potential to help drive ODR registration. Partnership working presents an opportunity to promote organ donation via these networks by tailoring communications in order to maximise their effectiveness. Technology and contemporary communications will be used as far as possible, e.g. developing compelling, emotive and regular content for delivery through partners’ websites and social networks, and using providing staff and customers with web links to both the ODR and to organ donation information. Employers: Working initially with HR leaders in large employers, campaigns will support the provision of advice and resources to facilitate the development of bespoke Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. Through these programmes, employers provide information and encourage staff to learn about organ donation, discuss their views and wishes with friends and family, and join the ODR. CSR programmes can also identify organ donation champions to take the lead in promoting organ donation within their respective organisations and communities, with


appropriate support from the Department and HSC bodies. Some local companies have shown leadership in developing such initiatives, which can be used to educate and encourage others to do likewise. Statutory Sector: Activities will seek to develop partnerships with statutory sector service providers will deliver tailored messages for various user groups, for example:

Potential opportunities to collaborate with the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service in jointly promoting blood and organ donation;

Working with the network of Northern Ireland libraries as important community hubs to display information, provide literature, and host educational events;

Working with schools and colleges – see also paragraph (v) below – to develop appropriate curricular and extra-curricular programmes to educate students about organ donation.

Community and Voluntary Sector: these organisations, particularly those involved in organising and playing sports, promoting health and wellbeing, or representing the interests of health service patients, collectively involve significant numbers of the Northern Ireland population who are generally receptive to positive health messages. Activities will therefore seek to build partnerships with these organisations, to help stage promotional/learning events, and to provide information and resources which are suitable to the needs of their members. Commitment 4 (iv) Work with Local Government to engage with Communities Local Government’s strong links with communities present a significant opportunity for positive engagement about organ donation at the local level. The Department therefore commits to working with HSC bodies and Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils to collaborate on the development and implementation of local promotional campaigns using a variety of established communications channels. The aim will be to build on local community plan objectives aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of their citizens. The promotion of organ donation is seen by councils as an important element of that responsibility. Local campaigns will be underpinned by a code of practice to support local councils: in the development of appropriate links with NHSBT to help deliver national promotional activities at a community level; closer partnership working between councils and HSC Trusts to jointly plan and coordinate promotional activities, messages and events; the development of volunteer networks to facilitate these activities; and the sharing of best practice across local government. The Department will also publish local organ donation statistics available for every council area to support these local activities. Through this collaborative approach the Department aims to increase the number of ODR registrations and rates of donation in each council area.


Commitment 5 Engaging with key target audiences including older citizens and children and young people, to ensure greater levels of awareness and responsibility by the current and future adult population People of any age can register to be an organ donor5. It therefore stands to reason that children and young people they are provided with appropriate information about what this means at an early age, in order to help them make an informed choice and discuss this with their friends and family. The Young Persons’ Behaviour & Attitudes Survey 2016 6 shows that children and young people in Northern Ireland have mostly favourable views in relation to organ donation, generally seeing it as something positive that can come out of someone’s death. However, there is scope to improve their understanding around some aspects of organ donation, and less than half of those surveyed had discussed their views with their close family members. Recognising the value of encouraging positive attitudes amongst young people towards health and wellbeing matters in general, the Department commits to ensuring that the communications programme will include a co-ordinated approach to working with schools and youth organisations in order to increase knowledge and understanding about organ donation, and encourage young people to discuss the subject amongst friends and family. It will support and build upon established good practice that has been developed by local champions within Northern Ireland (including teachers, youth leaders, and pupils), to make educational resources and support available to expand and deliver curricular and extra-curricular programmes tailored for various age groups. The Department of Health will work with the Department of Education to facilitate the delivery of this part of the plan. Furthermore, contrary to the myth that someone’s age might prevent them from becoming an organ donor, it is important to remember that patients who die in circumstances where donation may be possible are considered individually, irrespective of how old they are. For example, in 2016/17, the average age of a deceased donor in the UK was 51, with 60% of donations coming from the over 50 age group7. The average age of a living donor was 47%, with 44% of donations coming from the over 50 age group8.

5 Everyone irrespective of age or health and who is considered legally competent can join the NHS Organ Donor Register. Doing so provides legal consent for the donation of organs. Children can register but their parents, guardians or those with parental responsibility will be asked to provide their consent should the child's death lead to donation being considered. 6 https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/YPBAS2016ToplineResults.pdf 7 Whether or not someone’s organs after death can be safely used to help others is determined at the time through a number of assessments. Information from the patient’s clinical and social history is also considered from medical records and the person’s next of kin. 8 Potential living kidney donors undergo a series of tests to ensure that they are suitable and that it is safe for them to donate.

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/YPBAS2016ToplineResults.pdf


The communications programme will therefore also seek to deliver appropriate clear ‘myth busting’ messages to encourage those in older age groups to consider and discuss their organ donation wishes.

Only a small proportion of people die in circumstances where it may be possible for their organs to be donated. It is vitally important that in these circumstances families are given the option of consenting to organ donation. Usually this will be in a hospital intensive care setting, and the approach to families must be sensitively managed. They should be referred as early as possible to a Specialist Nurse - Organ Donation (SNOD) working within the intensive care unit and equipped with the specialist knowledge and skills to discuss donation and, if known, their loved one’s wishes. In order for referral opportunities to be realised, it is also important that all health professionals involved in the journey with that patient and their family are equipped with appropriate knowledge about organ donation and about the SNOD referral process. Through this approach, discussing organ donation should become a normal part of end-of-life care for the families of patients in these circumstances. All families, where organ donation is a possibility, will be approached in line with best practice principles. The Department has endorsed NICE CG1359, and NHSBT Best Practice Guidance on approaching the families of potential organ donors10, which reinforce that every approach to those close to the patient should be planned with the multidisciplinary team (MDT), should involve the SNOD, and should be clearly planned taking into account the known wishes of the patient. The ODR should be checked in all cases of potential donation, and this information must be discussed with the family as it represents the eligible donor's legal consent to donation. In the UK as a whole in 2016/17, consent rates when a SNOD was involved in the discussion with the potential donor’s family were 68.6%, compared to 27.5% when a SNOD was not involved. These figures clearly demonstrate the positive difference that effective referral by appropriately trained professional makes to securing the consent of families. Maximising potential donation opportunities when they arise is the key to improving the consent rate and achieving the 2020 target of 80%. Non-referral of potential donors and the resultant low consent rates represent missed opportunities to save lives, and should therefore be minimised.

9 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG135 10 http://odt.nhs.uk/pdf/family_approach_best_practice_guide.pdf

Objective 2: The HSC will develop appropriate training for healthcare professionals to increase levels of consent in

order to achieve the 2020 strategy target of 80%

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG135

http://odt.nhs.uk/pdf/family_approach_best_practice_guide.pdf


Reflecting the above, a number of approaches have been identified which are aimed at developing and delivering appropriate training for different healthcare professionals involved at all stages of the consent journey, in order to increase their awareness of organ donation and their understanding of the SNOD referral process. Commitment 6 Providing high quality organ donation awareness training for healthcare professionals The Department therefore commits, subject to available resources, to working with the HSC, training bodies, universities, and NHSBT to implement the following initiatives and to monitor their delivery: (i) Medical Students: To include organ donation in the undergraduate medical

curriculum.

Currently organ donation is not formally included in the curriculum, however Queen’s University Belfast has indicated that it would support its formal inclusion and has identified potential space within the first and final year teaching programmes to deliver this.

(ii) Medical Trainees: To include mandatory organ donation training for all medical

trainees pursuing a career where it is of greatest relevance (principally those training in critical care and emergency medicine).

Trainees will be supported by NIMDTA and training programme directors to attend a national organ donation simulation course, e.g. that which is currently provided by NHSBT in England. The viability of a providing this training locally will also be explored.

(iii) Consultants and Specialists: To include training on organ donation as an element

of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the revalidation cycle for all Consultants and specialty doctors within critical care and emergency medicine.

(iv) GP trainees: To include organ donation in the postgraduate curriculum for GP

training. This would increase awareness of organ donation in the wider primary care physician community, enabling them to discuss patients’ wishes and medical needs in relation to organ donation and transplantation. This was supported by the Director of Postgraduate GP Education.

(v) Nurses: To develop and deliver appropriate training for all HSC nursing staff in

secondary care settings to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver their professional roles and responsibilities around organ donation.

Training for staff working in non-specialist nursing roles is not formally mandated, however in the past bespoke training and has been developed and delivered on


an ad-hoc basis in partnership with local education establishments, HSC Trusts and the Northern Ireland Organ Donation Services Team of specialist nurses. The opportunity exists to deliver training on a consistent and universal basis through HSC Trusts and third level education providers.

The Department will work with HSC Trusts and the relevant education providers to establish a consistent, quality-assured, tiered education and awareness programme on organ donation. This will be integrated into existing training frameworks, including Trust Induction programmes and pre and post-registration third level education. Exploration of new educational delivery methods, including a regional e-learning programme and a bespoke MDT training programme for nurses will also be considered.

Annual report The Department will produce an annual report on the promotional activity undertaken in each financial year to promote organ donation and transplantation, and relevant statistical information about the number and nature of transplantations carried out. The report will be laid before the Assembly and made available on the Department’s website. In line with part 4 of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, at least once every five years, the report will include the Department’s opinion as to whether the legislative duty imposed by the Act has been effective in promoting transplantation, and will provide any recommendations the Department considers appropriate for amending the law so as to promote transplantation.

Personal and Public Involvement

Patients, clients, carers and communities should be at the centre of decision making in health and social care. This means that they must be meaningfully involved in the planning, delivery and evaluation of their services. HSC bodies have a statutory requirement and are accountable to people and communities for the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of the services they plan and provide. In light of this, the Department has engaged with relevant stakeholders in the development of this policy guidance statement, including the families of organ donors, patients who have received organ transplants, patient representative groups, local government, community organisations, the Children’s Commissioner and the general public, through a variety of platforms including workshops, social media, and consultation questionnaires. Implementation of the Policy Guidance Statement Implementation of the policy guidance statement will be coordinated by a dedicated programme manager and overseen by a Department-led HSC Oversight Group which will include patient representative groups.


Roles and Responsibilities

The Public Health Agency will:

deliver local media campaigns across appropriate platforms in line with the communications plan;

work in conjunction with the Health and Social Care Board, Trusts and NHSBT to tailor media communications appropriate in order to maximise their impact locally; and,

use health intelligence data to measure and report on the impact of promotional activities

Health and Social Care Trusts will, through their Organ Donation Committees:

promote and facilitate the referral of patients in circumstances where donation may be possible;

promote and facilitate the delivery of appropriate training for clinical and nursing

staff to increase awareness of organ donation and referral processes; and,

work with local government and the voluntary sector to promote the benefits of

donation in their local communities.


Appendix 1 How Organ Donation and Transplantation works in Northern Ireland Organ donation and the allocation of organs for transplantation is managed across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). NHSBT is responsible for managing the ODR, the UK’s national transplant waiting list, matching and allocating organs on a UK-wide basis, and retrieving donated organs and transporting them to the appropriate centre for transplantation. While this means that some organs from donors in Northern Ireland may go to people in other parts of the UK (and occasionally elsewhere in Europe), it also means that people in Northern Ireland can benefit from the opportunity of receiving an organ from elsewhere in the UK and the rest of Europe. Organs need to be carefully matched to a recipient, taking into account the blood group, age, weight and the tissue type of the donor and potential recipient. This is important to give the best possible chance for a transplant to be successful. If an organ is not a good match with the recipient, there is a risk that it won’t function effectively. Becoming an Organ Donor after Death People who wish to donate their organs after their death can join the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR), or simply make their donation wishes known to a close relative or friend. In the event of someone’s death, whether they have joined the register or not, it is up to families give final consent for organ donation to take place. Knowing that their relative had signed up to the ODR often helps with that decision. Knowing that during their lifetime they had expressed a wish to become an organ donor is equally important. However, only a small proportion of people die in circumstances where it is possible for them to be an organ donor, e.g. in an intensive care unit11. Only in these limited circumstances will it be possible for healthcare professionals to discuss the person’s wishes with their families, or to check whether they have been registered on the ODR. Even then, there may be reasons as to why donation is not possible at that time. This is why it is important for loved ones to know what the wishes of the deceased person were during their lifetime. In these circumstances the SNOD will check to see if the patient has authorised donation themselves, and commence the sensitive discussion with the patient’s family with regard to donation. If donation is to proceed, the clinical team caring for the patient will work with the SNOD, who will ensure all the necessary clinical checks are made. This will include checking that there are suitable recipients for each organ that can be donated. 11 Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 2 Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 – A UK Strategy notes that over half a million people die each year in the UK, but fewer than 5000 people each year die in circumstances or from conditions where they could become donors.


Throughout this process, the comfort and needs of the donor patient remain paramount and the main focus of the clinical staff in the critical care unit will be on caring for their patient. SNODs also support the donor’s family during this difficult time and to answer any questions the family has. The organs are then retrieved by a completely different team of specialist surgeons who are not otherwise involved in the care of the patient. Organs are always removed with the greatest care and respect. They are then stored in fluid and usually kept cool to help preserve them and transported to whichever hospital or hospitals will carry out the transplant(s). As soon as possible, a separate team of surgeons will then transplant each organ into the patient who is going to receive it. By ensuring that potential donors are referred to the SNOD service at the appropriate time along the patient’s donation journey, and by maximising the number of people who have had an informed discussion about their donation wishes with their families, there is potential to increase the consent rate and thus the amount of actual donors year on year. Becoming a Living Organ Donor It is also possible to be a living donor. This most commonly occurs through kidney donation, when one kidney is removed from a healthy individual and transplanted into another person. In recent years, it has also become possible for people to donate part of their liver. Living donation is obviously a very major decision, and every potential living donor who comes forward undergoes a series of tests to ensure that they are suitable and that it is safe for them to donate. All live donors and recipients are reviewed by an independent assessor who is responsible for making sure there’s no pressure or coercion involved, and that all parties understand the risk of complications. The Organ Donor Register is only for those who wish to donate after death. To be a living donor, people can contact a transplant centre directly. Further information

Information about organ donation in Northern Ireland: https://www.organdonationni.info

NHS Organ Donation Website including links to the Organ Donor Register: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/


https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

DoH Public Consultation: Promoting Human Organ Donation and Transplantation in Northern Ireland– Key information and policy background

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHPUBLIC CONSULTATION

PROMOTING HUMAN ORGAN DONATION ANDTRANSPLANTATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Key information and policy background

11 December 2017


Policy Background

Legislative Context

The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 Part 4 HumanTransplantation Section 15 provides a duty to promote transplantation requiring that:

(1) The Department must—(a) promote transplantation, and(b) provide information and increase awareness about transplantation

and the donation for transplantation of parts of the human body.(2) The duty under subsection (1) includes in particular a duty to promote a

campaign informing the public at least once a year.

Following a detailed examination of all aspects of soft opt-out systems the NorthernIreland Assembly decided in 2016 not to proceed with specific legislation to introducea soft opt-out system as a possible means of increasing levels of organ donation inNorthern Ireland. However, the Assembly in recognition of the importance of promotingorgan donation, passed the above legislation, which places a statutory duty on theDepartment to promote transplantation and increase awareness about transplantationand the donation of human organs.

The Department will therefore use this new statutory power to achieve higher rates ofdonation to be delivered throughout the consent journey under the current legalframework.

The Act also requires the Department to lay before the Assembly an annual reportabout transplantation in that year. The report must include every five years: the opinionof the Department as to whether this Act has been effective in promotingtransplantation, and; any recommendations the Department considers appropriate foramending the law so as to further promote transplantation. This statutory provisiontherefore enables the Assembly to review the policy at appropriate intervals.

Strategic Context

The Department is a signatory, along with the English, Welsh and Scottish HealthDepartments, to NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT) UK strategy Taking OrganDonation to 20201, which calls for a revolution in attitudes to consent to donation, andadvocates a sustained and well-coordinated programme of communication activitiesto promote organ donation across all parts of the UK.

1 http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/to2020/


Policy Aim

The Department’s overall aim in implementing the new statutory duty is to build uponthe principles of the 2020 strategy by promoting positive, cultural, long term change to2020 and beyond, through an approach that is tailored to meet the needs of theNorthern Ireland population. It is hoped that this will help to consistently secureauthorisation to proceed with donation in 80% of potential cases; which in turn willconsolidate and improve Northern Ireland’s standing amongst the world’s bestperforming regions and countries. In 2016/17, Northern Ireland had 22.7 deceaseddonors per million of population (pmp), and a world-leading 42.2 living donors pmp.

Achieving this aim lies firstly in encouraging people to want to become donors throughincreasing their knowledge about the process and about the benefits it can bring, andsecondly in increasing the rate of consent to donation given by their next of kin incircumstances where donation is possible. This is more likely to occur when our organdonation wishes are already known through prior discussion, and when families aregiven the opportunity to receive appropriate advice from healthcare professionals atthis difficult time.

In 2016/17, almost four out of ten families, when faced with the decision, did not givetheir consent for donation to proceed, sometimes against the known wishes of thepatient. Understanding and addressing the reasons for their refusal in these difficultcircumstances will help us consistently achieve the 2020 strategy target of an 80%consent rate.

Key Underpinning Principle

The Department is committed to working across the Health and Social Care (HSC)system, the public sector and wider society to promote organ donation in NorthernIreland through a coordinated, tailored and sustained approach to education andawareness, aimed at both members of the public and healthcare professionals.Through this approach, we aspire to see more people benefit from this gift of life bystriving to increase the number of organs available for transplantation.

How Organ Donation and Transplantation works in Northern Ireland

Organ donation and the allocation of organs for transplantation is managed acrossNorthern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales by NHS Blood and Transplant(NHSBT).

NHSBT is responsible for managing the ODR, the UK’s national transplant waiting list,matching and allocating organs on a UK-wide basis, and retrieving donated organs


and transporting them to the appropriate centre for transplantation. While this meansthat some organs from donors in Northern Ireland may go to people in other parts ofthe UK (and occasionally elsewhere in Europe), it also means that people in NorthernIreland can benefit from the opportunity of receiving an organ from elsewhere in theUK and the rest of Europe.

Organs need to be carefully matched to a recipient, taking into account the bloodgroup, age, weight and the tissue type of the donor and potential recipient. This isimportant to give the best possible chance for a transplant to be successful. If an organis not a good match with the recipient, there is a risk that it won’t function effectively.

Becoming an Organ Donor after Death

People who wish to donate their organs after their death can join the NHS Organ DonorRegister (ODR), or simply make their donation wishes known to a close relative orfriend. In the event of someone’s death, whether they have joined the register or not,it is up to families give final consent for organ donation to take place. Knowing thattheir relative had signed up to the ODR often helps with that decision. Knowing thatduring their lifetime they had expressed a wish to become an organ donor is equallyimportant.

However, only a small proportion of people die in circumstances where it is possiblefor them to be an organ donor, e.g. in an intensive care unit2. Only in these limitedcircumstances will it be possible for healthcare professionals to discuss the person’swishes with their families, or to check whether they have been registered on the ODR.Even then, there may be reasons as to why donation is not possible at that time. Thisis why it is important for loved ones to know what the wishes of the deceased personwere during their lifetime.

In these circumstances the SNOD will check to see if the patient has authoriseddonation themselves, and commence the sensitive discussion with the patient’s familywith regard to donation. If donation is to proceed, the clinical team caring for the patientwill work with the SNOD, who will ensure all the necessary clinical checks are made.This will include checking that there are suitable recipients for each organ that can bedonated.

Throughout this process, the comfort and needs of the donor patient remainparamount and the main focus of the clinical staff in the critical care unit will be on

2 Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 2 Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 – A UK Strategy notes that overhalf a million people die each year in the UK, but fewer than 5000 people each year die in circumstances or fromconditions where they could become donors.


caring for their patient. SNODs also support the donor’s family during this difficult timeand to answer any questions the family has.

The organs are then retrieved by a completely different team of specialist surgeonswho are not otherwise involved in the care of the patient. Organs are always removedwith the greatest care and respect. They are then stored in fluid and usually kept coolto help preserve them and transported to whichever hospital or hospitals will carry outthe transplant(s). As soon as possible, a separate team of surgeons will thentransplant each organ into the patient who is going to receive it.

By ensuring that potential donors are referred to the SNOD service at the appropriatetime along the patient’s donation journey, and by maximising the number of peoplewho have had an informed discussion about their donation wishes with their families,there is potential to increase the consent rate and thus the amount of actual donorsyear on year.

Becoming a Living Organ Donor

It is also possible to be a living donor. This most commonly occurs through kidneydonation, when one kidney is removed from a healthy individual and transplanted intoanother person. In recent years, it has also become possible for people to donate partof their liver.

Living donation is obviously a very major decision, and every person who comesforward undergoes a rigorous assessment. All live donors and recipients are reviewedby an independent assessor who is responsible for making sure there’s no pressureor coercion involved, and that all parties understand the risk of complications.

The Organ Donor Register is only for those who wish to donate after death. To be aliving donor, people can contact a transplant centre directly.

Further information

• Information about organ donation in Northern Ireland:https://www.organdonationni.info

• NHS Organ Donation Website including links to the Organ Donor Register:https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

Equality Considerations and Freedom of Information

Human Rights and Equality Implications

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires Departments in carrying out theirfunctions relating to Northern Ireland to have due regard to the need to promote equalityof opportunity:

between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age,marital status or sexual orientation;

between men and women generally; between persons with a disability and those without; and between persons with dependants and those without.

In addition, without prejudice to the above obligation, Departments should also, incarrying out their functions relating to Northern Ireland, have due regard to thedesirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief,political opinion or racial group. Departments also have a statutory duty to ensure thattheir decisions and actions are compatible with the European Convention on HumanRights and to act in accordance with these rights.

The Department has carried out a preliminary screening of the policy proposals on thepromotion of organ donation, with the final policy to be informed by this publicconsultation, and as part of this screening process has concluded at this stage that anEquality Impact Assessment is not necessary.

Human Rights

Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees a right to privacywhich can only be interfered with when it is necessary to meet specified legitimateneeds. The Department recognises that any use of patient information in relation toorgan donation will only be considered in prescribed conditions, and in circumstanceswhich clearly have a legitimate need.

Privacy

The Department acknowledges that any use of patient information in relation to thepromotion of organ donation will be within required safeguards and the control of accessshould therefore mitigate the concerns and risks involved.

Rural Proofing

The Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016 became operational on the 1 June 2017 and places aduty on public authorities, including government departments, to have due regard torural needs when developing, adopting, implementing or revising policies, strategies andplans and when designing and delivering public services.

Patients who reside in rural areas are likely to benefit from a regional, coordinatedapproach to promoting organ donation. Closer collaboration between the HSC, LocalCouncils, and the community and voluntary sector aims to ensure that promotionalmessages and activities are accessible by rural and urban communities.

Health Impact

Organ donation can save lives and improve the quality of life for patients with a range ofserious illnesses. It allows people to live full and happy lives, return to work andcontribute to society. A coordinated approach to promoting organ donation is intended tohave a positive impact on health across the entire region.

Sustainable Development

It is considered that there are no negative impacts on sustainable developmentopportunities.

Regulatory Impact Assessment

The Department does not consider that a Regulatory Impact Assessment is required asthe introduction of a policy to guide the approach to promoting organ donation does nothave any significant new impact on local business. Better health outcomes for patientsmay result in added social and economic benefits.

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Confidentiality of Consultation Responses

The Department will publish a summary of responses following completion of theconsultation process. Your response, and all other responses to the consultation, maybe disclosed on request. The Department can only refuse to disclose information inexceptional circumstances.

Before you submit your response, please read the paragraphs below on theconfidentiality of consultations and they will give you guidance on the legal positionabout any information given by you in response to this consultation. The Freedom ofInformation Act gives the public a right of access to any information held by a publicauthority, namely, the Department in this case. This right of access to informationincludes information provided in response to a consultation. The Department cannotautomatically consider as confidential information supplied to it in response to aconsultation. However, it does have the responsibility to decide whether any informationprovided by you in response to this consultation, including information about youridentity, should be made public or be treated as confidential. This means thatinformation provided by you in response to the consultation is unlikely to be treated asconfidential, except in very particular circumstances. The Lord Chancellor’s Code ofPractice on the Freedom of Information Act provides that:

The Department should only accept information from third parties in confidence if itis necessary to obtain that information in connection with the exercise of any of theDepartment’s functions and it would not otherwise be provided;

The Department should not agree to hold information received from third parties “inconfidence” which is not confidential in nature; and

Acceptance by the Department of confidentiality provisions must be for goodreasons, capable of being justified to the Information Commissioner.

For further information about confidentiality of responses please contact the InformationCommissioner’s Office (or see website: https://ico.org.uk/).

PROMOTING HUMAN ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Consultation Proposals & Response Questionnaire

11 December 2017 – 12 March 2018

Consultation Proposals Policy Objectives and Key Commitments Reflecting international best practice, activities to promote organ donation by Health and Social Care (HSC) organisations in Northern Ireland will focus on two primary objectives to be implemented through six key commitments to drive increased rates of organ donation in Northern Ireland. Objective 1: Encouraging positive actions and behaviours in relation to organ donation Positive actions and behaviours means making our organ donation wishes known. This primarily involves encouraging potential donors to join the Organ Donor Register (ODR), and helping people to discuss their organ donation wishes with family and friends. The Department working with the HSC will deliver this objective by developing and implementing the following measures, focussing on activities that encourage the consent discussion, drive registration, develop the ODR as an effective marketing tool, and support promotion at a local level.

Commitments 1-5 The Department commits to increasing awareness of organ donation and the rate of consent by families by:

1. Developing a long term integrated HSC Communications Programme;

2. Providing ring-fenced funding to coordinate and deliver communications

activity;

3. Utilising the potential of civic society to engage with all sectors of the community;

4. Working with Local Government to engage with local community based

initiatives; 5. Engaging with key target audiences including older citizens and children and

young people, to ensure greater levels of awareness and responsibility by the current and future adult population.

Objective 2: Developing appropriate training for healthcare professionals to increase levels of consent in order to achieve the 2020 strategy target of 80%

Commitment 6 The Department commits to increasing awareness of organ donation and the rate of consent by families by: 6. Providing high quality organ donation awareness training for healthcare

professionals. Further detail on these commitments and consultation questions is provided below.

Commitment 1: Develop a long term integrated HSC Communications Programme Mass media advertising has been successful to a point in promoting positive attitudes towards organ donation, encouraging positive behaviours and influencing conversations, however the effect of this approach in isolation can be short-lived. When combined with a sustained and co-ordinated programme of activities embracing contemporary marketing techniques the impact can potentially be more beneficial. This approach aims to embed a shift in public attitudes and a change in behaviours over the longer term, resulting in an anticipated higher rate of consent to donation. Public Information campaigns have, in the past, been delivered in Northern Ireland on an ad hoc basis by various stakeholders including charities, the Public Health Agency and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)1, working either individually or collectively, and in the absence of a coordinated, strategic and ongoing approach to communications. The Department therefore proposes the development of a rolling 3-year integrated HSC communications programme, with annual priority plans. The programme will combine regional and local promotional initiatives with NHSBT’s expertise and UK-wide evidence-informed campaign activity in a way that is suitably tailored to meet priorities identified for Northern Ireland organ donation activities. The communications programme and annual plans will take account of existing public information sources2 by engaging with the public on organ donation issues through various platforms including the mass media, social media and local promotional events. Annual plans will place particular attention on coordinating promotional activities in collaboration with relevant stakeholders (including charities, patients, donor families, HSC Trusts, local councils), around key dates for organ donation each year. Question 1: Do you agree that a long term communications programme should be developed to promote organ donation through local, regional and national initiatives through various platforms? Question 2: What activities do you think should be included in the communications programme?

1 NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a Special Health Authority in the NHS which is responsible for the allocation of organs for transplantation is across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales; management of the Organ Donor Register (ODR); and running public information campaigns in relation to organ donation. 2 The website https://www.organdonationni.info is the primary source of public health information about organ donation in Northern Ireland, providing statistics, promotional resources, responses to Frequently Asked Questions, and links to facilitate registration on the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR).

http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/


Commitment 2: Providing ring-fenced funding to coordinate and deliver communications activity

The Department commits to providing a ring-fenced annual budget to fund the Communications Programme, to include delivery of promotional activities by a regional coordinator. The role of the coordinator will include the development and delivery of the communications programme, overseen by a steering group to include Health and Social Care (HSC) commissioners, HSC Trusts, clinicians and specialist nurses who are involved in organ donation and transplantation, as well as patient representatives. It will determine annual plans identifying priority areas for promotional campaign activity and funding in Northern Ireland, monitor the effectiveness of the programme and ensure consistency in its delivery across the region. The coordinator will also be responsible for maintaining appropriate links with NHSBT’s ongoing campaign activity at a UK level, in order to advise the steering group and coordinate as appropriate the delivery of any campaigns that will further Northern Ireland priorities within the available budget. Question 3: Do you agree that ring-fenced funding should be provided to coordinate and deliver communications activity by a regional coordinator? Question 4: What do you think should be the funding priorities?

Commitment 3: Utilising the potential of civic society to engage with all sectors of the community The communications programme will place particular focus on developing partnerships with employers and related business organisations, statutory organisations such as public libraries and universities, and community and voluntary organisations to maximise their contribution to promoting organ donation. Each of these bodies engage with their particular audiences, such as employees, clients and volunteers, through a variety of interfaces which have the potential to help drive ODR registration. Partnership working presents an opportunity to promote organ donation via these networks by tailoring communications in order to maximise their effectiveness. Technology and contemporary communications will be used as far as possible, e.g. developing compelling, emotive and regular content for delivery through partners’ websites and social networks, and using providing staff and customers with web links to both the ODR and to organ donation information. Employers: Working initially with HR leaders in large employers, campaigns will support the provision of advice and resources to facilitate the development of bespoke Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. Through these programmes, employers provide information and encourage staff to learn about organ donation, discuss their views and wishes with friends and family, and join the ODR. CSR programmes can also identify organ donation champions to take the lead in promoting organ donation within their respective organisations and communities, with appropriate support from the Department and HSC bodies. Some local companies have shown leadership in developing such initiatives, which can be used to educate and encourage others to do likewise. Statutory Sector: Activities will seek to develop partnerships with statutory sector service providers will deliver tailored messages for various user groups, for example:

Potential opportunities to collaborate with the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service in jointly promoting blood and organ donation;

Working with the network of Northern Ireland libraries as important community hubs to display information, provide literature, and host educational events;

Working with schools and colleges – see also paragraph (v) below – to develop appropriate curricular and extra-curricular programmes to educate students about organ donation.

Community and Voluntary Sector: these organisations, particularly those involved in organising and playing sports, promoting health and wellbeing, or representing the interests of health service patients, collectively involve significant numbers of the Northern Ireland population who are generally receptive to positive health messages. Activities will

therefore seek to build partnerships with these organisations, to help stage promotional/learning events, and to provide information and resources which are suitable to the needs of their members. Question 5: Do you agree with the proposed approach to developing tailored partnerships with employers, the statutory sector, and the community and voluntary sector? Question 6: Which partnerships do you think would be most effective in encouraging positive behaviours in relation to organ donation?

Commitment 4: Working with Local Government to engage with local community based initiatives Local Government’s strong links with communities present a significant opportunity for positive engagement about organ donation at the local level. The Department therefore commits to working with HSC bodies and Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils to collaborate on the development and implementation of local promotional campaigns using a variety of established communications channels. The aim will be to build on local community plan objectives aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of their citizens. The promotion of organ donation is seen by councils as an important element of that responsibility. Local campaigns will be underpinned by a code of practice to support local councils: in the development of appropriate links with NHSBT to help deliver national promotional activities at a community level; closer partnership working between councils and HSC Trusts to jointly plan and coordinate promotional activities, messages and events; the development of volunteer networks to facilitate these activities; and the sharing of best practice across local government. The Department will also publish local organ donation statistics available for every council area to support these local activities. Through this collaborative approach the Department aims to increase the number of ODR registrations and rates of donation in each council area. Question 7: Do you agree that collaboration between Local Councils and Health and Social Care is an effective means of promoting organ donation in local communities? Question 8: What promotional activities would you wish to see delivered in this way?

Commitment 5: Engaging with key target audiences including older citizens and children and young people, to ensure greater levels of awareness and responsibility by the current and future adult population People of any age can register to be an organ donor3. It is therefore particularly important that children and young people are provided with appropriate information about what this means at an early age, in order to help them make an informed choice and discuss this with their friends and family. The Young Persons’ Behaviour & Attitudes Survey 20164 shows that children and young people in Northern Ireland have mostly favourable views in relation to organ donation, generally seeing it as something positive that can come out of someone’s death. However, there is scope to improve their understanding around some aspects of organ donation, and less than half of those surveyed had discussed their views with their close family members. Recognising the value of encouraging positive attitudes amongst young people towards health and wellbeing matters in general, the Department commits to ensuring that the communications programme will include a co-ordinated approach to working with schools and youth organisations in order to increase knowledge and understanding about organ donation, and encourage young people to discuss the subject amongst friends and family. It will support and build upon established good practice that has been developed by local champions within Northern Ireland (including teachers, youth leaders, and pupils), to make educational resources and support available to expand and deliver curricular and extra-curricular programmes tailored for various age groups. The Department of Health will work with the Department of Education to facilitate the delivery of this part of the plan.

Furthermore, contrary to the myth that someone’s age might prevent them from becoming an organ donor, it is important to remember that patients who die in circumstances where donation may be possible are considered individually, irrespective of how old they are. For example, in 2016/17, the average age of a deceased donor in the UK was 51, with 60% of donations coming from the over 50 age group5. The

3 Everyone irrespective of age or health and who is considered legally competent can join the NHS Organ Donor Register. Doing so provides legal consent for the donation of organs. Children can register but their parents, guardians or those with parental responsibility will be asked to provide their consent should the child's death lead to donation being considered. 4 https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/YPBAS2016ToplineResults.pdf 5 Whether or not someone’s organs after death can be safely used to help others is determined at the time through a number of assessments. Information from the patient’s clinical and social history is also considered from medical records and the person’s next of kin.

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/YPBAS2016ToplineResults.pdf

average age of a living donor was 47%, with 44% of donations coming from the over 50 age group6. The communications programme will therefore also seek to deliver appropriate clear ‘myth busting’ messages to encourage those in older age groups to consider and discuss their organ donation wishes. Question 9: Do you agree that promotional activities should be targeted at key audiences including older citizens and children and young people? Yes Question 10: In what ways do you think this could be approached?

6 Potential living kidney donors undergo a series of tests to ensure that they are suitable and that it is safe for them to donate.

Commitment 6: Providing high quality organ donation awareness training for healthcare professionals Only a small proportion of people die in circumstances where it may be possible for their organs to be donated. It is vitally important that in these circumstances families are given the option of consenting to organ donation. Usually this will be in a hospital intensive care setting, and the approach to families must be sensitively managed. They should be referred as early as possible to a Specialist Nurse - Organ Donation (SNOD) working within the intensive care unit and equipped with the specialist knowledge and skills to discuss donation and, if known, their loved one’s wishes. In order for referral opportunities to be realised, it is also important that all health professionals involved in the journey with that patient and their family are equipped with appropriate knowledge about organ donation and about the SNOD referral process. Through this approach, discussing organ donation should become a normal part of end-of-life care for the families of patients in these circumstances. All families, where organ donation is a possibility, will be approached in line with best practice principles. The Department has endorsed NICE CG1357, and NHSBT Best Practice Guidance on approaching the families of potential organ donors8, which reinforce that every approach to those close to the patient should be planned with the multidisciplinary team (MDT), should involve the SNOD, and should be clearly planned taking into account the known wishes of the patient. The ODR should be checked in all cases of potential donation, and this information must be discussed with the family as it represents the eligible donor's legal consent to donation. In the UK as a whole in 2016/17, consent rates when a SNOD was involved in the discussion with the potential donor’s family were 68.6%, compared to 27.5% when a SNOD was not involved. These figures clearly demonstrate the positive difference that effective referral by appropriately trained professional makes to securing the consent of families. Maximising potential donation opportunities when they arise is the key to improving the consent rate and achieving the 2020 target of 80%. Non-referral of potential donors and the resultant low consent rates represent missed opportunities to save lives, and should therefore be minimised.

7 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG135 8 http://odt.nhs.uk/pdf/family_approach_best_practice_guide.pdf

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG135

http://odt.nhs.uk/pdf/family_approach_best_practice_guide.pdf

Reflecting the above, the Department will work with the HSC, training bodies, universities, and NHSBT to develop and deliver appropriate training for various healthcare professionals involved at all stages of the consent journey. This will include GPs, medical students, medical trainees, consultants and specialist doctors, and trainee and post-registration nurses working in secondary care settings, in order to increase their awareness of organ donation issues and their understanding of the SNOD referral process. Question 11: Do you agreeing delivering appropriate training for healthcare professionals can be an effective way of increasing the level of consent for donation to proceed? Question 12: In what ways do you think this could be approached?

How to Respond in Writing Please send your completed responses by 5.00pm on Monday 12 March 2018 to: Email: [email protected] Hard Copy: Organ Donation Consultation Department of Health Room 1, Annex 1 Stormont Estate Belfast BT4 3SQ Further Information and Related Documents Large print, Braille and alternative language versions of this document are available on request to the above email address or postal address. If you have any questions please contact [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Promoting Human Organ Donation and Transplantation in Northern Ireland:

A consultation on a policy to increase organ donor numbers

CONSULTATION RESPONSE FORM

I am responding: As an individual ____________ As a health and social care professional

____________

On behalf of an organisation

_____X_______

(please tick one option) About you or your organisation: Name: Marcus G. Potts Job Title: Head of Environmental Health Protection and

Development Organisation: Ards and North Down Borough Council. Address: Town Hall, The Castle, Bangor. BT20 4BT Tel: 0300 013 3333 E-mail: [email protected]

Commitment 1: Develop a long term integrated HSC Communications Programme

Question 1: Do you agree that a long term communications programme should be developed to promote organ donation through local, regional and national initiatives through various platforms?

Yes __x_____ No _______ Please feel free to comment below, providing evidence to support any alternative proposal:

Yes, it would seem sensible to combine and coordinate existing resources and deploy them strategically moving forward.

Question 2: What activities do you think should be included in the communications programme?

It seems prudent to use a mix of mass media, social media and local promotional events within the communications programme. It would be useful to evaluate these methods as they were rolled out to gauge their effectiveness. For example, in relation to young people communication via social media might be much more effective than mass media campaigns. It would be important to have a strong brand and consistent message in relation to the campaign.

Commitment 2: Providing ring-fenced funding to coordinate and deliver communications activity

Question 3: Do you agree that ring-fenced funding should be provided to coordinate and deliver communications activity by a regional coordinator?

Yes ___X____ No _______ Please feel free to comment below, providing evidence to support any alternative proposal:

Yes, ring fenced funding is much more likely to lead to a successful campaign, otherwise funding may be diverted to other priorities.

Question 4: What do you think should be the funding priorities?

There appears to be two main issues in relation to organ donation in Northern Ireland at the moment. The percentage of the population signed up to organ donation (currently 42%) and the refusal of consent in almost 4 out of 10 cases when donation would be possible. The campaign funding should concentrate on raising the percentage of the population willing to donate and trying to reduce the rate of refusal of consent when donation would be possible.

Commitment 3: Utilising the potential of civic society to engage with all sectors of the community

Question 5: Do you agree with the proposed approach to developing tailored partnerships with employers, the statutory sector, and the community and voluntary sector?

Yes ____x___ No _______ Please feel free to comment below, providing evidence to support any alternative proposal:

Yes, it would be pertinent to use low cost ways of spreading the work using “Champions” within these sectors.

Question 6: Which partnerships do you think would be most effective in encouraging positive behaviours in relation to organ donation?

Working with employers has the potential to reach a large proportion of people who would be within the age range to be potential donors, or the parent’s family or carers for potential donors and potentially reach those whose views might not necessarily be positive in relation to organ donation or giving consent for family members. While the Statutory sector has the potential to bring information to a wide audience the potential for meaningful interaction and discussion may be limited as the obvious focus will be on their main function or in the case of the NI blood transfusion service perhaps giving the message to those who would already be sympathetic to the requirement for organ donation. The possible exception might be in relation to the education sector where there is a potential to get the message to a lot of young people. The community and voluntary sector does have the potential to reach a lot of people and potentially target certain groups who are less well represented in terms of being donors or giving consent.

Commitment 4: Working with Local Government to engage with local community based initiatives

Question 7: Do you agree that collaboration between Local Councils and Health and Social Care is an effective means of promoting organ donation in local communities?

Yes ___x____ No _______ Please feel free to comment below, providing evidence to support any alternative proposal:

Yes, the local community sector does have the potential to reach a lot of people and potentially a campaign could target certain groups who are less well represented in terms of being donors or giving consent.

Question 8: What promotional activities would you wish to see delivered in this way?

Cascade training for leaders of community groups (grant funded? Community “Champions”), direct talks, provision of literature and social media messages both in relation to being a donor and consent.

Commitment 5: Engaging with key target audiences including older citizens and children and young people, to ensure greater levels of awareness and responsibility by the current and future adult population

Question 9: Do you agree that promotional activities should be targeted at key audiences including older citizens and children and young people?

Yes _x______ No _______ Please feel free to comment below, providing evidence to support any alternative proposal:

Question 10: In what ways do you think this could be approached?

For younger people the obvious promotional conduit would be the education system and social media. For older people potentially, employment, community groups and mass media.

Commitment 6: Providing high quality organ donation awareness training for healthcare professionals

Question 11: Do you agreeing delivering appropriate training for healthcare professionals can be an effective way of increasing the level of consent for donation to proceed?

Yes ___X____ No _______ Please feel free to comment below, providing evidence to support any alternative proposal:

Question 12: In what ways do you think this could be approached?

The provision of training and update training for healthcare professionals via their professional bodies that attracts a positive outcome for the professional in terms of meeting their obligations in relation to continuing professional development CPD.

Please use the text box below to provide any additional comments you wish to provide regarding the promotion of organ donation in Northern Ireland:

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ITEM 5



Council/Committee Community & Wellbeing




Head of Finance

Date of Report 24 January 2018

File Reference FIN45

Legislation Section 5 Local Government Finance Act (NI) 2011

Section 75 Compliant Yes ☐ No ☐ Not Applicable ☒

Subject Community & Wellbeing Budgetary Control Report – December 2017

Attachments None This Community & Wellbeing Budgetary Control Report covers the 9-month period 1 April to 31 December 2017 and is set out on page 4. The net cost of services is showing an under spend of £193,660 (3.0%). Explanation of Variance A Budgetary Control Report by Income and Expenditure for the Directorate is, also, shown on page 4 which analyses the overall favourable variance (£193,660) by expenditure (£733,956 favourable) and income (£540,296 adverse). However, if the net nil distorting effect on income and expenditure of Peace IV grants is removed then the variance for expenditure is £325,056 favourable and income £131,396 adverse.

Community & Wellbeing Expenditure - £734.0k (7.7%) better than budget to date. This favourable variance is mainly made up of the following: -

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1. Community & Wellbeing HQ - £21.3k adverse. Consultancy costs £9.7k adverse (V4 consultancy in connection with the potential outsourcing of the remainder of Leisure Services. This was not budgeted for). Legal fees £11.4k adverse in respect of Holywood Rugby Club (legacy issue – not budgeted for).

2. Environmental Health - £5.2k adverse. a. Payroll £20.2k adverse mainly due to final payments made to an

employee who retired on ill health grounds at the end of April. b. Mileage is £5.5k favourable year to date. c. Samples analysis is currently £11.7k favourable to date though this is

expected to come back into line with budget as the year progresses. 3. Community & Culture - £556.8k favourable.

a. Payroll £93.6k favourable mainly due to underspends in Community Development (£46.8k), Good Relations (£16.5k), Peace IV (£13.7k) and Arts Development (£7.3k). Vacant posts in these services are to be filled as the year progresses.

b. Community Partnership is £17.5k under budget but this is offset by a similar adverse variance on income – see 6a below.

c. Community Activity & Summer Programmes running costs are £21.9k under budget to date.

d. Peace 4 grant payments are £408.9k under budget to date but this is offset by a similar adverse variance on income – see 6b below.

4. Leisure & Amenities - £203.6k favourable. a. Payroll £11.3k favourable which is mainly due to underspends in Parks

and Cemeteries (£95.5k), Community Halls/Centres (£27.9k) and Leisure Admin (£27.1k) with an overspend in Leisure (£139.4k). The overspend in Leisure is mainly in Ards LC (£117.5k), Comber LC (£19.7k) and Londonderry Park (£20.3k) offset by favourable variances on Sports Development (£17.3k). The overspends in Leisure have been caused by additional overtime, casuals and agency to cover staff shortages and essential shifts.

b. Ards LC (£61.0k), Comber LC (£5.0k), (Portaferry SC (£9.8k) and Londonderry Park (£16.8k) running costs (excluding payroll) are £92.6k under budget to date.

c. Community Halls/Centres running costs (excluding payroll) are £21.8k under budget to date.

d. Parks and Cemeteries running costs (excluding payroll) are £17.5k adverse to date.

e. There are a number of small favourable variances to date for other Leisure services such as Ards Half Marathon £3.7k, 10k Road Race £13.8k (offset by similar reduction in income – see 5d below), Sports Pavilions £16.3k, Sports & Football Development £5.7k, Bangor Sportsplex £5.9k, Queens Hall £7.9k and Countryside Management £8.1k.

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Income - £540.3k (16.8%) worse than budget to date. This adverse variance is mainly made up of the following: -

5. Leisure & Amenities - £87.2k adverse. a. Ards LC £85.4k adverse (mainly momentum fitness and café and

vending); Comber LC £49.0k adverse (mainly momentum fitness, tennis and membership), Portaferry Sports Centre £10.1k favourable and Londonderry Park £14.2k favourable. Fitness membership direct debits are up by over 300 members across the 3 Centres. This increase was secured from the beginning of August until the end of December and completely reverses the previous trend and market norms for that time of year. It is anticipated that with the continued recruitment and restructure drive this exceptional positive trend will continue in 2018. With an average income of approximately £24 (exc. VAT) per person per month this will result in a potential extra £85k of income over a 12-month period.

b. Community Halls/Centres income is £17.5k better than budget to date. c. Cemeteries income is £26.1k better than budget to date. d. Bangor 10k Road Race income is £12.5k adverse to date – offset by

similar reduction in expenditure (see 4e above). e. Football Development income is currently £6.6k adverse but this is

expected to reduce as the year progresses. 6. Community and Culture - £424.4k adverse.

a. Community Partnership is £17.5k adverse but this is offset by a similar favourable variance on expenditure – see 3b above.

b. Peace 4 grant income is £408.9k adverse but this is offset by a similar favourable variance on project spend – see 3d above.

c. Arts Summer Programme is £6.4k better than budget to date. 7. Environmental Health - £28.8k adverse.

a. Affordable Warmth grant is £26.8k less than budgeted. Associated expenditure is being reduced in line with the grant reduction. There are indications that the grant allocation may increase later this year.

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RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Committee notes this report.

Note Year to Date Actual

Year to Date Budget

Variance Annual Budget

Variance

£ £ £ £ %

Community & Wellbeing

100 Community & Wellbeing HQ 169,478 148,200 21,278 200,300 14.4

110 Environmental Health 1,161,724 1,127,800 33,924 1,489,000 3.0

120 Community and Culture 1,296,213 1,428,600 (132,387) 1,785,100 9.3

130 Leisure and Amenities 3,540,425 3,656,900 (116,475) 5,036,500 3.2

Totals 6,167,840 6,361,500 (193,660) 8,510,900 3.0

BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORTBy Directorate and Service

Period 9 - December 2017

Note Actual Budget Variance Actual Budget Variance£ £ £

Community & Wellbeing

100 Community & Wellbeing HQ 169,478 148,200 21,278 - - -

110 Environmental Health 1,492,068 1,486,900 5,168 (330,344) (359,100) 28,756

120 Community and Culture 1,761,547 2,318,300 (556,753) (465,334) (889,700) 424,366

130 Leisure and Amenities 5,429,351 5,633,000 (203,649) (1,888,925) (1,976,100) 87,175

Totals 8,852,444 9,586,400 (733,956) (2,684,604) (3,224,900) 540,296

BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORTBy Income and Expenditure

Period 9 - December 2017

Expenditure Income

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ITEM 6







Head of Community and Culture

Date of Report 01 February 2018

File Reference CDV25

Legislation Recreation and Youth Services Order (NI) 1986



Subject Summer Schemes 2018

Attachments Appendix 1 AND Summer Schemes 2018 As members will be aware the Community Development (CD) Team has been reviewing the development and delivery of summer schemes across the borough. This report will outline a new and exciting proposal for summer scheme development and delivery. The previously reported the 2017 summer scheme evaluation demonstrated many strengths and allowed officers to explore future improvements. The key points emerging from the 2017 evaluation, consultation with the three Networks and communities and taking on board Members comments at Januarys committee meeting, are:

The need for continued growth in supporting community led summer schemes. Increase provision on the Peninsula where there is a perceived lack of summer

provision. Council Summer Schemes and Community Summer Schemes should be co-

designed to ensure resources are needs led and efficiently used.

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With Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and fewer diversionary opportunities available for young people due to fewer available resources, summer scheme opportunities should be made available for these slightly older young people, where a need is identified.

Community Led Summer Schemes

It is recommended that community groups are offered the opportunity to co design, produce and deliver community led summer schemes. Community groups in the following areas that have provisionally agreed to take the lead are as follows:

Millisle, (Millisle Youth Forum) Ballywalter/Ballyhalbert, (Ballywalter Community Action Group) Kilcooley, (The Womans Centre) Breezemount (Breezemount Community Association)

The groups will work alongside the Community Development Team and together support and facilitate the design and delivery of their summer schemes. This support will comprise of; promoting volunteers, training, project planning and management and financial management.

This genuine partnership reduces bureaucracy for groups and maintains a consistent approach regarding programme development and delivery, which in turn creates a summer scheme benchmark and a high quality standard. This is a collaborative and sustainable methodology which is also central to the Big Plan and therefore complimentary.

As previously reported, the Breezemount community led summer scheme pilot demonstrates that this community development approach can be successful. As a result of this success the 2018 summer scheme plan has evolved from 2017, however, the extension of the scheme will continue to run as a pilot, to enable the schemes to be appropriately evaluated.

Support for the extended community led summer schemes can be met from the Community Development (CD) budget.

Council Summer Schemes

Following increased involvement from the community combined with a needs led assessment and feedback received from 2017, it is proposed the following locations are used for Council summer schemes:

George Green, Redburn, Ballygowan, West Winds / Scrabo, Portavogie.

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The Council summer schemes will be delivered similar to previous years, with the exception of the West Winds/Scrabo scheme where, in response to ASB concerns an additional summer scheme targeting a slightly older age group, will be delivered. The CD Team will work with other statutory agencies to prevent duplication, make full use of resources and officers will work collaboratively with statutory and non-statutory partners to deliver this pilot summer scheme programme for young people in West Winds/Scrabo.

In response to feedback, plans are in place to promote all summer scheme opportunities and streamline registration. The Community Development Team will also recruit and support 10 summer scheme volunteers under the new Volunteer Policy.

The benefits

This is a collaborative proposal incorporating a community development approach working in partnership with other statutory and non-statutory organisations but above all it harnesses the good will and direction of the community. The summer scheme programme for 2018 will achieve a more widely available summer scheme (see App. I), more child places will become available, with more input than ever before from residents of the Borough and community volunteers. It must be recognised these volunteers are already delivering valuable services and work across the Borough.

This approach will also ensure that summer schemes will meet a quality standard reflecting good practice. Training and support will be integral to this approach in order to continue to maintain a high quality standard. It will help to ensure that all CD supported summer schemes will provide the same opportunities for children, whether the scheme is delivered by CD Team or a community group.

This will begin the process of building better and stronger summer schemes for the future by building on the strong development work created throughout a supportive and facilitative approach.

CD Team will maximise the summer scheme budget by continuing to deliver high quality programmes but will also facilitate local communities to do the same, creating a high quality benchmark for all schemes supported through the CD summer scheme budget. As well as recording the number of attendees, all those involved from stakeholders to users will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on their summer scheme experience. This will help officers to measure the success of all aspects, from promotion and registration through to delivery. The results will help identify the strengths and build on the weaknesses into 2019.

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Recommendation

It is recommended that Council approves the Council summer schemes and pilot community led summer schemes as detailed in this report.

APPENDIX 1 – Summer Scheme Map

Ards and North Down Borough Summer Schemes

-

Ards and North Down Borough

Summer Schemes

Council Led Schemes: -

Redburn George Green Portavogie Scrabo / West Winds Comber

Community Led Schemes: -

Kilcooley

Millsile

Breezemount

Ballywalter/Ballyhalbert

Council Led Pilot – Teen Summer

Scheme

Holywood

Millisle

Newtownards

Ballywalter Comber

Portavogie

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ITEM 7









File Reference CG18065




Subject Lisbarnett and Lisbane Community Association Capital Grant

Attachments None Correspondence has been received from Lisbarnett and Lisbane Community Association (LLCA) requesting further draw down of funding under the Legacy Ards Borough Council’s Capital Grant for Non-Council owned Community Halls policy for further work to their community buildings. The Policy provides financial support to constituted “community groups who operate community halls (in the legacy Ards area) in settlements with no other neutral community facility” The groups can receive funding of up to £25,000 in any ten year rolling period. Previously the Council have approved a funding request for £17,471 from Lisbarnett and Lisbane Community Association (LLCA) for maintenance to the community buildings under the policy. LLCA have now requested additional funding to re-decorate both community buildings to complete the refurbishment project now that the maintenance work is completed. The group have requested a further £3,882.00 for the following –

Painting and decorating for both community buildings - £2700.00

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Carpeting of the main community building - £1182.00 As the work is under the threshold for the Council procurement policy the group have sought one quote for each piece of work.

RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Council approves the financial assistance for the stated refurbishment of the Lisbarnett and Lisbane community halls, as requested by Lisbarnett and Lisbane Community Group, up to a maximum of £3,882.00

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ITEM 8









File Reference CG18065




Subject Killinchey District Community Association Capital Grant

Attachments None Correspondence has been received from Killinchy District Community Association (Killinchy DCA) requesting financial assistance under the Legacy Ards Borough Council policy – Capital Grants for Non-Council owned Community Halls. The Policy provides financial support to constituted community groups who operate community halls (in the legacy Ards area) in settlements with no other neutral facility.” The groups can receive funding of up to £25,000 in any ten year rolling period. Killinchy DCA applied for this grant in 2011 and 2014 for different pieces of work and were successful. To date they have received funds to the total of £11,805.00. This therefore leaves a balance of £13,195.00 over the next four years. The group have requested to draw down a further £2,000 of this grant to carry out some additional work which includes –

Plumbing work to fix the heating and connect the hot water taps. Shelving in the stores Painting of the stores

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As this work has been estimated at less than what is stated in the Council’s procurement policy threshold, quotations are not necessary. However, if approved the funds would only be released following the Councils verification process.

RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Council approves the financial assistance for the stated works in Killinchy community hall, as requested by Killinchy DCA, up to a maximum of £2,000

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ITEM 9







Head of Leisure and Amenities


File Reference SD109

Legislation Recreation and Youth services Order (1986)



Subject Ards and North Down Sports Forum

Attachments Appendix1-Sports Forum Applications for Noting and Approving January 2018 Appendix2-Unsuccessful Sports Forum Grants Applications January 2018

Members will be aware that on the 26th August 2015 Council delegated authority to the Ards and North Down Sports Forum Borough, in order to allow it to administer sports grants funding on behalf of the Council. £25,000 had been allocated within the 2017/2018 revenue budget for this purpose. The Council further authorised the Forum under delegated powers to award grants of up to £250. Grants above £250 still require Council approval. In addition, the Council requested that regular updates are reported to members. During January 2018, the Forum received a total of 14 grant applications; 8 of which were for Travel and Accommodation, 1 of which was for Equipment, 3 of which were for coaching, 1 of which was for Anniversary Event and we also had 1 Gold Card Application.

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A summary of the applications are detailed in the attached Appendix 1 January 2018. For information, the annual budget and spend to date on grant categories is as follows: January 2018 Annual Budget Funding Awarded

January 2018 Remaining

Budget Travel and Accommodation* 13,000.00 1040 978.54 Coaching* 3,000.00 600 1886.25 Equipment * 3,500.00 1000 -4905.55 Events 4,000.00 0 1505.49 Seeding 500.00 0 500 Anniversary* 1,000.00 1000 0 Gold Cards Issued during the period January 2018 is 1

* The proposed remaining budget for Travel & Accommodation of £978.54 is based on a proposed award of £1040.00 with reclaimed costs of £93.26 and withdrawn costs of £100 in this period as listed in Appendix 1(A). The proposed remaining budget for Equipment of £-4905.55 is based on a proposed award of £1000 with reclaimed costs of £223.42. The proposed remaining budget for Coaching of £1886.25 is based on proposed award of £600.00 in this period as listed in Appendix 1(C). The proposed remaining budget for Anniversary of £0 is based on a proposed award of £1000 in this period as listed in Appendix 1(D). It should be noted that there is an overspend in the equipment funding element of the grant scheme but this can be covered from an underspend in other elements. There will be no impact on overall budgets.

RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that Council approves the attached applications for financial assistance for sporting purposes valued at above £250, and that the applications approved by the forum (valued at below £250) are noted. As agreed by Council any applications which meet the guidelines for the remainder of the year will be honoured through the reallocation from the underspend of the Councils capital grant scheme.

Appendix 1 – January 2018 (A)Traveling and Accommodation (for noting)

Name Type of Grant Representing Sport Competition Location Date(s) of Competition

Amount Recommended

Ashleigh McVea Travel/Accommodation Northern Ireland

Taekwondo Berghem Championships

Oss, Holland 26th November 2017

£120

Matthew McKibben

Travel/Accommodation British Lions Hockey Sardinia Tournament Sardinia, Italy 7-12th December 2017

£120

Noleen Lennon Travel/Accommodation Northern Ireland

Netball World Cup Qualifiers Perth, Scotland 19th-21st January 2018

£100


Netball Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia

1st-16th April 2018 £150


Netball Pre CWG Training Camp

Tasmania, Australia

25th March – 1st April 2018

£150

Karen Rollo Travel/Accommodation Northern Ireland

Netball World Cup Qualifiers Perth, Scotland 19th-21st January 2018

£100


Netball Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia

1st-16th April 2018 £150


Netball Pre CWG Training Camp

Tasmania, Australia

25th March – 1st April 2018

£150

A) Withdrawn Travel/Accommodation costs (for noting)

Name Type of Grant Representing Sport Competition Location Date(s) of

Competition Amount Awarded

Amount reclaimed

Reason Reclaimed

Rakia Alouane

Travel/Accommodation Northern Ireland

Taekwondo Chang Ung Cup Glasgow, Scotland

5th November 2017

£100 £100 Receipts not returned

Appendix 1 – January 2018 A) Reclaimed Travel/Accommodation costs (for noting)

Name Type of Grant Representing Sport Competition Location Date(s) of Competition

Amount Awarded

Amount reclaimed

Reason Reclaimed

Emil Lazarescu

Travel/Accommodation Ulster Surf Kayaking

World Surf Kayaking Championships

Portrush 20-28th October 2017

£50 £50 Receipts did not correspond

NICCA Travel/Accommodation n/a Angling Introductory Coaching Training

Blanchardstown, Dublin

25th November 2017

£79.80 £43.26 Receipts returned for only £36.54

(B) Equipment costs (for approval)

Name of Club Description of Project Funding Description Funding Requested Amount Recommended

Ballyholme Yacht Club

Purchase of 2 sea kayaks and paddles to offer rescue support to the sea swims that start and finish at BYC, this is due to motorised or propeller boats not being safe near swimmers. They also are hoping to increase numbers in future through kayaking activities and sea swimming to become more of a multisport club.

2 Sea Kayaks 2 Paddles 2 Spraydecks

£1316 + VAT £1000

B) Reclaimed Equipment Costs (for noting)

Name Type of Grant Description of equipment Sport Amount Awarded Amount reclaimed Reason Reclaimed

Abbey Villa FC Equipment Juvenile Soccer Nets, Senior Soccer Nets, 2 sets of box shaped nets and 1 set aluminium supports.

Football £928.84 £218.45 Unable to fund postage and packing or credit card fees.

Appendix 1 – January 2018

Portavogie Rangers Youth FC

Equipment Fold away goals, 25 Training Footballs, 2 sets of marking cones, 30 training bibs

Football £574.97 £4.97 Receipts returned for £570 only

(C) Coaching Grants (for noting)

Name Type of Grant Name of Course Number of Participants

Date(s) of Course

Cost to Club/Individual

Amount Recommended

East Coast Strikers

Coaching Grassroots IFA x1 IFA Level 1 x2

2 4th, 11th and 25th February 2018

£460 £300

Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

Coaching Specialist Coaching 4 6th January 2018 £200 £150

Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club

Coaching Specialist Coaching 4 14th January 2018

£200 £150

(D) Anniversary Grants (for approving)

Name of Club Description of Project Funding Description Funding Requested Amount Recommended

Ards Cycling Club 75th Anniversary Dinner to be held in the Autumn of 2019. Over 100 current and past members to be invited along with Irish cyclist as guest speaker. Working along with sponsors to fund the event.

Total: £7,800 - Guest Speak £2,500 - Speakers Accommodation £100 - Entertainment £1000 - Meal £3,500 - Table Gifts £700

£1000 £1000

Appendix 1 – January 2018 Gold Card Grants (for noting) (No cost to Council or Northern Community Leisure Trust to provide access to facilities)

Name Type of Grant

Training Venue Representing Competition Location Date(s) of Competition Decision

Dan McGaughey

Gold Card Aurora Northern Ireland

Youth World Championships Kiel, Germany 18-25th August 2018 Approved

Appendix 2 - Unsuccessful Sports Forum Grants January 2018

Unsuccessful Sports Forum Applications January 2018 During January 2018, 0 applications submitted failed to meet the specified criteria.

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ITEM 10







Head of Leisure and Amenities


File Reference PCA 55

Legislation N/A



Subject Floral Displays on Roundabouts

Attachments None Across the Borough, Council have the responsibility for maintaining a number of high profile traffic roundabouts. Roundabouts are located in the following towns and villages: - Newtownards – seven locations Bangor – six locations Comber – two locations Ballygowan – one location All roundabouts are under the ownership of the Department for Infrastructure and in order to enhance the appearance and promote civic pride, Council carry out the development and ongoing maintenance at a cost. To ensure the displays on the roundabouts are appropriate and contribute to the appearance of each location, a rolling programme of review is proposed across the portfolio of locations. This commenced with Newtownards in 2018, with a similar review planned for the Bangor Roundabout sites in 2019, and Comber and

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Ballygowan proposed for 2020. A five-yearly review will be carried out for each town thereafter. Following the review of the floral displays on the Newtownards town centre roundabouts, the below highlights the locations of the Council maintained roundabouts: -

Ards Shopping Centre Scrabo Road Comber Road Castle Bawn Portaferry Road Frederick Street (Adjacent to the Council Offices) Zion Place/Bangor Road

The review took into account the current condition of the floral displays some of which have been in place for many years. This resulted in developing a programme to enhance current planting and introduce more appropriate plant material to provide better structure, colour and ecological value, while enabling difficulties from perennial weed material to be addressed. The new plantings will not only improve the appearance at certain locations, but also raise the profile of the town with regard to involvement in the Ulster In Bloom and Best Kept campaigns. A list of the proposed works is as follows: -

Ards Shopping Centre – Works have commenced on this site as a result of bedding failures due to wet ground conditions in the last few years. Structure planting and the sowing of an annual floral mix has been carried out in summer 2017. In order to augment this work further, it is proposed that an additional annual sowing will be carried out to provide better summer colour on this approach into the town. Additional works are to be completed during Spring 2018.

Scrabo Road - Sight line issues were raised at this location and the existing

planting was removed. Additional soil conditioning and improvement has been carried out. It is proposed to replace the planting with low level planting to enhance the appearance but not impede sight lines. Planting to be carried out during Spring 2018

Comber Road – Structure planting and seasonal display is appropriate at this

location and no change is proposed to the annual programme of works.

Castle Bawn – Structure planting and seasonal display is appropriate at this location and no change is proposed to the annual programme of works.

Portaferry Road – Structure planting and seasonal display is appropriate at this location and no change is proposed to the annual programme of works.

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Frederick Street (Adjacent to the Council Offices) – The planting at this location currently is comprised of formal rose beds, standard trees and naturalised spring bulbs. Over the past few years, the formal rose beds have been affected by an increasing level of perennial weed growth which has proved difficult to eradicate. This has led to poor floral display and appearance of the location. In order to control the perennial weeds and eradicate them completely, it is necessary to remove the roses and return the beds to grass. This will enable initial chemical control and also prevent regrowth through mowing. It is proposed that in order to introduce new planting to the location that new beds are introduced outside of the areas affected by the perennial weed to provide all year-round colour. This will include a mix of herbaceous and annual planting together with structure plants to provide for all year-round display. The works are to be carried in Autumn 2018. It should be noted that towns strong rose growing tradition will be preserved in the current rose displays at Zion Place/ Bangor Road roundabout and also at the War Memorial at Court Square.

Zion Place/Bangor Road – Structure planting and seasonal display is

appropriate at this location and no change is proposed to the annual programme of works.

All works outlined above can be carried out from within proposed 2018/19 budgets. Any adjustments to the proposed programme of works will require enhanced budget provision. It is also proposed that a further review of the above locations will be carried out in 2023.

RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Council approves the programme of works outlined above.