Agenda item

The Committee received a report of the Director of Public Health for County Durham that presented the Annual Report for 2018 (for copy see file of Minutes).

The Director of Public Health gave a detailed presentation on the Annual Report that focused on the new vision for the public’s health in County Durham.  The presentation highlighted the following:-

·         Health and wellbeing across County Durham

o   Our county

o   Our children

o   Our adults

o   Our older people

o   Our assets

·         Where we are now?

o   Reduction of nearly 22,000 smoker with a pledge to further reduce this by another 5% by 2025

o   Now lower than the national average

o   Need to support another 53,000 smokers and lift people of poverty

The Director of Public Health informed the Committee that the report had focused on a fictional family ‘the Taylors’ and the challenges they faced.

The presentation then highlighted:-

·         The seven strategic priorities

·         Our actions

·         What this meant for the Taylor family

The Director of Public Health agreed to come back to a future meeting to update on progress.

Councillor Crathorne was concerned about young people smoking e-cigarettes and was informed that evidence so far had shown that these were 95% safer than cigarettes and had become the major support for people giving up smoking.  There were 95% less harmful chemicals in e-cigarettes but it was recognised that this would have to be continually monitored.  For young people evidence had shown that they were trying this out and not necessarily moving from smoking cigarettes.

Councillor Crute said that the report was interesting and it was good to identify with the vision of the family.  He asked how we would monitor progress against the seven priorities and use information in reports and the work programme.  The Director of Public Health explained that the review team in Public Health implement the priorities and that the JSNA Strategic Group had been reintroduced, which was the responsibility of the Health and Wellbeing Board.  Scrutiny could look further into reports or ask for a deep dive on specific issues.

Councillor Smith congratulated the Director on a lovely report that was nice to read.  She asked if the key recommendations and action plan were deliverable with the stringent cuts coming to public health funding.  The Director of Public Health confirmed that there was a risk to County Durham beyond 2020 with a £19 million cut however the service were lobbying really strongly to central government with the support of key stakeholders and partners.  Planning exercises were being carried out around reduced funding and prioritisation.  With regards to this action plan it was hoped that the actions would be deliverable through others involved.

Referring to the drug and alcohol service, Councillor Kay asked how outcomes were managed.  He was advised that for drugs this could be people coming back through the service and how many people were using.  In terms of alcohol it was about de-normalising alcohol use.  The Principal Overview and Scrutiny Officer advised that the Drug and Alcohol service were monitored by the Safer and Stronger Overview and Scrutiny Committee and that the new commissioners would be attending a meeting in January.

The Chairman thanked the Director of Public Health for an excellent report and he asked for the Committee’s support in writing a letter to the Secretary of State to oppose cuts to the County Council’s Public Health Grant allocation.

Resolved:

That the Annual Report for 2018 be received and a letter to the Secretary of States for both Health and Social Care and Housing, Communities and Local Government be sent expressing the Committee’s opposition to the potential reduction in the County Council’s Public Health Grant allocation.