Agenda item

Draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-2025

Minutes:

The Committee received a joint report from the Corporate Director Adult and Health Services and the Director of Public Health that presented the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS) 2020-2025 (for copy see file of Minutes).

 

The Strategic Manager confirmed that the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS) 2020-2025 was a legal requirement under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 that was to be delivered by the Health and Wellbeing Board.  She noted that the previous strategy ran until the end of 2019 and the vision 2035 for the next 15 years ‘County Durham is a healthy place, where people live well for longer’ had been signed off in September 2019 by the Cabinet.  She added that the vision had three strategic ambitions and would be reviewed after a year to ensure that nothing had fallen through the gaps:

 

·        More and better jobs

·        People live long and independent lives

·        Connected communities

 

To help enable the delivery of the vision the Strategic Manager noted that the Health and Wellbeing Board had three strategic priorities that set out areas to be focused on:

 

·        Starting well – that looked at care provided before, during and after pregnancy ensuring children had the right start in life

·        Living well – that looked at the provision of mental health and wellbeing care

·        Ageing well – that looked at the quality of end of life care

 

Additionally, across the three strategic priorities were six objectives chosen that impacted on people’s health and showed where the service wanted to be in 2025.

 

·        Improve healthy life expectancy and reduce the gap within count Durham and between county Durham and England

·        We will have a smoke free environment with over 95% of our residents not smoking and an ambition that no child will be born to a mother who smokes

·        Close the gap in the employment rate between those living with a long-term health condition, learning disability in contact with secondary mental health services and the overall employment rate

·        Over 90% of our children aged 4-5 years and 79% of children aged 10-11 years are of a health weight

·        Improved self-reported wellbeing

·        Increase the number of organisation’s involved in better health at work award

 

The Strategic Manager notified the Committee that the strategy was out for consultation until 14 February 2020.

 

Councillor Jopling queried if the Area Action Partnerships had been involved in the consultation process.

 

The Strategic Manager reinforced that work was ongoing with both the Area Action Partnerships and Durham Community Action Group to promote the strategy.

 

In response to Councillor Batey’s question the Strategic Manager responded that the consultation was online and a hyperlink that had been sent to Members in December 2019 would be recirculated.

 

Councillor Bell was concerned that figures in the report for the life expectancy and healthy life expectancy was lower for County Durham than in England resulting in 22 years of poor health in the later stages of life.  He wanted to know what action was being taken within the strategy objectives to change people’s behaviour to lead healthier lifestyles.

 

The Strategic Manager confirmed that changing people’s behaviour towards a healthier lifestyle was a key area of work for the Public Health Team who promoted walking routes, cycling and other activities across partnerships and individuals, however it was the responsibility of the individual to want to change.

 

The Chief Clinical Officer stated that people were living longer but there was an increase in mental health illnesses.  He noted that prosperity with the provision of better jobs and housing was the key to change as mental health illnesses were linked to poverty and deprivation within the population. 

 

He acknowledged that deprived areas and affluent areas were different that linked into the plan with more integration with Health, Mental Health and the Acute Trust so that all plans were aligned across the board. The Chief Clinical Officer informed the committee that some changes had taken place that had made a difference with mortality rates reducing in County Durham to the rest of England.

 

Councillor Smith was concerned that funding for Public Health could be affected with the new Government and that they should be lobbied to prevent the loss of funding from happening.

 

Both the Strategic Manager and Councillor Hovvels confirmed that letters had and would continue to be sent to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care objecting to any reductions in funding for Public Health.

 

 

 

The Strategic Manager acknowledged Councillor Crute’s comment that in the report with regards to public transport it should state that people should actively travel via sustainable transport to factor in the implications on emissions and climate change.

 

Councillor Temple commended the work to reduce smoking in pregnant women but he wanted to know if there was a difference between the harms of smoking and vaping on the embryo.

 

Councillor Temple was also concerned with the figures in the report relating to a child’s development and how the numbers reduced from 2 ½ years old to the end of reception class.  He wanted to know if this tied into poverty and if the strategy addressed the issue. He was disturbed that obesity in young children increased as they got older.

 

Councillor Hovvels stated that figures in the report relating to a child’s development tied in with two-year-old funding for nursery places.  There was a difference across County Durham as some children would qualify and others would not. She added that those attending nurseries would develop further than those who did not.

 

The Strategic Manager agreed to investigate and circulate her findings. The Partnerships Team Manager informed the committee that this work linked in with the Children and Young People Strategy.

 

The Chief Clinical Officer notified the committee that all children started off the same but it was the environment around them that created changes.

 

Councillor Jopling agreed that it was a shame that learning was lost when children went to school.  She felt that pre-school learning in nurseries was important.

 

Councillor Quinn informed the group that there may be a gap in a child’s development when children started school because parents were reluctant to send their children to school.

 

Councillor Smith was surprised that children’s developments had decreased by the time they went into reception class.  She felt that as Chair this would be a topic that should be included in the work programme for the Children and Young Peoples Overview and Scrutiny Committee and that this would be followed up after the elections in 2021.

 

Councillor Reed explained that the decline in children’s development may also be contributed to children living in care. Family break downs and trauma in a young child’s life would affect their focus on education. 

 

 

Councillor Batey stated that there may be a correlation between children and young people home schooled and children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) that may have caused the decline in children’s development stages.

 

The Strategic Manager agreed to take all comments back to the service area.

 

Councillor Bell noted that there would be financial benefits to schools who had SEND children on their registers.  He agreed that this should be included in the agenda for the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

 

Referring to the report Councillor Quinn informed the committee that loneliness could account for the high figures in elderly people falling and seeking medical help. She added loneliness was dangerous and falls may not always be accidental.  She thought the figures may increase further round Christmas and holiday times.

 

Councillor Stephenson reiterated the comment made by Councillor Quinn around loneliness as the Local Government Association had illustrated loneliness as a major issue that needed to be addressed as it impacted on mental and physical health statistics.

 

Councillor Robinson commended all the hard work in preparing the report and the Committee endorsed the plan.  He added that it should remain in the work programme for the future to track progress made.

 

Resolved

That the report and presentation be noted and the Committee’s comments be submitted as a formal response to the Draft Health and Wellbeing strategy consultation.

 

Supporting documents: