Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services and the Director of Public Health, Durham County Council.

The Board received a report and presentation of the Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services and the Director of Public Health on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) (for copy see file of minutes).

The Director of Public Health reminded the Board that there was a statutory requirement for Health and Wellbeing Boards to develop a JSNA and for Local Authorities to produce it, underpinning the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.  She explained that there had been a review and re-establishment of the JSNA group, with the combined consideration of needs and assets allowing for a broader understanding of health and wellbeing.  It was added that the JSNA was a fundamental decision support tool and the JSNA process was reinvigorated by aligning it with the emerging Population Health Management and integrated data agenda, ensuring there was a joined up approach to intelligence informing strategic decision making.  The Board noted there was a JSNA workshop planned for 12 December 2022, which would inform and shape the Board’s Strategy.

Councillor T Henderson asked if there was evidence that Health and Wellbeing Board partners took account of the JSNA and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy when making commissioning and service decisions and asked as regard oversight of those decisions. 

The Director of Public Health noted that governance and reporting back to the Health and Wellbeing Board were very important.  She noted links to the County Durham Care Partnership Executive, and updates were received every six months. 

She explained previous updates had included information on strategy, objectives and priorities which helped to inform focus on funding and resources to get the best for County Durham.  The Joint Head of Integrated Strategic Commissioning noted a committee of representatives across areas such as Public Health, Social Care, Primary Care, Acute Care and noted criteria relating to priorities, to impact upon inequalities and improve outcomes.  The Director of Integrated Community Services noted the JSNA was not a ‘dry exercise’, rather it looked how and when spend would be made and identified gaps to allow quick action when bidding for funding.

Resolved:

Health and Wellbeing Board agreed to:

a)        Support the re-set of the County Durham JSNA process and the re-establishment of the JSNA and Insight Strategic Group in order to:

·               provide strategic oversight for the continued development and strengthening of the JSNA and Insight process in County Durham;

·               prioritise JSNA topics for production or refresh and;

·               agree an annual JSNA workplan including a rolling programme of Health Needs Assessments and Health Equity Audit;

·               Proposed Terms of Reference for the new JSNA and Insight Strategic Group are attached in Appendix 2 to the report.

b)        Support the establishment of the JSNA Insight and Intelligence Group to deliver the annual workplan, providing intelligence and insight in order to inform strategic decision making;

c)        Support the alignment of JSNA development with PHM, the County Durham Outcomes Framework and explicitly link them to our Approach to Wellbeing and County Durham Together. This would enable a move from a JSNA to a JSNAA, a process that is evidence-based, asset-based and seeks to involve communities in decisions that affect them, in order to achieve better health outcomes;

d)        That the core elements of JSNA remain relevant and fit for purpose;

e)        Advocate for local leadership as the Integrated Care Board develops, ensuring alignment between regional (NENC) and place based (i.e. County Durham) requirements.