Agenda item

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

The Board received a Joint Report of the Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services, Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Climate Change and the Director of Public Health in respect of the Health and Wellbeing Annual Report, presented by the Interim Strategic Manger - Partnerships, Julie Bradbrook (for copy see file of minutes).

The Board noted that the report followed that from the Corporate Equality and Strategy Manager and was the eighth Health and Wellbeing Board Annual Report over the last 10 years, noting no reports produced in 2019/20 or 2020/21 due to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic response. The Interim Strategic Manger - Partnerships explained that during the last 12 months there had been delivery against the strategic priorities detailed in the JHWS, including several case studies.  She reiterated that the report drew the JHWS 2021-23 to a close, to be replaced by the JLHWS 2023-28 as agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board on 10 May 2023.

The Interim Strategic Manager - Partnerships reminded the Board that during the pandemic, the Board had been the Local Outbreak Engagement Board for managing the response to COVID-19, acting in that capacity until May 2022.  She explained that in July 2023, the North East and Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB) replaced the 8 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to become the statutory NHS Organisation for 13 Local Authority areas, including County Durham.  She added that the ICB was now a key member of the Health and Wellbeing Board and worked closely in terms of the NENC ICB’s place-based teams for County Durham.

The Interim Strategic Manager - Partnerships noted that the Board, together with County Durham Together Partnership had continued to champion the approach to wellbeing across the County Durham Partnership.  She noted the new JLHWS 2023-28 focussed on four areas identified in the Joint Strategic Needs and Assets Assessment (JSNAA) which had the biggest impact upon local outcomes and health inequalities, namely: tobacco; alcohol; weight; and mental health.  It was added that the JLHWS would inform a focussed effort across the system, incorporating the wider determinants of health, to achieve the Health and Wellbeing Board vision that ‘County Durham is a healthy place where people live well, for longer’.  

The Board noted reference to the links with such wider determinants such as housing, poverty and the Inclusive Economic Strategy and activities taking place, such as those over the school holidays, ‘Fun with Food’. 

It was reiterated that housing was a key determinant to health and wellbeing and the Board noted that in June 2022, the Warm and Healthy Homes Project received a national ‘Energy Champions of the Year’ award for working with GP surgeries to contact patients who have cold related illness and providing help in terms of servicing, repair, replacement boilers, home insulation and support with reducing energy bills.

The Interim Strategic Manager - Partnerships noted that a Health Needs Assessment had been undertaken to review the approach to promoting healthy and independent lives for those residents who were over 50 years old, and to close the gap in life expectancy between County Durham and England.  She reiterated that the Board had agreed a new direction with the JLHWS in terms of the four areas of focus:

·        Making smoking history

·        Enabling healthy weight for all

·        Improving mental health, resilience, and wellbeing

·        Reducing alcohol harms

The Interim Strategic Manager - Partnerships concluded by noting that the report reflected upon the last 10 years, celebrated the achievements, and set out the focus of the Board moving forward.

The Chair thanked the Interim Strategic Manager - Partnerships and the thanks of Councillor C Hood to all Board Members and Officers for their work over the last 12 months, the report being testament to the breadth of the work of the Board, with several cross-cutting issues, such as housing, that impacted both the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Councillor T Henderson asked what mechanisms were in place to showcase the good work of the Board and to share learning with partners.  The Interim Strategic Manager - Partnerships noted that there were many different organisations within multi-agency meetings and that in terms of the wider determinants, there was good integration within the county.  She added that the report would be published to the website and publicised, with partners encouraged to share and talk about the work of the Health and Wellbeing Board.  Councillor T Henderson noted that in the past the Council and NHS had received some criticism, however, the opinion was now generally positive, and the report demonstrated that things were heading in the right direction.

The Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services, Jane Robinson asked if there were any specific communications planned in terms of awareness raising.  The Interim Strategic Manager - Partnerships noted that the report was scheduled to go to Cabinet in September and communications would follow that meeting. 

The Director of Public Health, Amanda Healy noted it was a very good report and that the case studies were especially welcomed, a good example being the flu-clinic at Horden in demonstrating how to deliver locally and where different to the national contract, with 27 2-3 year olds having been vaccinated.  The Chair agreed that having those human stories helped to emphasise that the work and bring the report to life.

Resolved:

(i)     That the Board note and agree the contents of its Annual Report 2022/23 and authorise publication.

(ii)   That the timeline and next steps outlined in the report be noted.