Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a joint report of the Interim Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services and Director of Public Health which presented the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) Annual Report 2023/24 for endorsement (for copy of report, see file of minutes).

Councillor C Hood, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Adult and Health Services explained that the report provided an opportunity to review progress, the challenges and next steps in four priority areas. It was important to regularly check to ensure that the approach taken was having the intended impact on health outcomes. Councillor Hood referred to the work taking place in helping residents make healthy lifestyle choices, ensuring that people in more deprived areas of the County could access stop smoking services, a successful pilot to increase the availability of healthy food options in hot food takeaways and the promotion of healthy food offers in a range of settings across the county. Links across the wider County Durham partnership were continuing to strengthen and increase the awareness of health impacts across housing, poverty, education, economy and the environment.

Councillor Ted Henderson, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People was pleased to see examples of work in schools with children and young people, equipping them with the tools to maintain and improve their own physical and mental health for the future.

Councillor R Bell commented that the report was straightforward and easy to digest, illustrated by a range of real life case studies. Councillor Bell also took the opportunity to thank the outgoing Director of Adult and Health Services, Jane Robinson, for her good work on the board over many years and for the Council.

Resolved:

That the recommendations in the report be agreed.