Issue - meetings
Health Tower Hamlets: Building a vision together
Meeting: 02/02/2021 - Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board (Item 4)
The Board will have opportunity to consider progress to date and consider next steps.
Additional documents:
- HWBS Consultation..., item 4 PDF 144 KB
- Webcast for Tower Hamlets Health & Wellbeing Strategy 2020-25: update and agreement on draft proposals
Minutes:
The Board received an update on progress to date in developing the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, key messages from two workshops in early January to test principles and priority areas the remit of the Strategy and emerging priorities, as well as next steps and obtain feedback from experts, leaders and public on the priorities set out in the Strategy and insight on how priorities can be delivered with desired impact/outcomes
As a result of discussions on the presentation the Board discussed the emerging priorities, and these are summarised as follows that:
The Board,
v Noted that in Spring-Summer 2020 a review had taken place of key health and wellbeing data, alongside public engagement to hear residents’ views on key issues. Following this, interviews with Health and Wellbeing Board members had taken place throughout October 2020 to gather their views on the role and remit of the Board and its Strategy, and what the priorities of that Strategy should be.
v Was reminded that on 17th November 2020 they had agreed priority health areas: the health impacts of poverty, Mental Health and emotional wellbeing, and healthy diet and exercise. Then after this, there were two workshops (January 8th, 2021 and January 11th, 2021) that had brought together Board members and stakeholders to discuss: the wider determinants that impact these health priority areas across the life course; the mechanisms to impact those wider determinants; and what role the Board should play in driving forward change across both wider factors and health and wellbeing support services across the Borough in the next five years.
v Commented that culturally competent staff are important for a variety of reasons. Firstly, as the Borough becomes increasingly more diverse, as it attracts residents from all over the UK and wider international communities. The Tower Hamlets population is mobile, relatively young and is expected to increase by around 20% over the next six years health care professionals are progressively seeing patients with a broad range of perspectives regarding health, often influenced by their social or cultural backgrounds e.g. patients whose first language is not English and have different thresholds for seeking care or different expectations about their care, and beliefs that influence whether or not they adhere to health care staff’s recommendations.
v Health care staff need to be (i) aware of these issues and how to address them; and (ii) acknowledge that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to health care will not suffice. In addition, local communities face some unique health challenges, with significant levels of poverty and high premature death rates amongst adults from circulatory disease, diabetes; cancer; vitamin D deficiency; 25% of teenage girl’s self-harm; and respiratory disease. Our population as mentioned is also growing fast, which will lead to even greater challenges if we fail to act now.
v Wanted to see more adults’ accessing dental services and to have improved oral hygiene e.g. reduce the incidence of gum disease.
v Commented that a healthy weight and good nutrition in childhood sets ... view the full minutes text for item 4