Agenda item
Public Health - Service Priorities for 2015/2016
Presentation by Dr Somen Banerjee, Director of Public Health
Presentation to be tabled at the meeting.
Minutes:
Dr Somen Banerjee, Director of Public Heath (LBTH) gave a presentation on “Putting health and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do in Tower Hamlets 2015/2016 and beyond”.
Dr Banerjee began by outlining the role of the health and wellbeing board. These boards were established by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 in all local authorities. The boards would play a key role in bringing health professionals and leaders from the health and care system, to work together to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population, and to reduce health inequalities. Health and Wellbeing Boards were a key part of broader plans to modernise the NHS to:
· ensure stronger democratic legitimacy and involvement;
· strengthen working relationships between health and social care; and
· encourage the development of more integrated commissioning of services.
In establishing Health and Wellbeing boards The Care Act 2012 envisaged the following:
· That Boards would help give communities a greater say in understanding and addressing their local health and social care needs. Boards would have strategic influence over commissioning decisions across health, public health and social care. Boards would strengthen democratic legitimacy by involving democratically elected representatives and patient representatives in commissioning decisions, alongside commissioners across health and social care.
· Those boards would also provide a forum for challenge, discussion, and the involvement of local people.
· Boards would bring together clinical commissioning groups and councils to develop a shared understanding of the health and wellbeing needs of the community. They would undertake the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and develop a joint strategy for how these needs could be best addressed. This would include recommendations for joint commissioning and integrating services across health and care.
· Through undertaking the JSNA, the board would drive local commissioning of health care, social care and public health and create a more effective and responsive local health and care system. Other services that impact on health and wellbeing such as housing and education provision would also be addressed.
The vision of the Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Strategy was to improve health and wellbeing throughout all stages of life to reduce health inequalities, promote independence, choice and control.
Priorities for 2015/16 were noted as follows:
• Maternity and Early Years - A healthy start for every child;
• Healthy Lives - Living healthier together;
• Mental Health and Wellbeing - No Health without Mental Health; and
• Long Term Conditions and Cancer - Early identification and person centred care.
Dr Banerjee referred to the deprivation, crime, homelessness and pollution and social isolation as the backdrop of the situation in Tower Hamlets. With respect to children, infant mortality rate was one of the highest in the country and school readiness was lower due to poverty with a high level of safeguarding, early sexual activity and pregnancies cases. With respect to adults it was noted that there was a prevalence of pre-mature death from strokes, cancer respiratory illnesses substance misuse and HIV including a low uptake of screening for health conditions.
The Aspirations of the Borough was noted as follows:
1. A healthier place to live
• Healthy lives supported by good income, education, housing, employment;
• Environments – safe, health enhancing, support physical activity and healthy eating;
• Communities/families – strong networks supporting healthy lives;
• Local services – integrated, prevention orientated, inclusive, accessible, high quality.
2. More healthy 0-5 year olds
• Excellent maternal health;
• Strong early attachment;
• Healthy early nutrition;
• Foundations for oral health;
• Good physical and social development through play;
• Full immunisation;
• Free from health harms of alcohol, tobacco, drugs;
• Free from abuse or neglect.
3. More people in the Borough leading healthier lives
• A place that supports health;
– Healthy environments;
– Healthy communities;
– Health promoting services;
• More people
– Valuing health;
– With foundations for healthy lives;
– Protected from health harms.;
4. More healthy children, adolescents
• Good emotional health
• Strong foundations for lifelong mental wellbeing;
• Having life skills for fulfilling social and emotional relationships;
• Eating healthy at home, in school and outside school;
• Enjoying regular physical activity;
• Having excellent oral health;
• Free from health harms of alcohol, tobacco and drugs;
• Free from abuse or neglect.
5. More healthy adults
• Good mental wellbeing;
• Living healthily – eating healthily, regular physical activity, good sexual health;
• Free from harmful health behaviours – tobacco, alcohol/drug misuse, risky sex;
• Aware of risk of health conditions and taking action to reduce risk;
• Aware of symptoms of health conditions and seeking early help;
• Free from abuse or neglect.
Dr Banerjee set out the strategy organising an effective public health service:
Human resources, staff structure, staff development, public health training programme, finance, contracting, legal, performance, risk, communications, responding to corporate requirements.
The Borough had received £32m grant to train its community on the issues at hand, refresh the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy and refresh the local development framework. In response to questions, Dr Banerjee stated that the local development strategy had been updated.
RESOLVED –
That the report be noted.