Agenda item

The Committee considered a joint report of the Director of Public Health and the Executive Director, Strategy and Planning, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland CCGs which presented the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2032 for comment. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

The Committee welcomed to the meeting for this item the Chairman of the Adults and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee Mr. T. J. Richardson CC and the Chairman of the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee Mrs. H. Fryer CC.

Arising from discussions the following points were noted:

(i)          The JHWBS was a high level strategy and the development plan would sit alongside it and focus on more of the detail.

(ii)         The Strategy demonstrated the many challenges facing the residents of Leicestershire with regards to health and members believed that this disparity compared with other areas needed to be better reflected in the funding received by Leicestershire County Council.  

(iii)       In response to a query regarding health inequalities it was clarified that the Health and Wellbeing Board had signed up to the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Health Inequalities Framework and a sub-group of the Board would focus on the wider determinants of health such as housing and homelessness. Access to good and affordable housing was a priority under the ‘Building strong foundations’ section of the Strategy at section 4.1.1.

(iv)       Concerns were raised that in the more rural areas of the County there were less health facilities and different parts of Leicestershire had different demographics which needed taking into account. In response reassurance was given that Community Health and Wellbeing Plans would address the needs of each neighbourhood area, and health equity audits would take place for example in relation to access to services such as health checks.

(v)        Concerns were raised that although the County Council had a responsibility to support children with learning disabilities up to the age of 25 and there were people in the 18-25 age group that needed some support, the Strategy tended to focus on children in the younger age groups. In response the Director of Public Health agreed to give this issue further consideration and liaise with colleagues in the Children and Families and Adults and Communities Departments.

(vi)       Concern was raised that figure 2 in the Strategy was difficult to read and understand. It was also suggested that healthy life expectancy could be included as an Indicator in figure 3.

(vii)      Section 3 of the Strategy included some measures of success and Members were of the view that the Strategy needed to be strengthened with regards to what success would look like. In response this point was acknowledged by the Director of Public Health but it was explained that if a large amount of data was included in the actual Strategy it would need updating very regularly. However, a separate performance dashboard was being created which would be considered at Health and Wellbeing Board meetings. One of the measures in the Strategy was ‘High uptake of covid vaccination in 12-17 year olds’ and members suggested that this particular measure would be more appropriately placed in section 7.3 of the report which was entitled ‘Impact of Covid’.  In response to a concern raised that there was no target in the Strategy for helping people with disabilities into employment it was acknowledged that this issue was relevant to the Strategy but explained that this was an area for the Adults and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider. The Committee suggested aligning the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee dashboard with one developed from reviewing performance against the Strategy to provide an overview of implementation progress. 

RESOLVED:

(a)        That the contents of the report and the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2032 be noted;

(b)        That officers be requested to take consideration of the comments now made by the Committee;

(c)        That the circulation of the survey regarding the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2032 to partners, residents and communities be supported.