To note and use Understanding Herefordshire as the overall evidence of need to inform business planning, decision-making and commissioning and to note the Herefordshire Health and Wellbeing Strategy that has been approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The cabinet member for economy, communities and corporate introduced this item which included a joint strategic needs assessment which the council had a statutory duty to produce. This would ensure that service priorities are based on key issues and that decision-making is informed in order to meet the needs of the population.

A presentation on Understanding Herefordshire was given by the adults and wellbeing directorate’s research and intelligence lead. The presentation provided a picture of the county and key issues in terms of health, social, economic and demographic factors.

The leader thanked officers for the presentation and the report.

The group leader for Herefordshire Independents welcomed the recognition in the report of the military population and defence as an employer in the county, which had not been recognised previously. It was noted that it was intended to develop work on this sector of the community.

The group leader for It’s Our County gave thanks for this work and commented that it would be useful to have a trajectory to enable tracking of data using the JSNA as a primary reference. He asked for assurance that data was comprehensive and accurate.

The cabinet member for economy, communities and corporate explained that there were additional areas in this year’s report including the military sector and the economy making the data more comprehensive. There were two further documents that inform decision-making, and these were the mental health needs assessment document and the children’s integrated needs assessment. It was noted that the trajectory had changed in response to the evidence base and quality assurance. All data was quality assured before publishing and statistics were based on national databases and were therefore robust. The research and intelligence lead welcomed enquiries from any member interested in the data.

In response to a further question from the group leader for It’s Our County, the research and intelligence lead confirmed that data was quality assured and scrutinised and that reports were also quality assured by stakeholders and other partners.

The chair of the general overview and scrutiny committee referred to a recent meeting with Herefordshire Voluntary Organisations Support Service (HVOSS), highlighting a need to consider the voluntary sector in Herefordshire. Volunteers played an important and powerful role and were relied upon yet could withdraw from providing valued services at any time. It was noted that there was also an aging volunteer population. The clergy was also cited as a valuable yet shrinking resource in the community.  In response, it was confirmed that HVOSS were involved in the JSNA and mapping work and it would be possible to develop more support for voluntary organisations to deliver services.

The cabinet member infrastructure commented on data regarding leisure activity and unemployment which suggested that there was a high proportion of people on pensions who cannot afford leisure activities. It was clarified that in the 16% classified as workless this did not include retired people. 

The leader commented on an article in today’s Hereford Times reporting on an increase in employment in the county.

The group leader for the Liberal Democrats commented that for the report to have impact it needed to demonstrate how it affected decisions.

The group leader for Herefordshire Independents commented on data regarding fatal and serious road incidents. In response the cabinet member for economy, communities and corporate referred to the Community Safety Partnership and work with the police and highways as a priority. He added that a worrying factor was that of the number of people, particularly young people, in vehicles involved in such incidents.

With regard to the health and wellbeing strategy, the health and wellbeing board was required to identify priorities through the JSNA, and consult and engage with stakeholders.  Work on this by public health was noted, and thanks given to the Health and social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee for supporting the work.  The strategy comprised a strategic aspirational framework and a National Health Service outcomes framework, endorsed by feedback from the public. The report showed how priorities and indicators were agreed. 

The cabinet member for economy, communities and corporate acknowledged that in the past two years of his working with the adults and wellbeing directorate there had been significant challenges including a  total workforce reorganisation and reshaping of the social care market. There had also been work on preparing for the better care fund and care act, serious budgetary work and a difficult journey for service users.  Noting that this was the last cabinet meeting for the director of the service, Helen Coombes, he thanked her for her patience, humour and knowledge that had led to the directorate’s achievements and wished her well for the future.

The leader endorsed the cabinet member’s comments on behalf of the cabinet, and Ms Coombes was congratulated and wished well by the group leaders of It’s Our County and Herefordshire Independents. In reply, Ms Coombes stated that it had been a privilege to work in Herefordshire and thanked cabinet, members and senior management for their support.

RESOLVED

THAT:

(a)  the evidence base of Understanding Herefordshire and the underpinning data be noted to inform future planning, decision making and commissioning; and

(b)  the health & wellbeing strategy be noted for publication.