To hold a public accountability session for organisations within the health sector.  This session shall focus on Public Health, the Health and Wellbeing Board and Healthwatch Herefordshire.

The Committee received public accountability presentations from organisations within the health sector.   The Director of Public Health highlighted the following areas in his presentation:

·         That there was a need for greater integration between Health and Social Care, and that this would become more apparent in the run-up to the General Election.

·         That of the 150 Local Authorities, Herefordshire ranked at 30^th in terms of public health.

·         That the need to address the health and wellbeing of parents and children would be a focus, and issues such as inactivity and obesity would be considered.

·         That there were a number of assets in the County which included a refresh of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and strong community ties.

·         That his post was shared with Shropshire, where he had been in post for the last five years and that during that time there had been five Directors of Public Health in Herefordshire.  It would be possible to use to the best effect the expertise that each County had developed.

In reply to a question from a Member, he said that, in relative terms, the number of traffic accidents in the County was low.  The Community Safety partnership took the lead on the road traffic accident reduction, and whilst there had been an increase, this was an issue for multi-agency work. The design of the roads was not the issue, but it was more a question of how communities used the roads.  Speed cameras were more likely to catch locals who were speeding in a given area, rather than those who were passing through.

·         That the Local Authority and the Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (HCCG) were now part of a national diabetes prevention initiative.

·         That the rates of syphilis were not significantly different in the County compared to national levels, but STD’s were more of a concern in the over 50 age group, who no longer saw themselves at risk of pregnancy.

In reply to a question, he agreed that community support was needed for traffic calming measures, both within the city and on arterial rural roads.

In reply to a Member’s question, the Director of Children’s Wellbeing said that young people were increasingly going into social work, and within Herefordshire.  The problem was not attracting them, but more one of retaining them as career progression was limited in the County.

The Committee received a presentation on the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.  The Consultant in Public Health highlighted the following areas:

·         That a focus on the increasing number of those over 65 within the County was important

·         That the growth in the numbers of people living with single and multiple long term conditions was increasing.

·         That there was good data on the needs of the population in the County, collated through the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, the Integrated Needs Assessment and the Mental Health Needs Assessment.

·         That cross partnership working was very important, as no single organisation was solely responsible for health and wellbeing.

In reply to a Member’s question, the Director of Children’s Wellbeing said that the number of children missing from care was monitored by the Herefordshire Children’s Safeguarding Board.  The numbers were low in the County, and there was close working regarding the matter with the Police and children’s homes.  The Safeguarding Board scrutinised this area with great care.  The Committee would be informed if there was significant change in the Performance Indicators.

·         That both those with learning and physical disabilities had been included in the strategy, and that both groups were part of the consultation process. This reflected the shift from paternalism toward encouraging those with learning or physical disabilities to take care of themselves and support others.

The Consultant in Public Health concurred with a member’s suggestion that mental health should be considered as the highest priority, and said that one in twenty people in the County had indicated that they felt lonely. There was a role for the third sector in this area.

It was noted that the Civilian Military Task Group was in place to ensure that the actions of the Herefordshire Armed Forces Community Covenant were acted upon, and that one of its priorities was that of the mental wellbeing of ex-servicemen.

In reply to a question from the Chairman, the Cabinet Member (Health and Wellbeing), said that the Health and Wellbeing Board was accountable to NHS England, the Department of Health and the Local Government Association.  Through the Council and the Provider Boards, it was accountable to the residents of the County.  The Committee had a role to play by providing an overview of the performance of the Board.

The Committee noted a presentation from Healthwatch Herefordshire.  In the ensuing discussion, the following points were made:

In reply to a question, the Chairman of Healthwatch Herefordshire said that it was currently looking at issues around the voices of young people in Herefordshire, and had undertaken a consultation in order to get the views of young people on health and social care matters.  He added that there had been a lack of support for health issues at the Sixth Form college, but that this was now being addressed by Taurus Healthcare Ltd.

In reply to a further question, he said that information on Healthwatch had been sent to sixty thousand households as well as to organisations within the County. Healthwatch had a particular remit to enter and view organisations and a number of different roles to fulfil.  It was fulfilling these proportionally and efficiently.  Healthwatch was working to ensure that those without a voice were being heard within the County.  There had been a twelve week programme of advertisements on the back of buses as well as with radio and other media outlets.  60% of people in the City and the market towns were aware of Healthwatch and its activities, and work was being commissioned to provide a baseline figure for the rural areas.

Resolved: that the reports be noted