Agenda item

Report of the Director of Public Health, Alison Challenger

Alison Challenger, Director of Public Health, presented the detailed Ward Health Profiles and Health Priorities report and requested that members of the Committee comment on whether the data matched their understanding of health within the wards. A copy of the presentation is included with the initial publication of the minutes.

The following points were highlighted:

a)  There are changes taking place within the NHS, including the establishment of Primary Care Networks (PCNs) which are groups of GPs , who are to work more closely together and with communities;

b)  The Clinical Lead GPs within the PCNs which cover this area (designated in 2 areas of Bestwood and Sherwood, and Bulwell and Top Valley) are keen to introduce themselves but were unable to attend today;

c)  It is intended that there will be closer working between Health and Social Care to provide a more integrated service;

d)  Of the 44 different areas across the country, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s (with the exception of Bassetlaw) Integrated Healthcare System is considered the most advanced, providing a strategic approach to identifying health care needs and how that care can be delivered;

e)  There is consideration of the causes of ill health, and not just a focus on responding;

f)  Provision for 21 additional staff has been made across the City and will include physiotherapists, pharmacists but not GPs;

g)  The information gathered within the ward profiles can be used by the City Council, voluntary groups and charities to help support funding bids and will be available on the internet at ‘Nottingham Insight’;

h)  There will be a further emphasis on self-help and social prescribing (directing people to activity within the community). There are already 2 Social Prescribers active within the Area;

i)  As can be seen from the profiles, life expectancy in the area is lower by approximately 8 years compared to the more affluent areas of the City and there is also lower ‘good health’ life expectation in that residents within the area are more likely to experience ill health approximately 12 years earlier than areas of the City;

j)  It is important to identify the health issues within the City to be able to plan ahead for preventative and also responsive action, with a target of narrowing the gap in health inequalities by 3 years within the next 5 years.

Questions from the Committee were responded to as follows;

k)  Information is captured from several sources including self-reported/ self-perceived poor health (via citizen surveys) and more specific information. An approximate average of one third of women in the area are predicted to report poor health with an even higher proportion of the population experiencing poor mental health;

l)  At a minimum of 2,000 survey respondents, the sample size is significant enough to provide a satisfactorily significant result but other than mortality, no data can be considered 100% accurate;

m)  It is proposed that there is only one social prescriber per PCN area as further funding is not available, but they will be building on the experience of previous and similar schemes and programmes such as Connections, Change Makers;

n)  Smoking prevalence is a big issue within this area with 1 in every 3 adult citizens smoking, which is higher than the City average of 24% and has a significant impact on health and finance and also the likelihood of the children of smokers becoming smokers themselves;

o)  Overall, obesity has declined within the City by a few percent but this Area has the highest obesity rate in the City with a higher than average physical inactivity rate;

p)  There are lots of challenges ahead but it is believed that this more localised approach will benefit the citizens of Nottingham.

Members of the Committee expressed concern that the data provided was not wholly reflective of the health of the local population and that more accurate information would be beneficial.

Resolved to note the report, record the Committee’s thanks to Alison Challenger for attending, and request that she return to a future meeting with the Clinical Director for the Area.