Agenda item

Report of the Chief Officer for Communities, Public Health, Environment and Prosperity on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-25, attached.

The Board considered a Report from the Chief Officer for Communities, Public Health, Environment and Prosperity which gave an update on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2020-25.

Health and Wellbeing Boards had a statutory responsibility to produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), which was an assessment of current and future health and care needs in the local population, and a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS), addressing the needs identified in the JSNA.

A new JHWS for Devon to cover the period 2020 to 2025 was currently being produced in accordance with the timeline and principles agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board in April 2019 and the Report described the current status of both the JSNA and JHWS.

A summary of the main challenges for Devon from the JSNA was included in Appendix 1 to the Report. It outlined how the changing population of Devon, with wider social and economic factors, contributed to health outcomes and health inequalities. It further highlighted specific local challenges that existed in relation to child poverty, the impact of lower incomes on fuel and food affordability, access to services, mental health, health-related behaviours, long-term conditions and housing.

Work was also underway to further develop the JSNA and ensure its content met the requirements of different users, for example explanatory users (those seeking a quick summary), exploratory users (those wanting to explore / interrogate in more detail and analytical users who might extract JSNA data and undertake further analytical work.

In relation to the Strategy 2020-25, this was being developed with a number of key principles including being a short document (up to 10 sides in length) with web interface, written from a community lens, in plain English, a focus on poorer outcomes and challenges, an emphasis on the wider determinants of health, strategic alignment with the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and other partnerships, including common priorities, collaboration and reporting arrangements, a life course approach and a five-year strategy from 2020 to 2025

Consultation on the new Strategy would be launched at the Devon Health and Wellbeing Board Stakeholders Conference on the 11th of July 2019. The details of the consultation could be found at http://devon.cc/jhws

The Report also outlined a table of the vision and priorities which were;

·         Priority 1. Creating opportunities for all (inclusive economic growth, education and social mobility);

·         Priority 2. Healthy, safe and strong communities (creating conditions for good health and wellbeing where we lived, worked and learned);

·         Priority 3. Focus on mental health (building good emotional health and wellbeing, happiness and resilience) and

·         Priority 4. Maintain good health for all (supporting people to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible)

The Board, in discussion, highlighted and asked questions on;

·         rural loneliness and the steps being taken by the Council and partners to address these issues – the Board noted that Healthwatch Devon did a deep dive review into loneliness;

·         the ability of partners to contact hard to reach populations;

·         the use of resources to develop Crowdfund Devon to raise additional funding from partners;

·         the need to avoid increasing inequality across the County by giving funding to those areas where it is not required;

·         Chief Officers of the Voluntary Sector having greater input and engagement into the Health and Wellbeing Strategy; and

·         concerns around young people and drugs, county lines, hidden harm and mental health issues in young people, and how this is managed by the Police and Partners and through the Community Safety Partnership.

It was MOVED by Councillor Leadbetter, SECONDED by Dr Pearson, and

RESOLVED that

(a)   the Board acknowledge the progress on the development of the Joint Strategy Needs Assessment and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, raise awareness about the consultation process through their networks, and support task group work to finalise the strategy in September 2019; and

(b)   that the Safer Devon Partnership be invited to present a paper at the next meeting on the strategic needs of the Partnership and how this is achieved.