Agenda item

Report of the Director of Integrated Adult Social Care and the Director of Public Health and Communities (IASC/24/12), attached.

Minutes:

(In accordance with Standing Order 23(2), Councillors R Croad and P Bullivant spoke to this item).

 

Councillor Ian Hall declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of being the Co-Chair of the One Eastern Devon Partnership Forum; and by virtue of being the Devon County Council representative of the Council of Governors of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

 

The Committee considered the Report of the Director of Integrated Adult Social Care and the Director of Public Health and Communities (IASC/24/12) on preventative action in respect of health outcomes and the approach therein by Integrated Adult Social Care and Public Health. The Report outlined the importance of embedding prevention across all levels of local government as well as external partners, in order to reduce long-term demand on services and promote movement towards being a healthier population; and the role of elected members in line with the Local Government Association (LGA) guidance on prevention.

 

Officers outlined the broad range of areas that needed to be considered with regard to prevention, including more direct determinants of public health, but also wider factors such as economic conditions. Work on encouraging smoking cessation and legislative change such as that regarding smoking and clean air, was also part of the overall picture.

 

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Equality drew particular attention to Appendix 3 of the Report which provided projections of the underlying health trends in older people without preventative interventions; the evidence suggested significantly worsening conditions across a number of areas, evidencing the paramount importance of a robust preventative approach to health outcomes.

 

The Cabinet Member for Integrated Adult Social Care & Health referred to the large financial commitment of healthcare, particularly in the context of Devon’s aging population, and commended officers, as well as colleagues in the NHS and voluntary sector, for their ongoing work to recognise the value of prevention.

 

Key discussion points included:

 

  • The role of town / parish councils in, for instance, providing wooded areas and local schemes encouraging residents to exercise. There was further discussion around the degree to which lower-tier authorities recognised their critical role. Senior officers expressed willingness to engage with these authorities to assist them in understanding and carrying out their critical role in prevention;

 

  • Obesity, including the ongoing impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on activity levels and, consequently, obesity. Officers outlined the significant health impacts of obesity on an individual entering older age and its relevance in terms of prevention. Officers expressed their support for Government legislation that, as of 1st October 2025, would place limitations on advertising unhealthy foods pre-watershed. They also referred to a significant body of evidence regarding the positive impact on obesity levels of providing outside ‘green’ and ‘blue’ spaces;

 

  • The importance of infrastructure and that a preventative approach to achieve positive health outcomes should inform strategic planning, for instance through the planning and construction of walking and cycling infrastructure to ensure people do not need to rely on cars and other forms of private transport; the Chief Executive expressed the importance of such an approach, including joint working with other bodies. Senior officers offered to circulate the Council’s response to the Government consultation on National Planning Policy Framework to the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee Members;

 

  • Member experience in their wards regarding walking paths and bus services, which encourage movement, with some councillors expressing concern around the overreliance on private transport in their divisions due to poor infrastructure;

 

  • The use of data and evidence, including Public Health data through the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment to develop policies which encourage positive outcomes including health benefits and independence; 

 

  • Reference to the report’s claim around the difficulty of evidencing successful specific prevention. Officers advised that one example was social care reimbursement for independent services which consisted of short-term interventions for people to support them achieving independence; namely, supporting them early on a short-term basis which prevents their future reliance on long-term social care services; and

 

  • The NHS view on integrated working regarding place-based planning and an agreement that promoting active lifestyles within communities should be a key focus.

 

The Committee wished for a further report to come back to the Committee in 12 months’ time with an update and progress report to include self-assessment, improvement journey and key risks.

 

The Chief Executive and the Cabinet Member for Integrated Adult Social Care & Health expressed support for the sentiment that prevention should be considered by Cabinet as a formal priority of the Council, alongside alignment with the Council's place-based strategy, which was discussed at the meeting between the Chief Executive and members.

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