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 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.
Supporting documents: