Agenda item

The Director of Public Health will present their Annual Report.

The Director of Public Health presented the Annual Report 2024/25 for the Department of Public Health, which provided a snapshot of the population's health. Some key highlights were:

·       The report presented an outlook of the history and present, providing similarities, differences and lessons.

·       Changes in ethnicity over the last few decades and how significantly this has changed the make-up of the population.

·       Leicester had remained lower in life expectancy than the England average and had a sharper decline post-COVID.

·       The development of what is now known as the “Leicester Method” was highlighted, which followed a national move to make smallpox vaccination and the public resistance surrounding its safety (similar to the challenges faced during Covid-19). Due to opposition, individuals were fined and imprisoned, leading to riots and, consequently, a widespread anti-vaccination movement. This ultimately led to the creation of the Leicester Method, an alternative strategy that relied on contact tracing by isolation.

·       It was noted that fostering trust and encouraging community-led innovation were critical in preventing public opposition and conflicts in the implementation of health-related policies. This principle underpinned how the city responded to the measles outbreak and informed lessons from the information campaign, utilising roving units to take the measles campaign into communities, working with schools, and other organisations, which led to an increase of over 600 vaccinations and a decline in the measles outbreak.

·       Over the years, slum clearances, better housing, cleaner water, and improvements in sanitation were important factors that led to significant improvement in the health of the population.

·       However, there were still current issues, including an energy crisis and the massive increase in people unable to heat their homes, and the resulting mental and physical health implications. In response, the ICB allocated significant funding, and the Leicester Energy Plan was established to support people against fuel poverty.

·       The future of public health, which reflected on challenges as we advance, individualised care, genetic epidemiology and the use of AI was mentioned.

Members were invited to make comments and ask questions, and the following was noted:

·       The Council played a fundamental role in community health, and the work done in the Public Health department was closely connected to other council services such as housing and education.

·       Genomics and epidemiology relied on an in-depth understanding of the community. The Public Health department captured these insights, which will be more individualised in the future, by working with and learning from communities, building trust, explaining information clearly, listening to concerns and addressing them. While hesitancy was inevitable, observing the foregoing would ensure that the department was well-positioned from the outset.

·       The Public Health department had developed an action plan for Tuberculosis Health Need Assessment across three key areas, i.e. awareness and review, case findings, and good communication. The department was happy to share the strategy and action plan.

·       Future challenges posed by climate change and microbial resistance were acknowledged. It was noted that the area of work known as Health and Policy put a Public Health lens on pressing issues. References were made to how social media enabled international issues to influence public opinion in the UK, such as debates around climate change being a hoax. As a result, there was a crucial need to lead efforts in correcting misinformation and debunking myths.

·       It was clarified that the principle behind immunisation was that while not everyone was able to have a vaccine, higher vaccination rates protected those who could not. For example, measles was highly contagious, with one person potentially infecting 15-20 others. Achieving high immunity levels was essential, and the vaccine is 99% effective for life.

·       A coordinated approach to engagement and communication among public health partners was crucial. There was a need to assess whether current efforts maximised impact and explore opportunities for financial savings through collaboration and improved efficiency. A future report on this topic was suggested as beneficial.

AGREED:

That the Board notes the report.