Agenda item

To receive a presentation from the Director of Public Health providing an overview of ‘A Picture of Health in Leicester City.’  The presentation is attached.

The Director of Public Health gave a presentation providing an overview of ‘A Picture of Health in Leicester City.’  The presentation had previously been circulated with the agenda.

During the presentation the following comments were noted:-

a)        There was now a considerable amount of data collected in the city for public health which helped to identify trends and target services.  The last Health and Wellbeing survey in the city had been conducted in September 2015.

b)         Child dental health had been the worst in the Country; but this had now improved by four places nationally in a short space of time due to the improvement plan introduced 2 years ago, though continued effort was needed.

c)         Life expectancy for people living in city was still below the national average for both men and women; but this has shown some signs of improvement in recent years.

d)         Generally people were living in good health until 58 years old and the challenge was to improve the length of time people lived in good health.  Life expectancy was worse in the more deprived areas of the city compared to the more affluent areas.

e)         Emergency hospital admission rates were higher in men, older ages and ethnic groups.

f)          People experiencing social isolation had higher levels of poor wellbeing and mental health.  Women had higher levels of poor mental health compared to men.

Following questions from members it was noted that:-

a)         The City had been divided into quarters for the purposes of the survey.  It was possible to use the data in the surveys to look at specific issues in greater detail, however the data could become unreliable if applied to ward level issues in some instances as the sample group in some wards may be too small for reliable statistical analysis.  Public Health England also provided detailed information at ward level based upon their detailed data.

b)         Teams working in Family and Children Centres had access to breast pumps, but introducing a loan system would help to improve breast feeding rate further.  

c)         Dentistry services were complicated to monitor as the services were commissioned by NHS England.   The information on the provision of private and NHS dental services in the city would be held by NHS England.

d)        Reductions in cancer and heart related diseases had already been observed in the city as a result of people benefiting from stopping smoking through the smoking cessation programme.

e)         Public Health Services would need to be increasingly targeted at areas of need in the future as pressures on budgets increased.  Data from the surveys would be an essential part of the decision making process.

f)         The data from the health surveys was an open resource and was used widely within the local health economy to shape service provision.  For example, the CCG used the data in planning GP services in the city.

g)         GPs prescribed approximately 2,000 people a year for physical activities with leisure centres.  It had been recognised that success rates             improved for carrying on physical activity afterwards if the patient was allow to take a friend as well in the initial prescription period. 

h)        The Director of Public Health noted that ward health profiles for everywhere in the country were publicly available on-line and commented that ward boundaries could be an artificial area in relation to some issues affecting particular neighbourhoods/communities within the city. 

Following the presentation Members made the following comments and observations:-

a)         That whilst the reduction in smoking rates was welcomed, and the need    to reduce the smoking cessation budget resources as a result of the impact of e-cigarettes and self-help methods, there were reservations    that budgets could be re-instated in the future should future advice change about the use of e-cigarettes. 

b)         The benefits to people’s wellbeing through activities such as gardening should be recognised and promoted where practicable.

c)         The participation in the outdoor gyms in the city could be improved if they were supported by introduction/training sessions for new users.

The Chair stated that areas of particular interest to the Commission in the future would be improving mental health, particularly as this was underfunded in many areas, reducing social isolation and reducing long term sickness level including disabilities.

It was noted that the Commission had previously looked at a number of specific issues relating to mental health and further consideration of this would be useful.

AGREED:

That the Director of Public Health be thanked for the presentation and that further work on mental health be incorporated into the work programme of the Commission.