Meeting documents

Recommendation

Cabinet is requested to note and endorse the Director of Public Health Annual Report

Mr N Brown, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing introduced the Director of Public Health Annual Report and highlighted the following:

• The Director of Public Health is required to produce an annual report
• The annual report was themed around how where we live impacts our health.
• The report highlights issues that needed to be considered by all key partners

Dr J O’Grady, Director of Public Health, attended the meeting and highlighted the following:

• The report aimed to stimulate conversations across partners and communities about how they could promote health and wellbeing through influencing both the physical and social environments.
• The report contained high level recommendations for all partners. The service were asking colleagues across the County Council to see consider how they could contribute to each of those recommendations.
• The report would also be taken to the Health and Wellbeing Board and be discussed with the Voluntary Sector.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• A recent visit to Bicester, a Healthy New Town, with new estates encouraging active lifestyles, activities and social interaction.
• A joint conference earlier in the year with Health highlighted issues around pollution and how the environment was a key issue.
• A Member suggested that he would like to see a political element within the report, ensuring Members were addressing problems within their areas to make the environment better.
• Mr Tett highlighted that air quality was a national issue and big changes were taking place across the country, for example new houses and lampposts to have electric car charge points.
• A Member highlighted some of the indicators in the report that were significantly lower than the Council’s peers including low birth rate and employee sickness absence.  Dr O’Grady informed Members of ongoing work to make improvements in those areas.
• A Member highlighted the data on overweight and obese children and asked how parents are engaged with.  Dr O’Grady responded by stating through the promotion of healthy eating messages, health visitor advice and advice given to schools.  The Council did commission services to help children lose weight and this was a whole family approach.
• Members discussed the need for the recommendations set out in the report to work alongside other reviews currently taking place across the organisation in order to have a joined up approach.  There were concerns that separate reports were being produced that may not be aligned.

Mr Tett asked for the recommendations to be reviewed and to identify those that were a priority to the County Council.  He highlighted the importance of a partnership approach with a view to understanding all contributions, their progress and impact.  Dr O’Grady confirmed that when presenting the report to partner organisations those specific conversations would take place.

Mr Tett requested a composite report compiled for each portfolio area outlining how each County Council service would contribute to the actions and the achievement of the recommendations and that the Health and Wellbeing Board would issue a similar challenge to partners.  Mr Tett requested this report to come back to Cabinet at the September meeting.

ACTION: Dr O’Grady

Recommendation

Cabinet is requested to note and endorse the Director of Public Health Annual Report.

RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED and ENDORSED the Director of Public Health Annual Report.