Issue - meetings

Each year the Director of Public Health produced an annual report on the health of their population.  The report focussed on the importance of the prevention of cardiovascular disease for Buckinghamshire’s population. It served as a baseline against which progress in improving cardiovascular disease prevention and outcomes for our population could be measured. It highlighted the opportunities that the Council, the NHS, the voluntary sector and residents had to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases in the County by working together on this agenda.

The aim was to support a strategic approach for the Council and partners to address the cardiovascular health and risk factors of our population.  The report summarised the many risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The risk factors include behavioural, clinical and environmental risk factors. It provided recommendations on how residents could reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and what partners, including the Council, could do to reduce these risk factors. The environmental risk factors include stress at work, the quality of housing and poor air quality.

Differences in cardiovascular disease between different groups were a significant driver of health inequalities across Buckinghamshire. This made cardiovascular disease a key concern for levelling up health outcomes in Buckinghamshire.  The report highlighted a range of programmes in Buckinghamshire designed to address the main behavioural and clinical risk factors for cardiovascular disease.  A multi-agency plan to address inequalities in cardiovascular disease across Buckinghamshire was being developed and implemented.  It would be overseen by the Buckinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board.

RESOLVED –

(1)               That the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2022 be NOTED.

(2)               That the recommendations within the Annual Report and the draft Action Plan be ENDORSED.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing introduced the report. Each year the Director of Public Health produced an annual report on the health of their population.  The report focussed on the importance of the prevention of cardiovascular disease for Buckinghamshire’s population. It served as a baseline against which progress in improving cardiovascular disease prevention and outcomes for our population could be measured. It highlighted the opportunities that the Council, the NHS, the voluntary sector and residents had to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases in the County by working together on this agenda.

The aim was to support a strategic approach for the Council and partners to address the cardiovascular health and risk factors of our population.  The report summarised the many risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The risk factors include behavioural, clinical and environmental risk factors. It provided recommendations on how residents could reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and what partners, including the Council, could do to reduce these risk factors. The environmental risk factors include stress at work, the quality of housing and poor air quality.

Differences in cardiovascular disease between different groups were a significant driver of health inequalities across Buckinghamshire. This made cardiovascular disease a key concern for levelling up health outcomes in Buckinghamshire.  The report highlighted a range of programmes in Buckinghamshire designed to address the main behavioural and clinical risk factors for cardiovascular disease.  A multi-agency plan to address inequalities in cardiovascular disease across Buckinghamshire was being developed and implemented.  It would be overseen by the Buckinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Director of Public Health reported that up to 80% of cardiovascular disease can be prevented. Many of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease also cause other disease such as cancer, lung and liver disease so addressing these risk factors will reduce other diseases too. Cardiovascular disease costed the NHS in England £7.4 billion and the wider economy £15.8 billion every year. The COVID pandemic has also had an impact on cardiovascular disease risk by increasing unhealthy behaviours and affecting other cardiovascular disease risk factors.

During discussion the following points were noted:-

·         A Cabinet Member referenced the work undertaken during Covid in terms of different ethnic groups and the importance of not taking a generic approach to the whole community. The Director of Public Health agreed and highlighted the importance of working with communities and co-designing services to recognise the different health issues in communities. This was undertaken by providing reports for Community Boards and looking at local statistics to understand what the health issues were for each community area. The Director highlighted the work done with communities in High Wycombe where a pilot had been undertaken which involved residents learning to measure their own blood pressure and understanding more about the importance doing so. Work was underway in the local NHS to help GP surgeries in the highest need areas to undertake more preventive work.

·       Reference was made to working with particular groups of people e.g. taxi drivers and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8