Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing

Councillors K Caan and G Hayre, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item

The Committee considered a Briefing Note of the Director of Heath and Well-Being, together with a presentation at the meeting, which outlined the Coventry and Warwickshire Health Inequalities Strategic Plan, which is required to be provided by the Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care System (ICS) to NHS England.

The Plan must depict a locally agree strategic approach for addressing health inequalities within 5 nationally determined clinical priorities and must be led by the Local Director of Public Health and owned by decision making bodies within the developing ICS. A programme of engagement was currently underway with partners and key NHS workstreams to develop the Plan and the Plan had been considered by the Health and Well-Being Board at their meeting on 4 April, 2022.

The Plan must apply the national “Core 20+5” model, with action to improve access and outcomes for people living in the most deprived areas (Core 20: most deprived fifth of the population) and for locally determined priority population groups (“+” groups) across the 5 clinical areas. Recommended local priority “+” groups for Coventry are transient communities and people on long-term sickness benefits. The Local Plan will build on existing work which aims to embed consideration of and action on health inequalities in all we do and shift how we work with local communities.

The Briefing Note covered:-

·  Progress to date

·  Health inequalities in Coventry

·  Local Priority Population Groups:-

§  Transient communities

§  Refugees/migrants

§  Asylum seekers

§  Gypsies/Travellers

§  People who are experiencing homelessness

§  People on long-term sickness benefits

·  Next Steps and timescales

The Committee asked questions, sought assurances and made comments on a number of issues including:-

·  Partnership working on aspects of the Plan including air quality and planning

·  How the Plan will be scrutinised in the future and the need for the Plan to have measurable objectives

·  The role of the Director of Health and Well Being in dealing with health inequalities

·  How the Director works with partners in the NHS and can be a conduit in relation to raising Members’ issues and concerns with NHS partners

·  Concerns regarding current access to primary care, particularly in relation to the accessibility of GP appointments

·  Applying a One Coventry approach to work being undertaken in relation to health equalities

·  The possibility of using volunteers in sports related activities to encourage public participation

·   The importance of living in a clean and tidy environment

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee:-

1)  Notes the requirements for a Coventry and Warwickshire Health Inequalities Strategic Plan

2)  Supports the recommended local priority population groups for the strategic plan (covering transient communities and people on long-term sickness benefits)

3)  Requests that the following additional Recommendations be forwarded to the appropriate Cabinet Member/officer as part of the development of the Plan:-

  i.  That air quality targets have measurable, interim targets

  ii.  That the protection of green spaces is considered as part of the Planning process

  iii.  That the public health aspect in relation to the approval of hot food takeaways be considered as part of the Planning process

  iv.  That consideration be given to increasing the budget for street cleansing