Agenda item

Report of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing:  The Annual Report of the Director of Public Health 2023.  The Director had a statutory responsibility to write an independent annual report and the Local Authority had a statutory duty to publish it.  The Director for Coventry had chosen to focus their 1^st annual report on the sexual health and wellbeing of young people.

Protecting our right to achieve good sexual health and fulfilling relationships was highlighted by the World Health Organization as a key part of creating safe, respectful communities/society. Working as partners, we can and should support children and young people in Coventry to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will provide them with best opportunity to achieve these rights.

The report illustrated new and longstanding protective and risk factors influencing young people’s ability to build healthy relationships and their confidence in accessing help when needed. The report recognised that societal and technological changes had been rapid, with positive and negative impacts on children and young people in Coventry. It highlighted that change was not new, and that by working collaboratively as an integrated system, we have the potential to secure these rights and better outcomes for every Coventry child, young person and community. 

The report had been informed by the needs of the young people in Coventry.  The issues and action taken are described in chapters:

1.  Introduction – What do we mean by sexual health and relationships? why is this important?

2.  Positive Foundations.

3.  Relationships – Influences on behaviours and choices.

4.  Reproductive health.

5.  Gender and sexuality.

6.  Healthy and unhealthy relationships– Recognising the signs.

7.  Young people, sexual violence and exploitation.

8.  Recommendations.

9.  Where young people can find support in Coventry.

Councillor K Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, welcomed the report advising the focus was on giving people the best start in life whilst recognising the challenges in health inequalities and the work being undertaken to

Members asked questions and received responses on the following matters:

·  Equality issues within the reports’ pictorial identification of couples and families.

·  Availability and uptake of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

·  Coventry case numbers relating to the recent Mpox outbreak, vaccination programme and ongoing treatment.

·  Environmental factors affecting young people’s health were not included within the report, but linked with the ongoing work with the Sports Strategy and use of green spaces.

·  Ongoing work with local schools via PHSE to make children aware of the effects of accessing pornography.

·  Awareness of the sexual health services via outreach work and schools.

Members requested the following information:

·  Statistics comparable with the rest of the UK

·  Ensure Intersex is included in the acronym LGBTQI+

·  Uptake data of Mpox vaccinations

·  PrEP availability and uptake in Coventry

·  Investigation of the correct equalities terminology

RESOLVED that the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5):

·  Note the findings and recommendations of the Annual Report Public Health 2023 for Coventry.

·  Endorse the recommendations contained in the report.

·  Ensure future reports refer to “sex assigned at birth” throughout to remain in line with terminology as current used by central government.

·  Ensure intersex people are included within any future analysis made by the City Council when assessing health needs and health inequalities.