Agenda item

To consider a report which presents the Annual Report of the Director of Public Health for 2022 entitled, “In Our Shoes”. This report fulfils the Director of Public Health’s requirement to publish a report annually describing the health of the population in Leeds and making recommendations to improve health. 

The Director of Public Health submitted her Annual Report for 2022 entitled, “In Our Shoes”, which fulfilled the requirement of the Director to publish a report annually describing the health of the population in Leeds and which makes recommendations regarding the improvement of health in the city. It was noted that this report focussed upon the current state of children and young people’s health in Leeds, exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives, and which spanned the period from when the first COVID-19 cases were identified to the ongoing impact upon children’s health that continues to be experienced and responded to.

In presenting the report, the Executive Member highlighted that this was the Director’s first publication of an annual report following the pandemic, and that the report had been recognised nationally as an example of best practice by the Association of Directors of Public Health.

Members welcomed the report and particularly highlighted the focus to directly involve children, young people and their families, with a suggestion that the approach to involve young people in similar publications continued moving forward.

In considering the report, the Board received further detail on the general trends regarding the health of young people across Leeds, with the crucial work which continued in this area by the Council and its partners being highlighted.

In conclusion, the Director was thanked for the submission of the report, with thanks also being extended to the Council and its range of partners for the services that continued to be provided in this area throughout the pandemic to the present day.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report for 2022, entitled, ‘In Our Shoes’, as appended to the submitted report, be noted;

(b)  That the recommendations of the Director’s Annual Report, as set out below, be supported:-

(1)  All partners in Leeds to ensure the voices of children and young people are central to all work planned, taking into account the Child Friendly Leeds twelve wishes.

(2)  Leeds City Council and partners to work to ensure children are kept safe with a focus on:

· Prevention of harm;

· Parenting support;

· Early help;

· Reducing domestic violence.

(3)  Leeds City Council, the Leeds Office of the West Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Board, and partners to continue to prioritise work to improve and protect children’s mental health. This will be delivered through the:

· Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan;

· Prevention workstream of the Future in Mind strategy.

(4)  Leeds City Council to build on the success of existing support to parental mental health and wellbeing, with a focus on the development of family hubs.

(5)  Leeds City Council to work with partners to continue to deliver a programme of work to protect and improve children’s physical health. This will focus on:

· Implementing the recommendations from the play sufficiency research;

· Increasing physical activity opportunities;

· Increasing access to healthy food;

· Implementing the child healthy weight plan.

(6)  Leeds City Council to ensure that children are central to the delivery of work to become a Marmot city, with a focus on:

· Improving housing;

· Planning;

· Mitigating the impacts of poverty;

· Children getting a fair start in life;

· Ensuring the Thriving Strategy is implemented.

(7)  The Best Start partnership to aim for all children in Leeds to receive the best start in life, with a focus on children from more deprived backgrounds. This includes redressing the gap in speech language and communication development.

(8)  Leeds City Council to maintain work underway to ensure equitable catch up in terms of educational attainment. This will be achieved through delivering the five main priorities of the 3As Plan:

· Reading;

· Attendance;

· Special Educational Needs;

· Wellbeing;

· Transition.

(9)  The Leeds Office of the West Yorkshire NHS Integrated Care Board to ensure health care services are accessible to all children and young people. This will focus on:

· Dental services;

· Mental health services;

· Speech, language and communication.

(10)  NHS England and The Leeds Health Protection Board to increase coverage rates of childhood immunisations.