Agenda item

To consider a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development introducing an outline of proposals for the Board’s inquiry into Health Inequalities

(report attached)

  Further to minute 30 the Board meeting held on 28^th October 2011, where the Board considered proposals for an inquiry into this matter, the Board considered a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development providing background information on the JSNA and including a briefing  produced by the NHS Confederation – in association with the Local Government Improvement and Development and the Royal Society for Public Health on preparing JSNAs. 

The Board also considered a joint report of the Directors of Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and the Director of Public Health setting out the progress on the current iteration of the JSNA for Leeds.

The Board welcomed the following people who attended for this item:

·  Dr Ian Cameron – Joint Director of Public Health, Leeds City Council/NHS Leeds

·  Lucy Jackson – Consultant in Public Health, NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds

·  Nichola Stephens – Senior Information Manager, NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds

·  Jacky Pruckner –  Information Officer Leeds City Council

·  Rob Kenyon – Head of Partnerships Leeds City Council, Adult Social Services

·  Stuart Cameron-Strickland – Head of Policy, Performance and Improvement – Leeds City Council, Adult Social Services

The Board was informed of the work being undertaken on the latest iteration of the JSNA; the importance of the JSNA and its purpose.

Dr Cameron stated that the primary purpose of the JSNA was to inform commissioning decisions. Dr Cameron identified the targeting for the NHS Health Check as a good example of the JSNA informing local commissioning.

It was also reported that the JSNA had helped bring about a closer working relationship between the NHS and the Council.

Dr Cameron outlined the process for refreshing the JSNA and informed the Board of the wide-ranging data being collected, including details of:

·  the diverse population of Leeds, including the different groups, changes and trends;

·  behaviour changes and lifestyle issues;

·  health conditions;

·  the wider determinants of health;

·  children – their health and well-being

·  vulnerable groups;

·  use of services

The Board was advised of the need for information to be obtained

at a local level.  To achieve this 108 Middle Super Output Areas (MSOA) profiles were being compiled, each covering a population of around 7000 people.  Further data packs relating to various geographies (such as Area Committees, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)) were also being compiled.  Such information would soon be accessible on-line through a  Leeds Observatory website, which was under development.

A further aspect of the JSNA would be the interpretation of the data and what it revealed.  It was suggested that this would be of significance when looking at health inequalities.

In terms of forward planning and developing the work programme for 2012, the Board was informed that further work would be carried out to help incorporate data from the third sector, with reference made to recent positive discussions with the Citizen’s Advice Centre around how its data could be incorporated into the local JSNA.

The importance of further qualitative work being undertaken in 2012 was also highlighted, particularly around decision-making and commissioning.  This would include understanding how the JSNA was influence commissioning decisions, and if not, the associated reasons.

In summary, the key areas of discussion were:

·  the accuracy of the information and associated interpretations;

·  the importance of the JSNA in changing behaviour, particularly within Council departments;

·  the work carried out with the third sector to raise awareness of the JSNA and how data could be used more effectively;

·  the continued refinement of JSNA data to match different geographies – for example, Super Output Areas (SOAs), Middle SAOs and ward boundaries;

·  translating the data collected into action and the importance of ‘intelligence’ skills in interpreting data appropriately;

·  the wider determinants of health and the potential impact of the current economic climate on health inequalities across the City.  [On this point Dr Cameron stated that this was a concern and that there was the danger that positive action taken in one area could be undermined by other factors];

·  using the JSNA to identify priority areas of need and priority groups (including the needs of vulnerable groups, such as older people);

·  the importance of considering the correlation between social inequalities and health (both mental and physical) inequalities.

The Board considered how to proceed and welcomed Dr Cameron’s

offer to attend the December Board meeting and provide some specific examples of the data sets available as apart of the JSNA. The Board also agreed to form a working group to look at the data being collected in greater detail.

RESOLVED –

i)  To note the report and comments made;

ii)  To note the progress that has been made in delivering the work programme since the JSNA was published in April 2009;

iii)  To note the work to develop the refresh of the JSNA for 2012 and the emerging key issues on health and health inequalities;

iv)  That, for Members’ information and comment as part of the Board’s inquiry into health inequalities, a further report be submitted to the December Board meeting to provide some specific examples of the data sets available as apart of the JSNA;

v)  That a working group be established to take forward some aspects of the Board’s health inequalities inquiry.