Agenda item

To consider a report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development on Quarter 1 of the Performance Report for 2012/13.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development introduced aspects of a report from the Assistant Chief Executive (Customer Access and Performance) deferred from the previous meeting.  The report summarised the performance against the strategic priorities for the council relevant to Health and Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Board.

Appended to the report were copies of the following documents for the information/comment of the meeting:-

·  Performance Reports for the four Health and Wellbeing City Priority Plan Priorities (Appendix 1 refers)

The following representatives were in attendance and responded to Members’ queries and comments:-

·  Councillor L Mulherin (Executive Board Member for Health and Wellbeing), Leeds City Council

·  Dr. Ian Cameron (Joint Director of Public Health) – NHS Airedale Bradford & Leeds/Leeds City Council

At the request of the Chair, Councillor Mulherin and the Joint Director of Public Health reported on the public health elements of the report. In their respective presentations they focused on smoking and health inequalities as identified in the Health and Wellbeing City Priority Plan and provided the meeting with background information and on the measures and initiatives that were currently in place for both priority areas.

Smoking

A number of specific issues around smoking prevalence and reducing the level of smoking across the City, including the following matters, were highlighted and discussed:

• Performance had plateaued – with fewer people attempting to stop smoking, and of those attempting to stop, fewer attempts were being made
• Tackling the issue of niche tobacco was being addressed through a partnership approach with other authorities and West Yorkshire Trading Standards
• Secured funding to undertake a peer review of the smoking action plan to assess its robustness and overall effectiveness
• The health of employees and reducing potential exposure to second-hand smoke
• The proposed introduction of smoke free zones immediately outside public buildings to limit general and potentially concentrated exposure to second-hand smoke
• Interventions to prevent school-aged children smoking and Leeds work to contribute to the evidence base in this area, which was highlighted as being relatively weak (currently)

• Issues and approaches associated with ‘changing behaviours’, generally and within specific communities, including BME communities
• The need for multi-facetted interventions and approaches across a range of public health matters, including reducing levels of smoking

Health Inequalities

In relation to health inequalities, the Joint Director of Public Health reported that the data included within the report was out of date and that up-to-date data was expected in early November 2012. Reference was made to the overall number of deaths in Leeds and the number of deaths in deprived areas. Through a better understanding of the data (and the underlying reasons) it was hoped to areas address issues of health inequalities across the City.

A number of specific issues relating to health inequalities across the City, including the following matters, were highlighted and discussed:

• Addressing issues associated with health inequalities and the relationship with successful delivery of the associated action plans on:

Members requested copies of the current action plans and discussed the balance between targeting those area likely to provide ‘quick wins’ and those likely to have longer-term benefits

• The need for multi-facetted interventions and approaches across a range of public health matters
• Difficulties associated with measuring the differences in health outcomes between different areas of the City – particularly in terms of demonstrating progress.  This included discussion around the rationale for not using current life expectancy as the benchmark for measuring progress
• An outline of the work currently being undertaken in the 3rd sector with Leisure/Children’s Services around physical activity and health

RESOLVED –

a)  That the contents of the report and appendices be noted.

b)  That the specific information requested by individual Board Members be forwarded to the Principal Scrutiny Adviser for dissemination.

c)  That in consultation with the Principal Scrutiny Adviser, the Joint Director of Public Health be requested to submit a report to a future Board meeting on how the transfer of public health functions to the Council were being developed and progressed.