Agenda item

To consider a report from the Director of Adults and Health and the Director of City Development that provides an overview of outcomes and service performance related to the council priorities and services within the remit of the Adults, Health and Active Lifestyles Scrutiny Board. 

The Director of Adults and Health and the Director of City Development submitted a joint report that provided an overview of outcomes and service performance related to the council priorities and services within the remit of the Adults, Health and Active Lifestyles Scrutiny Board.

The following were in attendance:

-  Councillor Rebecca Charlwood, Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adults

-  Cllr Mohammed Rafique, Executive Member for Environment and Active Lifestyles

-  Shona McFarlane, Deputy Director, Social Work & Social Care Service, Adults and Health

-  Dr Ian Cameron, Director of Public Health, Adults and Health

-  Steven Barker, Business Manager, Active Leeds, City Development

-  Peter Storrie, Head of Service, Performance Management and Improvement, Resources and Housing

The officers in attendance introduced the headline performance issues for their respective areas, as detailed in the submitted report.

While recognising positive performance across a number of areas, Members discussed a number of specific matters, including:

·  Safeguarding vulnerable groups. Members queried the social care points of contact with vulnerable adults, and in particular young adults who were looked-after as children. The Board heard that there are no specific routes for supporting adults who have left the care system through social care, however they may be supported if they have specific care needs such as a disability or learning difficulty. Members also heard that a ‘Directions Panel’ had been set up to enable multi-agency approach to young adults who had suffered forms of abuse in their childhood.

·  Smoking prevalence. Members welcomed the reduced smoking prevalence in Leeds, and the focus in the report around the benefits for personal finances as well as health. Members also noted that in respect of ‘narrowing the gap’, it would be helpful to report and compare smoking prevalence across specific localities that will also help target resources.

·  Male suicide rates. Members sought detail around projects focused on male wellbeing and suicide prevention, and were informed of a range of projects, including additional funding which has been allocated to various community groups in less affluent areas to tackle social isolation and improve wellbeing and overall health.

·  Reducing the gap for being active. Members requested further statistics specific to individual wards, and the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adults informed Members of the correlation between low activity and more deprived areas of the city, and confirmed that conversations around activity levels with individual wards were ongoing. Members also heard that data collection can be difficult, as informal forms of activity are difficult to monitor and some users do not wish to share their personal data with gyms and sport centres, however work is going with an external company in an attempt to capture more data from a variety of sources.

·  Access to healthy food and nutritional advice. Members were concerned that deprived communities did not have access to healthy foods and advice to enable them to be healthy, and were informed that the Council had set out its commitment in this area through the recently agreed Healthy Weight Declaration that would support concerted action over a prolonged period of time.

·  Sale of alcohol and cigarettes. Members expressed concerns around the prominence of 24 hour off-licences selling cheap alcohol and cigarettes in deprived areas, and the impact this has on communities. Members felt that more could be achieved in relation to this matter. The Board was informed that Public Health work in partnership with Licensing and Planning teams, as well as West Yorkshire Trading Standards to create more challenge for licence applications in areas with high levels of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as to tackle the sale of illicit tobacco.

·  High-sugar snacks in Council sports centres. Members were concerned about the easy access to unhealthy and high in sugar snacks available in vending machines at Council-run sports centres and swimming pools. The Board was informed that a three month trial was taking place to potentially change contracts with providers to provider healthier alternatives.

·  Quality of life survey. Concern was raised regarding the quality of life survey results relating to carers.  Members were advised that more up-to-date data was expected following a more recent survey.  The results would be reported through a future performance report to the Board. 

·  NHS Health Checks. Members considered the levels of uptake and were advised of the new contract arrangements whereby the Leeds GP Confederation was responsible for NHS Health Checks across the City, and therefore consistency of approach.  .

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report and appendices, along with Members comments, be noted.