Agenda item

To receive a report from the Director of Public Health outlining a proposal for Leeds to become a Marmot City in order to build on existing system-wide partnerships and strategic aims to tackle health inequalities in the city.

The Director of Public Health submitted a report outlining a proposal for Leeds to become a Marmot City, in order to build on existing system-wide partnerships and strategic aims to tackle health inequalities in the city at this critical time.

The report set out how becoming a Marmot City means taking action to reduce health inequalities by focusing on the social determinants of health as set out in the most recent Marmot report, “Build Back Fairer” and it is proposed that Leeds will initially focus on taking a Marmot approach to giving children the best start in life which would have lifelong and intergenerational benefits.

The following were in attendance:

·  Cllr Fiona Venner - Executive Member for Adult and Children’s Social Care and Health Partnerships

·  Cath Roff - Director of Adults and Health

·  Victoria Eaton - Director of Public Health

·  Kathryn Ingold - Chief Officer / Consultant in Public Health 

·  Andy Irvine - Public Health Specialty Registrar 

The Executive Member introduced the report, highlighting how using the Marmot evidence-based approach to focus on early years will have a long-term impact on opportunities and advantages.

In presenting the report the Director of Public Health and the Consultant on Public Health highlighted the following matters:

·  The report will be presented to the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board in due course.

·  Noting that the improvements made in health inequalities in the city had stalled, the need to evidence what works best for Leeds communities was recognised.

·  Acknowledged that health inequalities were not inevitable and impacted on all citizens, however levels of poor health and early deaths are more prevalent in the more deprived areas of the city and are influenced by housing, employment, education and opportunities.

·  Statistics showed that a quarter of Leeds residents live in the most deprived 10% of areas in England.  Nationally working aged people living in the 10% most deprived areas were four times more likely to die from Covid. Employment is a factor too with retail workers and taxi/private hire drivers unequally affected by Covid.

·  The Marmot City approach can address this, enabling every child getting the best start in life.

 Members discussed a number of specific matters, including:

-  The importance of a young person’s life experiences and the need to take a holistic approach through supporting the young person’s family to have access to good levels of income and housing.

-  Measures to improve health the fastest for residents living in the most deprived areas of Leeds.

-  How the wider determinants of health may have changed from the city picture 10 years ago.

-  Understanding and addressing the increase in infant mortality rates.

-  Exploring the potential benefits of Leeds joining other organisations and City Councils in signing up to the Inequalities in Health Alliance.

-  Acknowledging the benefits of also working collaboratively with partners across the West Yorkshire region, including the West Yorkshire Mayor.

The Chair thanked everyone for their contributions and confirmed the Scrutiny Board’s support to the proposal for Leeds to become a Marmot City.

RESOLVED –

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

b)  That the Scrutiny Board (Adults, Health and Active Lifestyles) supports the proposal for Leeds to become a Marmot City.