Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the County Council’s Director of Health and Care (Schedule 1 to the signed minutes of the meeting) informing them of (i) plans to refresh their Joint Strategic Needs Assessment to take account of the Covid-19 pandemic, latest data, emerging trends and issues of concern etc and; (ii) the draft Annual Report of the Director of Public Health.

The report was presented by the County Council’s Senior Commissioning Manager (Jonathan Topham) and accompanying PowerPoint Slides (Appendix A to the signed minutes) by the Senior Commissioning Manager and County Council’s Research and Development Manager (Wendy Tompson).

The JSNA sought to assess current and future health, care and wellbeing needs of the local community to inform local decision making by Partners. At their meetings in December 2020 and March 2021 the Board agreed to (i) define and focus on various key post pandemic issues; (ii) consider the role of wider determinants of health and; identify opportunities for greater collaboration between Partners with a view to tackling health inequalities. The new JSNA was to describe local needs and assets in the wake of the pandemic and make recommendations for priorities for inclusion in a new Joint Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy. 

The Annual report of the Director of Public Health was a statutory document prepared under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 in his role as an independent advocate for the health of residents of Staffordshire. Annual reports demonstrated the state of public health within communities in the County.     

During their presentation the Research and Development Manager highlighted:- (i) the JSNA 2021; (ii) Existing Health and Care Issues; (iii) Key Headlines (Wider Determinants; Aging Well; Staying Well Mentally; Healthy Lifestyles; Alcohol and Drugs; Maternal and Infant Health); (iv) Supportive Communities Response to Covid-19 (First Lockdown); (v) Supportive Communities Delivery During 2020/21; (vi) Staffordshire Connects and; (vii) Next Steps.

In the full and wide-ranging discussion which ensued Members welcomed the proposed approach for the new JSNA in its focus on post Covid-19 issues and assets-based methodology. However, they sort further details as to how evidence was be gathered having regard to the current uncertainty surrounding the longer-term effects/outcomes of the pandemic. Nevertheless, they undertook to share relevant information from their respective organisations to help ensure the refreshed Assessment was appropriate for all communities across the County.

In response to a question from the representative of Staffordshire Police, the Director of Health and Care undertook to ensure that reference to ‘Maternal and Infant Health’ (as identified as a Headline in the presentation) was amended to ‘Parental and Infant Health’ to acknowledge the importance of fathers in the rearing and development of children.

RESOLVED – (a) That the report be received and noted.

(b) That the plan for a new post Covid-19 Pandemic Joint Strategic Needs Assessment as set out in the report agreed.

(c) That the proposed scope of the 2021/22 Annual Report of the Director of Public Health be endorsed.

(d) That Partners support the development of a new Post Covid-19 Pandemic Joint Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy taking into account of the findings of the above-mentioned Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and Annual Report.