Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health concerning the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The report outlined the progress made with the implementation of changes, updating and using the JSNA, as agreed by the Board at its meeting on 31 March 2016.

There were two key actions which had been progressed in 2016-17. Firstly, the inclusion in the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2016 of a chapter relating to intelligence from the JSNA. Secondly, an online resource, using the Council’s Open Data platform was created, which covered a range of subjects, including:  population, communities of interest, economic, social and environmental determinants of health, child, maternal and reproductive health, disease and disability, mental health and wellbeing; and commercial determinants of health.

The report set out further areas of work which would need to be done relating to the JSNA. The Board was requested to comment or raise questions about the design, usage or content of the JSNA online resource; to identify specific topics for inclusion, in addition to those listed at Appendix A to the report; and suggest changes or improvements to the resource.

Members of the Board asked questions and commented in relation to the JSNA, as summarised below:

There was need for an analytical view of disability in relation to children to enable anticipation and forecasting which would inform such areas as school places, health and social care. There was currently a recommissioning of programmes of work. It was difficult to determine which particular services had the greatest impact on health and population need and the addition of outcome metrics would be welcomed. It was agreed that there should be greater alignment of need with performance and outcomes.

Within the list of topics for inclusion in the online resource contained in the appendix to the report, there was a section on economic, social and environmental determinants of health and specific reference to fuel poverty and it was suggested that this should also refer to poverty in more general terms. There was evidence regarding the numbers of children living in households with material deprivation and those living in poverty and in circumstances where at least one adult in the household was working. Reference was made to the effect of benefit changes on disabled people and those with ill health conditions in later years.  It was agreed that the broader issue of poverty and benefits would be included in the online resource.

The resource might also include people receiving social care services and where there was need and the demand was not met. Childhood experiences were also a factor in relation to young people who had been in care and care leavers. In addition, account might be taken of different types of employment, such as zero hours contracts and changes to employment. The Board was informed that the information in the online resource could be broken down onto parts, for example the number and nature of jobs. Whilst it was an important issue, relatively little was known in terms of data, relating to childhood experiences.

Some assurance was needed that services were matched to need and a question was asked about the extent to which the JSNA was the most appropriate mechanism in relation to which the Board could come to a view about how well services matched need. This was potentially a separate and large piece of work. It was agreed that, whilst the JSNA was a key first step, consideration of services and need would be a separate piece of work to the JSNA and might also include a health equity audit. It was noted that the pharmaceutical needs assessment would be submitted to the Board in the summer.

In relation to health inequality, the issue was how a more equitable spread of resource might be created. The Board should also give consideration to priorities in relation to the JSNA and ask what its plans were addressing within the JSNA. Consideration should also be given, as part of the online resource, to communities of interest. These might include the City’s student population. Other areas might include young people, mental health and transitions from childhood, adolescence and to adulthood.

Thought should be given as to how people accessed the JSNA information online if they did not already have the link to the site, including users such as community groups. It was considered that this was a good resource and the information therein should be as accessible as possible.

RESOLVED: That the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1.       Endorses that work continues to complete all sections of the JSNA online resource by June 2017, subject to any amendments;

2.       Requests that a summary of ‘what the (updated) JSNA is telling us’ is incorporated into the Director of Public Health Report 2017; and

3.       Requests that proposals for further development of the online resource are presented to a meeting of the Board later in the year.