Agenda item

7.1

The Committee received a presentation upon the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS) and in attendance for this item were Laurie Brennan (Policy Officer, Sheffield City Council), Louisa Willoughby (Commissioning Officer, Sheffield City Council) and Tim Furness (NHS Sheffield).

7.2

Mr. Furness explained that the draft Strategy was the result of many months of work with members of the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB), and added that the Strategy would be owned and updated by the HWB, which had been meeting in shadow form for the past six months.

7.3

The Strategy set out Sheffield’s aspirations to improve the long term health of people living in the City, and improve the health, social care, public health, housing and children’s services to support people to be healthier throughout their lives. The Strategy’s mission was to-

·        Tackle the main reasons why people become ill or unwell and in doing so reduce health inequalities in the City

·        Put people at the centre of services and acknowledge that services should be there to best meet the needs of people, not the organisations that provide them

·        Value independence in terms of stronger primary care, community-based services and community health interventions, which will help people remain independent and stay at or close to home

·        Ensure that all services are high quality and value for money

7.4

The Strategy was based on five outcome areas which it was hoped would transform health and wellbeing in the City.  These were as follows:-

Outcome 1: Sheffield is a healthy and successful City

Making health and wellbeing part of everything the City does, recognising that the City needs to be healthy to be successful and successful to be healthy.  Tackling the wider determinants will not happen overnight so this must be a long-term aim for the city over the next 30 years.

Outcome 2: The health and wellbeing of people in Sheffield is improving all the time

Focusing on specific aspects of children’s and adults’ health and social care and the wider determinants of health, in order to improve health and wellbeing in Sheffield. Unlike Outcome 1, this is focused on the ongoing, shorter term improvements in health and wellbeing which we need to be a well and healthy City in the long-term.  We need to reduce some of the health and wellbeing issues which are problems now and which may cause bigger problems in the future.  This outcome applies to the present, and we aim to make a difference over the next 10 years.

Outcome 3: Health inequalities are reducing

Focusing on those people and communities who experience the poorest health and wellbeing.  In a similar sense to Outcome 2, we need to address some of the major health and wellbeing issues affecting Sheffield today, particularly in those communities who experience the worst health and wellbeing inequalities.  Therefore, the focus for this outcome is also over the next 10 years.

Outcome 4: People can get health, social care, children’s and housing services when they need them, and they’re the sort of services they need and feel is right for them

How people of all ages should experience health, social care, children’s and housing services in Sheffield.  This is about Sheffield’s health and wellbeing system working better based on the needs of people in the city and we need to make these changes now to support the achievement of outcomes 1, 2, and 3.  We will aim to deliver this change over the next five years.

Outcome 5: The health and wellbeing system in Sheffield is affordable, innovative and delivers excellent value for money

This is about how Sheffield’s commissioners and service providers will deliver health, social care, children’s and housing services.  As with Outcome 4, it is our intension to make the changes to the way the health and wellbeing system works in Sheffield over the next 5 years to make the system sustainable and affordable in the long-term.

It was further noted that there were five work streams within the Strategy-

• Health and employment
• Building mental health, wellbeing and emotional resilience
• Food and physical activity for health and wellbeing
• A good start in life
• Supporting people at or closer to home

7.5

The idea of the HWB, and the Strategy, was to improve local democratic accountability for the health service, and to increase the integration of services.  Key focuses of the HWB were to prevent ill health, reduce health inequalities across the City, reduce dependency upon health services, and ensure the long-term sustainability of health care in the City.    

7.6

It was noted that the majority of the City Council’s work had an influence on health issues, and that the reintegration of public health back into the Council would have positive effects across all portfolio areas. The HWB members were being aspirational, yet realistic about what could be achieved.

7.7

It was noted that the make-up of the HWB in Sheffield was balanced between members of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and the City Council, and it was further noted that the Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee would have the responsibility of scrutinising the function and work of the HWB.

7.8

Members were keen that, in order for the Scrutiny Committee to be able to effectively scrutinise the work carried out by the HWB, there should be a detailed list produced of relevant and measurable performance indicators.

7.9

Members were keen that the ‘good start in life’ work stream included the provision of fruit for children in schools, as many families did not include fruit as part of their weekly shop.

7.10

There were concerns raised about the level of pollution in the City, and the detrimental effects on health. One member cited an example of the 83 bus route, and how life expectancy changed in different areas, as the bus travelled across the City.

7.11

Members were keen that key factors influencing health, such as alcohol consumption, stress and child obesity were included in the Strategy, and Mr. Furness confirmed that, at present, only the headlines were outlined, whereas more detail would be added in as the work of the HWB progressed.

7.12

Members requested that a glossary of key health terms be produced (i.e.: HWB, JHWS, CCG) in order for all Members to be fully versed on the key terms that would define the new structures of Health within the City Council.

7.13

Members were pleased to see that the Strategy took a proactive and preventive approach to good health, and focused upon ‘what makes people well’.

7.14

Members were keen that the theme of health and wellbeing was cross-cutting across all of the Scrutiny Committees.

7.15

Members were keen that the work of the HWB linked into national campaigns in order to maximise on the resources and opportunities available.

7.16

Members were keen that the potential health impacts of planning applications on the local environment and individual health were taken into consideration at Planning Committees.

7.17

Members were keen that the ‘small steps to health’ were addressed, such as the provision of benches for people to use when out shopping, in order for people to maintain their independence. Members spoke favourably of the outdoor gym equipment which had been installed in many parks across the City, which could be used by all age groups. It was suggested that this approach linked well to Sheffield’s new age-friendly cities framework (‘A city for all ages: making Sheffield a great place to grow older’) which would focus on more tangible interventions to improve wellbeing for people of all ages.

7.18

Members felt that there should be as much emphasis on a ‘good end to life’ as on a ‘good start to life’, and that the Strategy should take into consideration the City’s ageing population. This included ensuring that there were plenty of opportunities for retired people to undertake activities, so that they did not become lonely or depressed.

7.19

There was a great emphasis placed upon the importance of mental health, and building mental resilience, as this affected all areas of health and wellbeing.

7.20

The Chair thanked officers for their presentation.

7.21

RESOLVED: That the Committee requests that:

(a) in order for the Scrutiny Committee to be able to effectively scrutinise the work carried out by the HWB, there should be a detailed list produced of relevant and measurable performance indicators;

(b) a glossary of key health terms be produced (i.e.: HWB, JHWS, CCG) in order for all Members to be fully versed on the key terms that would define the new structures of Health within the City Council, and

(c) the theme of health and wellbeing be picked up by all five of the Council’s Scrutiny Committees as a workstream.