Hampshire County Council Health and Wellbeing Board Meeting

Apologies were received from: Cllr Jan Warwick, Cllr Edward Heron, Stuart Ashley, Ron Shields, Alex Whitfield, Donna Jones, Clare Jenkins, Gill Kneller.

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

The minutes of the last meeting held on 15 June 2023 were reviewed and agreed.

No Deputations were received.

The Chairman welcomed all present to the meeting, which was to be followed by the Hampshire Place Assembly. 

He informed the Board that the Place Board continued to focus on discharge provision and prevention and mental health. The Annual Report of the Place Board would be circulated to the Health & Wellbeing Board.

He encouraged everyone eligible this year to come forward for their Covid vaccine.

The Board received a report from the Director of Public Health (item 6 in the minute book) identifying the synergies between public health improvement and action on climate change.  The Chairman welcomed Lian Davies, Penny Brown, Lyndsay Jones and Chitra Nadarajah to address the slides shown in the room, which had been published as a Supplement to today’s agenda.

The speakers represented the principal tiers of local government and the NHS and highlighted the plans and actions being undertaken across the county, based on a Mitigate > Adapt > Impact and Adapt approach.  The report described the direct health impacts arising from climate change and mitigation actions being undertaken.

An overview of the consequences of global warming was given and the equity implications were highlighted, including seldom heard and young people. Examples were given of individual agency initiatives were given.  Key themes included a need to retrofit domestic and commercial premises, focus on people able to fund their own adaptions.

In response to a question about actions to address climate change consequences on the Hampshire CC estate, it was noted that HCC was working with the University of Southampton studying the issue including means to adapt – the work was due to complete in February 2024.

Other discussion points included:

·         Re-suable cups in HCC catering facilities

·         Fora for liaison between local authority and NHS bodies

·         Drawing out the long-term economic benefit of adaptions

·         National policy constrained what town and country planning authorities could do

RESOLVED

That the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1.        Recognise the implications of climate change for health and the opportunities for improving health whilst reducing carbon emissions.

2.        To note the highlighted constituent organisations priorities and actions on climate change and for all organisations to consider their role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

3.        Ensure climate change adaptation and mitigation measures consider impacts on health inequalities.

4.        That Board members seek opportunities to collaborate on measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, with a focus on health inequalities.

The Board recevied a report (item 7 in the minute book) and slideset from Energise Me and the Chairman welcomed CEO Julie Amies to present the report.

Julie Amies reminded the Board that the ‘We Can Be Active’ strategy had been adopted in October 2021, that it had been based on a public engagement and was built around five broad goals.  A government strategy, Get Active, had been launched in September. 

In addressing the slides, she highlighted the current state of phyisical activity levels:

·         around half of children were insufficently active

·         around 20% of adults (244,000 people) were classed an inactive

·         walking for travel had increased slightly

·         there were variations in the data around age and ethnicity

it was acknowledged that inactivity as an equalities issue was under-served.  She highlighted a numbe of local initiatives supported by the strategy including the Hampshire School Games, Open School Facilities and #BeeWell – she asked group members to encourage schools in their area to submit a data return in this connexion. It was suggested that schools could be encouraged to sign up to inititiatves via the governor route. Examples were given of ways to remove obstacles to community participation in physical exercise activities.

Suzanne Smith agreed to take forward the suggestion around reaching out to school governors for support for engaging with physcal activities.

RESOLVED that the Board

1. Understand the audiences who are inactive and the inequalities that exist.

Prioritise these audiences in their work.

2. Encourage and support schools to build opportunities for children and

young people to be active throughout the school day and in all aspects of

school life.

3. Encourage participation in the #BeeWell survey and later use the data and

insight and the views of young people to design and deliver services that

young people say they need

4. Use Active Design principles in respective organisation policy and strategy

5. Consider how organisations represented on the Board can help create the

conditions to make physical activity and movement the easy choice, in

workplaces, in communities and in services

6. Advocate for policy that consistently tackles inequalities and inactivity

across the system: transport, planning, education, health, environment also

recognising the significant co-benefits for social isolation, mental wellbeing

and climate change.

7. Support and where necessary build, networks, connections and

relationships to share the ambition of the strategy and build a movement

for movement.

8. Establish communities of practice in Hampshire district and boroughs to

grow support for Live Longer Better and make local changes to support

older people to be more active

9. Continue to support means of removing barriers to participation in physical activities

The Board received a report (item 8 in the minute book) from the Director of Public Health introducing the HCC Public Health Strategy 2023-26 which was set out in full. 

Jo Jefferies, Associate Director of Public Health showed slides in support of the item. 

The following principal points were highlighted:

·         The strategy had been based on the findings of the JSNA

·         HCC had a statutory duty to improv health and well-being and reduce inequalities

·         The ambitions were to increase the number of years residents could expect to live in good health and reduce the gap in healthy life years between the most and least healthy

·         It addressed the building blocks of health and sought to shape a place where it is easier for people to be healthy – health people, healthy people, healthy lives

·         The role of “anchor” organisations supporting the strategy – these provided continuity and were often significant local employers themselves

·         The strategy would have a longer term impact than its stated three year coverage

RESOLVED

1.    The Health & Well-Being Board supported the strategy

2.    Support to embed the strategy and engage with the action plans linked to the strategic themes and ambitions

The Board received a report (item 9 in the minute book) from the Director of Public Health for 2022/03, which it was noted would be presented to the Scrutiny Panel.

The report highlighted the introduction of the NHS Integrated Care Partnerships, delivery of agreed strategies including Starting Well, Living Well and Ageing Well. 

RESOLVED

1.    That the report be received.

2.    That Board members share the report with relevant for a and with organisations to support further engagement  and development of the programmes and Board effectiveness

The Board received the Forward Plan (item 10 in the minute book) of business through to December 2023.

RESOLVED

To note the Forward Plan and any suggestions for future business