Issue - meetings

Matthew Cole, Director of Public Health, presented the Public Health Annual report, which was a statutory requirement under the provision of the Health and Social Care Act 20102.  The report provided an assessment of the health of the population and a focus on some priorities areas where the Council and its partners could either individually or collectively consider where more needs to be done to realise health gain.  Matthew Cole drew the Board’s attention to the contents of the report and five particular areas he had considered as set out in Chapters 1 to 5.

Frances Carroll, Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham, drew the Boards attention to the number of school nurses and how the number of School Nurses would need to be reviewed as the 0-5 cohort move up through the years.  Helen Jenner confirmed that we not have enough school nurses to meet demand in the a few years time.  Kenny Gibson Head of Early Years, Immunisations & Military Health NHS England (London Region), advised that NHS England were looking at the numbers of school nurses needed both in the shorter term and projected for the future and it may be that there would be a need for less Health Visitors and more School Nurses and training would need to be geared up to match the projections.

Helen Jenner commented that she was surprised that Child Sex Exploitation had not been included.  Matthew Cole responded that he had not covered it in his five areas this year but it would be included next year.

Francis Carroll drew the Board’s attention to page 130 and asked what could be done about high strength alcohol and beers and the amount people congregating around the front of Barking Station and drinking and smoking.  Matthew Cole responded that the chapter looked at what we can do as a local authority and the only extra option would be a voluntary code on shopkeepers not selling extra strength beers etc.  Voluntary codes have had a positive effect in places like Ipswich both on street and in A&E hospital admissions.  However, there was often resistance to a voluntary code by smaller shopkeepers.  Chief Superintendant Sultan Taylor, Borough Commander Barking and Dagenham, said that he was happy to work with the Council and its partners to drive forward such initiatives.

The Chair commented that the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and commissioning intentions needed to ensure that all the actions are brought together so that we were all doing what we could to have a significant improvement in the lives and life chances of residents.  The Chair added that the Public Health Annual Report provided a timely reminder, which would enable partners to take on board the issues in commissioning plans and intentions.

Matthew Cole advised on the work that had been undertaken to develop smoking and alcohol reduction actions and that the Council had been leading the way, in conjunction with the police, to identifying hot spots where excessive or on-street alcohol consumption was related to related  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110