Agenda item

The Chairman welcomed the report on the draft Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the emerging priorities as set out in the substantive Report and the appendices to the Report, stating that the successful production of the JSNA and – based on it – the HWBB Strategy were probably the two most important issues currently facing the Board.. The Chairman welcomed Luke Ward, Commissioning Lead Entrepreneurial Barnet, to the table.

The Board noted that producing a JSNA is a legal requirement under the Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. The Chairman thanked Luke Ward and Dr Andrew Howe for all their hard work in producing such a detailed, useful and readable document. The Chairman then went on to thank everyone else - officers and users alike across the Council, CCG and Community Barnet involved in contributing to the draft JSNA as well as the Partnership Boards at their Summit on the 9 July 2015.  The Chairman stated that the balance between engagement and analysis had been a critical part of developing a JSNA that had credibility locally as an impartial, high quality, and up-to date evidence base for decision making. She again drew attention to the vital part that prevention and early intervention had to play in delivering better outcomes for Barnet’s very large and varied population whilst also meeting the challenges of scarce public resources.   

It was noted that the draft JSNA was presented to the Board for comment and that the final version of the JSNA will be reported to the Health and Wellbeing Board at its meeting in September.

Mr Ward briefed the Board about the draft JSNA document and the principles applied to guide the development of the new draft JSNA.

It was noted that a large number of stakeholders have informed the findings of the draft JSNA which is the evidence base for understanding population-level need in the borough.

The Director of Public Health (Harrow and Barnet) Dr Andrew Howe welcomed the new draft JSNA and noted the importance of this comprehensive document which will help to inform up-to-date evidence based decision-making particularly in light of financial challenges.

Mr Ward provided a summary of the key issues and needs emerging from each section of the draft JSNA as set out in Appendix 2 of the report. The Board heard that Barnet is now the largest Borough in London by population and that it is continuing to grow, particularly in light of the planned regeneration work.

It was noted that the population group over-65 is set to grow three times faster than the overall population during the period 2015-2030. Dr Debbie Frost, Chair of the Barnet Clinical Commissioning Group and Vice Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board, welcomed the draft JSNA and commended the collation of the material and information as set out in the appendices.

Dr Charlotte Benjamin (Barnet CCG) welcomed the report and noted the importance of developing a model of commissioning and delivery that focuses on longer-term prevention, early intervention and demand management through consideration of the views of residents and stakeholders. Dr Benjamin asked whether the homelessness figures in appendix 1 are correct.

Action: Luke Ward to review homelessness figures.

Michael Rich, Head of Healthwatch Barnet, also welcomed the JSNA and commended its quality. Mr Rich was positive about the inclusion of voluntary and community sector organisation mapping and stated that the resource can be used by organisations to target activity such as to reduce social isolation. 

In relation to Chapter 8 of the draft JSNA, Dr Howe informed that the data for child poverty will need to be reviewed following the revision of national definition of child poverty.

It was noted that the findings of the new draft JSNA will inform the development of the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The draft of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be reported to the Board in September 2015 for approval for consultation. A public consultation will run from 17 September – 28 October 2015.

The Commissioning Director (Adults and Health) Dawn Wakeling introduced the topics and priorities currently being considered for the refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy as outlined in the report. Ms Wakeling noted the importance of considering the demand for mental health services across the borough and the need to support all carers, particularly young carers which are two priorities in the updated Strategy.

Following a query from the Board, Dr Andrew Howe noted that the JSNA website is being developed and will be completed by December 2015. The aim is for stakeholders to be able to use the public resource which will be an interactive and transparent tool. Mr Ward also noted that the website will be reviewed and updated as data becomes available.

The Chairman thanked Luke Ward for the presentation and commended all partners for their contribution to the development of the draft JSNA.

RESOLVED that:

1. The Health and Wellbeing Board notes the content of the draft JSNA (appendices 1-3) and comments on its findings, including any areas to be developed further.
   
   
2. The Health and Wellbeing Board give views about which areas highlighted in the draft JSNA it considers should inform the content and priorities of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which will be presented in draft form to the Board on 17 September 2015.
   
   
3. The Health and Wellbeing Board notes that the final JSNA will return to the Board on 17 September 2015 for sign off.