Agenda item

The Chairman introduced the annual report on the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy Implementation Plan (2015-2020). She stated that the JHWBS together with the shared priorities were agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board in November 2015.

The Chairman also noted that at each meeting the Board has received progress reports on the delivery of the actions set out in the Implementation Plan which have been taken forward by partners. The Board had previously agreed to receive an annual update report each November on the progress against the Strategy.

The Chairman also welcomed the Barnet Health Profile for 2016 which taken together with the annual Joint HWB Strategy report provides an ideal opportunity to refine and agree the Joint HWB Priorities for the coming year.

Ms Dawn Wakeling, the Commissioning Director for Adults and Health briefed the Board about the revised areas of focus, priorities and the progress made against the delivery of the Strategy.

In relation to the Health Profile for Barnet, Ms Wakeling noted that the areas of concerns will be taken forward through discussions and actions with partners. The Chairman, whilst recognising the areas which have improved, raised concerns over childhood obesity, TB and STI levels as well as a reported increase in violent crime.

The Director for Public Health, Dr Andrew Howe, informed the Board that TB incidents have decreased over the past 12 months for Barnet and London overall and that significant progress has been made in relation to the way TB is being addressed. Initiatives include further TB testing in Barnet and across NCL, particularly with high risk groups. Dr Howe noted that efforts will continue to progress and that the direction of travel is positive.

With regard to STIs, Dr Howe informed the Board about how the work towards a new service is progressing. The new service offer includes self-test kits in order to improve take up of services.

With regards to the increase in violent crime, Mr Chris Munday, the Commissioning Director for Children and Young People, stated that Barnet remains one of the safest boroughs in London. Mr Munday went on, however, to raise concerns over the increase in serious youth crime and patterns of gang activity which have prompted a different way of working.

Councillor David Longstaff, Chairman of the Community Leadership Committee and Safer Communities Partnership Board, informed the Board that the way in which violent crime is reported has changed since last year. As a result of the different reporting procedure there has been a significant increase in numbers. The figures have been stabilising and gradually decreasing for Barnet. There remains an issue with gang activity and crime in Barnet but relative to other boroughs this is to a lesser extent. It was also noted that this is being tackled through partnership working.

Councillor Reuben Thompstone, Lead Member for Children’s Services and Dr Debbie Frost, welcomed the report and also raised issues about the inequalities in life expectancies for Barnet. In connection with this issue, Dr Howe noted concerns over the decreased level of referrals for screening and uptake of preventative services.

The Commissioning Director for Adults and Health welcomed the discussion and suggested it would be appropriate to include an item on the Board’s Forward Work Programme on life expectancies. The item would centre around trends with a focus on identifying ways to address inequality in life expectancy. (Action: FWP)

The Chairman thanked the Board for the discussion. It was RESOLVED:

1.    That the Health and Wellbeing Board had noted and commented as above on the analysis of Barnet’s Health profile for 2015 and 2016.

2.    That the Health and Wellbeing Board had noted and commented as above on progress and performance to deliver the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2015-2020).

3.    That the Health and Wellbeing Board had commented as above and agreed the revised areas of priority for the year 2016-2017 (section 1.5 of the report).

4.    That the Health and Wellbeing Board had agreed to receive progress reports, covering the implementation of the JHWB Strategy, at every other meeting with an annual report in November.