Agenda item

Report ACH23-009

The Director of Public Health provided an update on the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Board Members had been provided with a report summarising the outcome of the workshop that had been held immediately prior to the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting on 8^th December 2022.

The Director of Public Health advised that the workshop had been held to consider the priorities for the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy. It was noted that all three groups had expressed similar views which indicated that, as a Board, they had a good understanding of the needs of the local population. Attendance at the workshop had been extended to members of the One Bromley Executive, and the leads for the current priority groups, and they were already seeing some alignment.

The Bromley Place Executive Director advised that a strategy was being produced at ICS level with partners across South East London. The priorities would include:

-  Prevention and wellbeing;

-  Early years;

-  Children and young people’s mental health;

-  Adults’ mental health; and,

-  Primary care and people with long term conditions.

The ICS strategy was intended to give direction and enhance what was already being done at a local level. The One Bromley system was also considering its strategic approach, and they would look to ensure they were all aligned. With regards to the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, it was noted that they wanted the One Bromley strategy to fit with this and better integrate primary and secondary care. There was also considered to be benefits, and better use of resources, if they did things together and the different strategic priorities did not cut across each other. They wanted to maximise preventative opportunities and consider other uses for the vaccination centre located in The Glades which would make a real difference to local residents.

The Director of Public Health said that, ideally, they would like to try and link the two local strategies. The SEL ICB strategy was quite high level, with broad themes – this included ‘prevention’ which could relate to any of the priority areas chosen for the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Chairman said that it was proposed for a draft of the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy to be brought to the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting on 30^th March 2023.

The Chairman asked Board Members to consider if anything important was missing from the proposed list of priorities. The Bromley Place Executive Director noted that the disparities and disproportionality of outcomes should be considered across all of the priorities.

A Board Member suggested that ease of access would encourage local residents to make use of hubs, such as that located in The Glades. A barcode, or something containing an NHS number, may encourage people to visit on the spur of the moment to get their blood pressure checked. Ease of access should be considered across all elements of the Strategy.

The Senior Clinical Lead said that they needed to consider how to promote a sense of responsibility about health and wellbeing, and increase awareness around access – this needed to be expressed in a more positive way.

In response to questions regarding representation, the Chairman advised that the previous plan had been taken to the Bromley Youth Council, which had raised issues relating to period poverty, perception of violence and adolescent mental health. The Director of Public Health advised that during the JSNA, they had engaged with the wider population. It was suggested that once the draft Health and Wellbeing Strategy was agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board it could be taken to other groups, such as Bromley Youth Council and the Children’s Executive Board, for further input. The Chairman advised that granular data would be provided by health colleagues and thought would need to be given as to how best to engage with hard-to-reach groups. It was noted that the final Strategy did not need to be published until December 2023, which allowed time for wider conversations about how to take the priorities forward in different parts of the borough.

A Board Member noted that obesity had been listed as a priority and enquired if this would be split into childhood obesity and adult obesity, and the drivers and actions would be different. The Director of Public Health advised that work related to obesity had been undertaken over the last four years as it had been included as a priority in the previous Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Health and Wellbeing Board tended to take on much more of the work related to adults as the Children’s Executive Board addressed elements relating to children.

The Director of Public Health advised that the Health and Wellbeing Strategy was a strategic document, and would not go into detail of individuals actions. Once the strategic priorities were agreed, the next stage would be to look at what the Health and Wellbeing Board could do support, and add value, to increase improvement in these areas.

RESOLVED that the update on the new Health and Wellbeing Strategy be noted.