Agenda item

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment was being developed to enable it to provide insight and information rather than just data. Matt Fung presented slides and highlighted the health impacts of Covid-19.

Covid had a complex impact on various aspects of life within the County. At the previous meeting, details had been given about how the JSNA was being reset but it was an on-going process with input from lots of partner organisations required, in order to chart current and future care needs.

Worcestershire was generally an affluent area and people were in good health so for most national indicators the County should aim to be above the England average. The more deprived areas of the County had a higher likelihood of Covid death.

The Annual Report showed the health impact assessment of Covid 19. The information available was constantly evolving and would be updated regularly so would be a fundamental document to help health services. The JSNA could be used to mitigate certain effects such as how it would be possible to enable health services to address some inequalities, catch up with treatments which people had missed; identify high risk groups and address issues such as a fall in the amount of exercise being taken. Alternative forms of delivery could be considered such as making more use pharmacies as well as digital services.

There was a system wide response to how to deal with the effects of Covid. For children and young people there were concerns around safeguarding, ACEs and disrupted education. Positives had been shown in communities coming together to provide help and support but the housing stock needed to be improved.

Next steps included identifying further mitigation against impacts, especially those due to inequality. The evidence base was constantly evolving but it could be used to ensure the right things were included in the Joint Health and Well-being Strategy when it was renewed in 2021.

In the ensuing discussion, Board Members made the following comments:

·       The Cabinet Member for Children and Families was concerned about Children who were moving into care and needed a mental health assessment as well as a physical one. At a recent care conference it was reported that such assessments were vital but they were still not happening

·       The Directory of Children’s services detailed how badly children had been affected by the pandemic. She agreed with the need for mental health assessments for young people moving into care. She felt there was a lot of work to do but the new Joint Health and Well-being Strategy and Children and Young People’s Plan should work together. It was known that the old, young and poor were most affected by Covid. The rate of unemployment of young people had risen but apprenticeship schemes should help. There had been an increase of 2500 children claiming free school meals since April as a direct impact of Covid. Laptops had been given out to children who did not have access to devices at home but it was recognised that some families could not afford broadband. For some children the inequality gap, educational gap, mental health and employment gap had all broadened. Practical partnership responses were required to mitigate those issues

·       The pandemic had allowed some people to take better care of themselves and had managed to take a greater role in monitoring their own health for example using blood pressure monitors at home

·       It was pointed out that if we do not invest in the poor and young, we would be paying for it for a long time. There was a strong economic case for providing support at an earlier stage

·       The VCS had evidence and anecdotes that could help to refine the JSNA, but it was noted that such information could be difficult to access. In the past the VCS infrastructure had not been set up to be able to pass on information easily, but it was hoped that situation could be improved.

RESOLVED that the Health and Well-being Board:

a)     Noted the contents of the JSNA Annual Summary

b)    Noted the wide-ranging consequences of COVID-19 as described in the health impact assessment tables.

c)     Wished to ensure that commissioners used recommendations and mitigations in future commissioning and service change activity.