Minutes:
The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health which presented information relating to Halton’s Respiratory Health Profile 2014 and provided an analysis regarding the findings from a local perspective.
The Board was advised that the Halton Respiratory Health Profile 2014 showed that for both COPD and
asthma the proportion of Halton’s population who have
these conditions was higher than the England average. Some of this may be accounted for by local
efforts to increase case finding.
However, as the Borough had high levels of deprivation and many
respiratory diseases were linked to this, it was likely Halton had higher
levels than the national average.
The Board was
further advised that Halton’s profile was set out in
the Appendix to the report which showed that there was a mixed picture. Levels of disease were thought to be higher
than the England average but after diagnosis the majority were managed in line
with the best clinical evidence. However, high levels of emergency (unplanned)
hospital admissions continued to place a significant burden on the local
population and healthcare system.
The data for
Halton showed that:
·
It was estimated about 3,916 people aged
16+ living in Halton had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2010.
By 2020 this figure maybe as many as 4,420;
·
There
had been improvements in case finding since 2009/10 closing the gap between
estimated number of people with COPD and those of GP disease registers. However, the number of people on the asthma
register remained lower than the expected number;
·
The management of patients with
COPD and asthma were similar or slightly better than the North West and England
averages;
·
There
was a significant ward level variation in emergency hospital admission rates
and at GP practice level. There was also
a relationship with temperature, with a greater percentage of admissions seen
in the winter months; and
·
Death
rates for COPD have been falling but were above the North West and England
rates. Death rates from respiratory
causes in those aged under 75 years and pneumonia were also higher than England
but similar to the North West. COPD was
also a significant cause of excess winter deaths.
The Board
noted the programmes to address the areas of concern set out in the report.
The following comments arose from the discussion:-
·
Page 96 – It was noted that the statistics in
Halton relating to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) was related to Halton’s industrial legacy and the number of people who had
previously smoked. It was also noted
that there were changes in the classifying of COPD within contracts and that it
would need to be monitored;
·
It was suggested that more information could
be available on asthma services in order to ensure the residents of Halton had
a greater understanding of the condition i.e. prescriptions could be collected
from pharmacies outside of the Borough which enabled individuals to have
greater control over the day to day management of their condition. It was noted that the number of people on the
asthma register in Halton was relatively low.
The impact that asthma could have on other diseases/illnesses was also
noted. It was reported that these wider
issues would be incorporated within the Strategy; and
·
It was agreed that the Strategy be presented
to a future meeting of the Board.
RESOLVED:
That the contents of the report, comments raised and the programmes to address
the areas of concern be noted.
Supporting documents: