Agenda item

The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Health and Community which provided a summary of the findings of the first Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Health.

 

It was noted that Directors of Adult Social Services, Public Health and Children and Young People’s (CYP) Services in every Local Authority and Primary Care Trust (PCT) had a statutory duty from April 2008 to work together to develop a JSNA for their area.  

  

For the production of the first JSNA Halton focused on refining, improving and bringing together the information we already had available that highlights overall population needs. This information was from national and local sources and included a wealth of information we had collected directly from services across Halton. This information was used to take a longer-term view of population trends and the likely impact on demand over the next years and decades.

 

            Members were advised that the JSNA was intended to identify ‘the big picture’ in terms of the health and wellbeing needs and inequalities within the local population. It was not intended to describe how we would address the needs, demonstrate outcomes or showcase our services. The aim was that the information contained in the JSNA would encourage partner agencies to use the findings to inform a number of local authority and PCT strategies, Client Group Commissioning Plans, Local Area Agreements etc. It had already been used within Halton, to feed into Ambition for Health and the Joint Commissioning Plan.

 

The development of the JSNA was not a single, one off exercise but was an ongoing piece of work, which would add to our commissioning ‘intelligence’. As we continue to develop our JSNA we would: -

 

·        Build upon service user and care views

·        Include information about service usage

·       Ensure we have information at a locality level as well as overall trends.

 

It was further noted that the approval process for the JSNA within the PCT was currently being reviewed. It was anticipated that it would go to the PCTs Management Team and then the Trust Board, once the St Helens JSNA was ready.

 

            Members were advised of the consultation process undertaken and it was noted that a key element of the consultation process was the production of an accessible public document on the local priorities detailing how the JSNA would feed into commissioning plans for the future and the evidence based investment decisions taken.  This had been achieved through the development of the summary of findings document, which was available as an appendix to the report.

 

It was proposed that the consultation process be in 4 stages, as follows:

 

1)     Professionals

2)     Members via all Policy & Performance Boards (January 2009)

3)     Key stakeholders

4)     General public

 

At each stage, the document would be revised and updated accordingly.

 

Members noted that deprived wards still needed improvement and support, social housing was in good condition and some private housing was in poor condition which was reflected in the more affluent wards and there was a high proportion of adults that had low educational attainment that reflected on other needs in the Borough.

 

The Board suggested that each area could be looked at individually in terms of the health impact on the Borough, as each Policy and Performance Board would have an impact on specific areas it was proposed that issues could be looked at to discover what progress could be made as a Council.

 

Members queried where the statistics had originated from and requested that the main organisations used could be added to the document.

 

Members commended the work undertaken in producing the report.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1)     the report be noted;

2)     each Policy and Performance Board look at specific areas individually within their remit, in order to address health issues in the Borough; and

3)     the main organisations used to obtain data be provided to Board Members and added to the document.