Agenda and draft minutes

The Vice-Chair informed the Committee that the previous Chair had resigned her post on the Executive as Member for Adults Health and Wellbeing and thus her chairmanship of this meeting  It was therefore proposed that her replacement as the Executive Member for Adults Health and Wellbeing be Chair of this meeting.  That is Councillor Gill Mercer.

RESOLVED that:  The Health The and Wellbeing Board elected Councillor Gill Mercer as they The Chair of the meeting.

RESOLVED that:  Apologies were received from Jonny Bugg (Chief Executive of Office of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner), Naomi Eisenstadt (Chair, Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board), David Maher (Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust), Jo Moore (Chair, Kettering Community Wellbeing Forum), Deborah Needham (Chief Executive of Northampton General Hospital), Toby Sanders (Chief Executive, NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board) and David Watts (Executive Director of Adults, health Partnerships and Housing and Interim Director of Children’s Services),

The Vice-Chair noted that the previous Chair of the Board had resigned her post on the Executive and that they had been replaced by Councillor Gill Mercer.  Councillor Mercer was duly elected as Chair having been nominated by Councillor Macaulay Nichol and seconded by Jane Bethea.

RESOLVED that:  the Health and Wellbeing Board approves the minutes of the meeting held on 5 December 2023.

The Chair thanked her predecessor, Councillor Helen Harrison for the hard work she had undertaken in the role.

The Chair noted the following:

·       Data had been provided from the Environment health teams in relation to air quality spikes.

·       The NHSE screening lead had been informed of the concerns that access to GP appointments could be a barrier to cancer screening.  A response from the most appropriate person in the ICB was awaited.

·       Presentations would be made from all the organisations represented on the Board.

·       The minutes had been updated regarding attendance.

·       Sponsors being sought from the Board to work in 5 main areas of work was ongoing.

·       Board development sessions was an ongoing subject.

·       The Schools support pack and other resources from the Suicide Awareness Strategy had been published on the website.

·       The suicide rate for 100,000 of the population had been shared with the Board alongside a reference to the current action plans and evidence driving them.

·       Questions for staff from the University of Northampton had been supplied on how to engage in and help to develop the Adult Social Care strategy.

·       The localized directory of services from the Foundation Trust/KGH had been shared.

RESOLVED that:  the Health and Wellbeing Board notes the action log.

At the Chairman’s invitation the Director of Public Health stated they had agreed to support the development of the strategy which would be an active strategy. They provided guidance around 5 areas and work where they had identified gaps.   It wanted to be a live strategy and be responsible. They wished to actively engage communities.  As agreed this meeting would see a presentation on the Health and Wellbeing strategy in relation to Tobacco.  Work had been developed around smoking and vaping.  They were partnering with Nottingham Council and discussing how they worked around the system.  They had given the Council some information on setting up governances and working to ensure they had the right progress in place.  They had worked with them on how to get the best challenge and best movement where they wished it. 

She was the Executive sponsor.  There was also a need to work with assets already in the system such as the Tobacco Alliance and Mental Health and Wellbeing collaborative meetings.  They would provide fantastic opportunities.

Corby had a high level of smoking, higher than the national and North Northants averages so they would work with the community address this and would use the Local Area Partnerships (LAPs) as a vehicle to undertake the community engagement. 

The

RESOLVED that:  The Health and Wellbeing Board:

1)    Notes the contents of the report, particularly the huge impact of tobacco on the health and wellbeing of the population of North Northamptonshire;

2)    Notes the current nature and impact of local stop smoking services across the local authority and the NHS, particularly the fact that there are still approximately 50,000 people who smoke across the geography of North Northamptonshire;

3)    Notes the opportunities that the Local Area Partnerships and Family Hubs bring in terms of helping us to develop the right offer for our communities, based on need and community engagement;

4)    Ask the Northamptonshire Tobacco Control Alliance to continue to lead the system wide fight against tobacco locally and ensure the actions arising from this report come to fruition, acting on behalf of the Health and Wellbeing Board;

5)    Supports the proposed development of stop smoking services with a focus on pregnant women, preventing take up in children, routine and manual workers, and a system based on prioritization of those most in need;

6)    Endorses the draft proposals for the spending of the new allocation of £487,696; and

7)    Considers publicly committing to the tobacco control agenda by signing up to the NHS Smokefree Pledge and Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control.