Agenda item

To receive an update on the priorities and progress of the Living Well strand of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The Board Sponsor for Living Well provided an update on the priorities and progress of the Living Well strand of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the schemes implemented rapidly as a result of the pandemic.  Members received a review of the priorities and a quick overview of the key actions and collaborations.

For this item, Alex Whitfield noted as a declaration of interest that she is on the Inequalities Board along with Simon Bryant.

In response to questions, Members heard:

Covid has had a positive effect on quitting smoking, which contributes to health inequality.  The targeted, collaborative work of CCGs, Public Health, and General Practitioners with registered smokers and over 700 self-referrals in delivering action, to lower the risk of smoking and having Covid or other respiratory illnesses.   

An ambitious Healthy Hearts Programme is in place as heart attacks and strokes are the most likely cause of death with the most significant difference in socio-economic status.  This pharmacist led program aligns with national programme and provides opportunities to work further upstream in finding the causes, encouraging no smoking, physical activity, and weight loss.  Unhealthy weight remains a risk for long-term conditions and obesity remains a complex issue.  A pre-Covid pilot was paused but will restart when partners have the capacity to expand into other areas of Hampshire incorporating their lessons learned.

Promoting physical activity for life and training around the work force element was covered at the previous meeting.  A new regional colleague has joined to extend the community activity across the area and reach target audiences of those less active or inactive.  Information to follow for Members to share and push the information to cover all geographical areas.

Digital self-care includes educational websites, video libraries, and applications, in addition to a services finder on the Hampshire and Isle of Wight website.  In order to keep NHS resources and hospitals resilient virtual wards allow for home monitoring, so only the most vulnerable are admitted at the right time.  Resources, videos, and webinars are available for social prescribing.

While the programme is fantastic and nationally recognized, the personalized care website needs to be more accessible and the profile for these useful resources need to be raised.  Hospitals have been positive and worked very hard with positive engagement from midwifery teams.  A social media campaign will follow in January targeting partners as well due to household interactions being important in prevention and support. Social prescribing is an effective approach in helping the front lines. 

Targeting manual occupations and deprived areas and measuring the take up of offers from providers is best done by geography and occupations.  With no recent census, information was generated from questionnaires and targeting via social media, physical strategies, and GP referrals to get residents into the service.  

PCNs are eligible to join the link workers groups to learn more from each other.  Shared learning and capturing outcomes with a high-level strategy will be useful in activating community leadership and sharing interventions. Effective structures with PCNs and districts and boroughs are part of population health management and the plan to get local networks and communities of practice and sharing established.

RESOLVED: 

That the Health and Wellbeing Board--

·         Reduce the proportion of women smoking at the time of delivery 

Notes the progress in this area and highlight the value of working in partnership on this and other key priorities to reduce health inequalities in Hampshire. 

·         Reduce the gap in smoking between people in routine and manual occupations & the general population 

Notes the work achieved by our acute providers in this area and support a renewed effort through Public Health, NHS Commissioning, NHS provision and the voluntary sector to reduce the proportion of women smoking at the time of delivery. 

·         Implement whole systems approach to childhood obesity in one area of Hampshire 

Supports and promotes the Healthy Weight agenda within their organisations including working collaboratively through a whole system approach.

·         Implement the Hampshire Physical Activity Strategy with a specific focus on enabling the workforce to be competent to promote physical activity for life 

Ensures their organisations are sighted on and contribute to the Strategy Consultation. 

·         Signpost to and encourage the systematic use of effective tools/initiatives (including digital) that will enable people to improve their self-management and provide peer support for long-term conditions 

Notes the various tools open to clinician and the public to support them in their conditions.  

There was a 10-minute comfort break taken 11:36am.