Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor R Kingstone and Councillor J Jones.

There were no declarations of interest.

There was no update from the Chair on matters which were not otherwise covered on the agenda.

To consider and discuss, together with relevant Officers, the outcomes of the Staffordshire County Council Health & Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s report on Developing Healthier Communities and Staffordshire County Council’s executive response to that report.

 Agenda item - Developing Healthier Communities - Staffordshire County Council

The Chair reminded members that at a meeting earlier this year he reported to the Committee on the work undertaken by the Staffordshire County Health & Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee regarding Developing Healthier Communities, which that Committee had requested District and Boroughs also consider.

The Chair welcomed the Executive Director, Communities, Rob Barnes and the Assistant Director, Partnerships, Jo Sands, together with a colleague from Staffordshire County Council, Sarah Moore (Commissioning Officer) to provide an overview and some context.

The overview included:

1.    A summary of indicators (including population data) and health conditions where the data showed the figures for Tamworth Borough differed or were less favourable than Staffordshire as a whole / the national average. This included the fact that Tamworth Borough was the most densely populated district within Staffordshire, with a lower than average population within the 16-65 year (working age) age bracket, with a high prevalence of excess weight and higher that national averages for life limiting illnesses.  The ongoing work at Staffordshire County to develop locality based data was highlighted which is was reported was expected to be ready late this year (Autumn 2023).

2.    The broader governance framework within which health operated at the County level which included the Staffordshire Health & Wellbeing Board, which was led by Staffordshire County Council in partnership with health partners and which included two councillor representatives and one chief executive representative for districts and boroughs.  An overview of the four priorities set by this Board was provided, which included Health in early life, Good mental health, Healthy weight and Healthy aging.

3.    The role that social circumstances and the environment and broader health behaviour patterns, as well and the provision of health services, played in creating healthy communities and how resilience in communities could be developed.  In this regard it was reported that County commissioned services from Support Staffordshire and as well as SCYVS and worked with organisations such as Age UK.

The Committee sought and received clarifications in the following areas:

1.         given the population statistics for the Borough and the health inequalities, how and where was consideration given to the proximity between residents and the provision of health services.  The Officers reported that this could be something to be fed into the discussions at the Health & Wellbeing Board where there were representatives of various health bodies.  Further clarification was sought on how information from the representatives of that Board to this council’s representatives was provided and how the liaison worked and the Commissioning Officer agreed to feedback to the Board on that query to seek to clarify the lines of communication.

2.         the role of the Local Plan in this area and the importance of the local health profiles in feeding into this, where it was reported that Public Health at County could provide advice in this area.

3.         the differences between the health in all policies / agendas and health impact assessments, where the Commissioning Officer clarified that that the term health in all policies / agendas  ...  view the full minutes text for item 87.

(Report of  the Chair of the Committee)

The Chair introduced the Draft Annual Report of the Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.

(Update on responses to the Reports of the Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee)

The Chair reported that he would be attending Cabinet on 27 April 2023 to present the Committee’s recommendations from its meeting in March.

(Discussion item)

There were no new items to report.

(To receive the Digest from Staffordshire County Council’s Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and an update from County Councillor T Jay)

There was no further update beyond that set out in the written update.

Please see the link to the Forward Plan:

Browse plans - Cabinet, 2023 :: Tamworth Borough Council

There were no further items identified from the Forward Plan, however the Chair noted that the item on Developing Healthier Communities would be added to the Committee’s Work Plan for the next municipal year.

The Chair thanked the committee members for their work during the year, and thanked Councillor R Claymore for her work in chairing this Committee in the first half of the year.