Report of Director of Public Health/Population Health Consultant in Public Health

As part of the statutory role of the Director of Public Health there is a requirement to produce an annual report on the health of the local population. This report can either be a broad overview of a wide range of public health programmes and activities or have a focus on a particular theme. The 2019 report has a focus on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception through to the age of 2 years old.

The Committee considered the 2019 Public Health Annual Report prepared by the Director of Public Health/Population Health Consultant in Public Health that focused on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception through to the age of 2 years old.

The Director of Public Health referred to the main points of the report which were: -

·                In 2018 there were an estimated 37,768 children aged 0-4 years old in Manchester, accounting for 8.3% of the population;

·                Providing comparative data on a range of health indicators and metrics;

·                Providing information on the range of activities and initiatives to tackle health inequalities within the first 1,000 days of a child’s life using an Our Manchester approach to Bring Services Together for People in Places;

·                Noting Under 18 conception rates had reduced;

·                The number of mothers smoking during pregnancy had reduced;and

·                Providing an update on the Start Well Board, a multi-agency Board established to improve health outcomes, ensure children were ready for school, ensuring a good level of development throughout early years, reduce infant mortality and reduce inequality.  

The Committee welcomed Councillor Bridges, Executive Member for Children and Schools who said that the report was a very accessible document. He stated that it was important to recognise the impact of austerity and the levels of childhood poverty experienced across the city and the impact this had on health outcomes. He stated that the Early Years Delivery Model was a partnership approach and the intention was to increase the numbers of Health Visitors to respond to the increase in demand. He concluded by saying that he commended the report and its recommendations to the Committee.

In response to a question from a Member regarding the recruitment of Health Visitors the Director of Public Health informed the Committee that the intention was to recruit an additional 108 Health Visitors over a four year period. He said that they were seeking to attract experienced nurses to attend the one year course delivered by the Manchester Metropolitan University. 

Members discussed the negative and detrimental impact austerity and welfare reform had on the health outcomes of young people in Manchester. Members commented that this influenced wider determinants of health, such as homelessness, poor housing conditions within the Private Rented Sector and fuel poverty, and this needed to be addressed. A Member commented that more needed to be done to regulate and enforce standards within the Private Rented Sector to improve standards for people and families.

The Consultant in Public Health responded by stating that they had good relationships with Housing Providers however the challenge remained to address issues experienced within the Private Rented Sector. She said the multiagency approach in Neighbourhoods would help identify residents at risk and sign post for assistance with issues such as fuel poverty.

The Consultant in Public Health acknowledged that the levels of Infant Mortality in the city were the same as they were 25 years ago. She said that the link between poverty and health outcomes was understood and that work was ongoing to address this through a number of activities. She provided examples of safe sleeping projects that provided emergency funding to purchase cots for babies. The Executive Member for Children and Schools further commented that the Manchester Family Poverty Strategy 2017-2022 had specific actions to address health inequalities.

The Chair commented that local Members were unaware of the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) pilot scheme that had been delivered in North Manchester. The Consultant in Public Health described that this had been a targeted pilot scheme, delivered with partners and the outcomes of this were being reviewed. The Director of Public Health apologised if Members had not been made aware of this scheme in advance. The Chair asked that a report on the ACE project and analysis of the outcomes of the pilot scheme be submitted to the Committee at an appropriate time.  

In response to a question from the Chair regarding the plan to increase the levels of childhood vaccination, the Director of Public Health advised that local and national resources had been made available to support this targeted activity across Greater Manchester. He said that social media would be utilised to address and counter the misconceptions circulating regarding vaccinations and offer peer support programmes.

Decisions

The Committee: -

1. Note the report and endorse the recommendations of the 2019 Public Health Annual Report.

2. Recommend that an evaluation report on the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) pilot scheme be included on the Committee’s Work Programme to be considered at an appropriate time.