Agenda item

At the September 2017 meeting of the Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee a scrutiny Working Group was set up to review the reasons for the disparity in life expectancy between different areas in Waverley. Much of the evidence supporting the review is contained within the Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny version of this report. The report contains information on how the review was carried out, the findings of the Working Group and the recommendations made as a result. The scope for this review can be found in Appendix B within the report.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Executive considers the report and agrees the recommendations contained within it.

23.1     On behalf of the Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cllr MacLeod presented the final report of the Committee’s review of factors affecting health inequalities in Waverley.

23.2     Cllr MacLeod thanked the Scrutiny Officers, Officers in the Communities service, and Public Health colleagues from Surrey County Council for their support of the review. There had been initial concerns from Members that the review was too wide-ranging, and the fact that scope had been achieved demonstrated the huge value of having dedicated Scrutiny Officers.

23.3     The report was broad in its scope, and he urged Members to read it as a whole. The work had been prompted by learning of the significant disparity in the life expectancy of residents between the most and least deprived communities in Waverley. There was no single cause for this, but rather it was an outcome of the interaction of a number of factors. What was striking, though, was learning that clinical care from the NHS only accounted for 20% of the factors which determine public health, whereas the responsibilities of county and borough councils could influence up to 70% of these factors.

23.4     The most important recommendation within the report, therefore, was for Waverley to take public health outcomes into account in all council policies and decisions, even though the Council has no statutory responsibility for public health.

23.5     Cllr MacLeod commended the report to the Executive, to agree the recommendations and actions within Waverley’s direct powers and to work with partners to disseminate and promote the wider recommendations.

23.6     Cllr Ellis echoed Cllr MacLeod’s comments about the importance of the review and the recommendations arising from it. She thanked him for his chairmanship of the Working Group, and officers for their support. Members had learned a great deal and would benefit from the understanding they had gained through considering the evidence presented during the review. The findings of the review would inform the work of the Council, but Waverley would need to work with partners to improve the health and wellbeing of residents and reduce the burden on the NHS.

23.7     Cllr Else thanked the Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their excellent and very detailed report. This report was the most in-depth review of health inequalities in Surrey that had ever been undertaken and as the Council looked to strengthen our partnership links it is a good time to look at how we can work together with our partners to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.

23.8    The services which the Council provided were important determinants of health and particularly mental health; housing, older people services, leisure and arts services, community safety and many others. It would be important to work with health colleagues and other partners to focus services on those most in need.

23.9    The recommendations in the report were split into four parts. Recommendations 1 to 7 on page 9 of the report were for Waverley’s Executive to consider. There were also a number of tasks recommended for Waverley service managers to undertake and these are contained in an action plan on pages 12-16.

23.10  The remaining recommendations (8 to 25) were directed at the Clinical Commissioning Groups and Surrey County Council.  If these were agreed Cllr Else proposed to write to the appropriate people to request a meeting to see how the findings of this report could be taken forward.

23.11  Whilst Cllr Edwards was disappointed that none of the recommendations addressed the opportunity of the Council to impact on the socio-economic factors affecting health inequalities through working with businesses and delivering its economic development strategy, the Executive agreed that this was an excellent report.

23.12  The Leader emphasised the importance of disseminating the outcomes within the Council and bringing the work to the attention of partners in the County Council and health through the involvement of the Portfolio Holder and officers.

23.13   The Executive thanked the Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their excellent report, and RESOLVED to approve the recommendations contained within it.

[Reason: to address the factors affecting health inequalities that impact on the quality of life of Waverley residents.]