Agenda item

Councillor Janet Burgess, Executive Member, Health and Social Care, was present at the meeting, and made a presentation to the Committee

During consideration of the presentation, the following main points were made –

·       Since 2006-2008 life expectancy has increased in Islington for men, and women. Life expectancy at birth for men in Islington is 79.6 years, an increase of 4.4 years since 2006. However, this is below the London average. For women in Islington life expectancy is 83.3 years, which is statistically significantly lower than the London average, 84.5 years of age

·       Healthy life expectancy – In Islington men and women spend on average the last 17 and 20.7 years of life in ill health, statistically similar to London and England

·       The Health and Wellbeing Board has set priorities for 2017/20 – ensuring every child has the best start in life, preventing and managing long term conditions to enhance both length and quality of life, and reduce health inequalities, plus improving mental health and wellbeing

·       Key achievements long term conditions – these include projects funded by the National Diabetes Transformation Funding, development of an NCL wide programme of work to improve Atrial Fibrilation management, cervical screening social marketing campaign to increase uptake of cervical screening. Proactive Islington has developed and agreed a new physical activity action plan with partners. Islington Food Poverty Action plan developed – Islington has been recognised as best performing borough in London 2019 food poverty profile. Behaviour change includes NHS Health Check offer, pre-diabetic residents referred onto NHS Diabetes Prevention programme, stop smoking initiatives, and adult weight management

·       The top 3 contributors to premature mortality in Islington are cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory illness

·       Looking forward, the coming year will see increased work with partners across NCL STP to support improvements in long term conditions

·       Key achievements mental wellbeing – 5148 people entered IAPT treatment in 2018/19 in Islington, this is approximately 17.4% of those estimated to have a common mental health problem. Public health funded mental health promotion services include mental health awareness training. There has been a downward trend in suicide rates in Islington, and Islington is leading the commissioning of an NCL Support after Suicide Service to provide support for those affected by suicide, who themselves are at increased risk of suicide. Training in suicide awareness for non-clinical frontline staff in the borough has proved very popular

·       Workplace mental health and wellbeing continues to be a focus for Public Health. 5% of Islington’s older population have a diagnosis for dementia, and Islington has been recognised as having an exemplar clinical model

·       There is a relationship between poor mental health outcomes and deprivation/social disadvantage. Community and Mental Wellbeing service in Islington aims to promote awareness of mental health and wellbeing. Physical health and mental health are inextricably linked. Life expectancy is lower among people with some mental health conditions, and this is largely attributable to long term physical conditions. Older adults are one of the fastest growing population groups, and the number of people living with dementia is expected to increase

·       Embedding a Public Mental Health approach will be a key element of work. This approach includes promoting good mental health and wellbeing, preventing the development and escalation of mental distress, and mental health problems, improving the lives of people living with, struggling with and recovering from mental health problems

·       Transformation programmes include sexual health, and drug and alcohol services

·       Noted that over the coming months planning will start for the development of Islington’s new Joint Health and Wellbeing strategy, which provides an opportunity to lay out a clear shared vision for improving health and wellbeing of residents, and reducing health inequalities to make Islington a fairer place.  There will be a further cementing of a population health approach for Islington, with an increased focus on prevention and early intervention. Also to help maintain a focus on the key issues that impact on the health and wellbeing of Islington residents, and build on the work taking place to deliver the integration of health and care across the borough, supporting a shift away from high cost services to more community based models of health, care and support, and making more efficient use of resources. The strategy will be co-produced with partners and residents

·       Reference was made to the proposal around cuts to the diabetes service at the Whittington Hospital. Councillor Burgess stated that she would look into this

·       A Member expressed the view that whilst it was good to see an increase in life expectancy, this could be due to the increase in wealthy residents residing in the borough. Councillor Burgess stated that it would be interesting to investigate if there is any co-relation, however there is still a large elderly population living in poverty, and many elderly people as indicated in the figures lived unhealthy later lives

·       A Member referred to the immunisation statistics and enquired whether social media is influencing lower rates of immunisation. L.B.Hackney immunisation figures are particularly low. It was responded that there is felt to be particular reasons why there is a low take up in Hackney, however Islington does have a mobile population and it is challenging. Some of the data that is gathered however is not totally reliable, but the Council/CCG are looking at ways that they can influence the take up of immunisation

·       A Member expressed the view that there may be a connection the high levels of pollution and the dementia figures

·       Reference was made to the high rate of child obesity and yet 33 out of 65 schools had been awarded healthy schools status. It was stated that achieving healthy schools status involved a number of things, and often a school is doing the right things, however there are other factors outside school that affect child obesity. Councillor Burgess expressed  the view that this is an area that the Scrutiny Committee could look at in the future if they wished to

·       A Member referred to the fact that TfL had banned unhealthy food advertising, and that this could be looked at

The Chair thanked Councillor Burgess for attending