Agenda item

Diane Lee, Head of Public Health and Kaye Mann, Senior Public Health Practitioner were welcomed to the meeting.

By way of introduction, Members were made aware that though there were many areas of success, the presentation focused on areas that required improvement.

Members were reminded of the impact of the environment on health with only 10% of the health of the nation linked to access to health care; the remainder attributable to factors such as smoking, diet and drug and alcohol use.

Members discussed life expectancy for males and females noting that in the South Area for men the average was higher than the average man in Barnsley, but for women in the area it was lower than the average in Barnsley.  However, when healthy life expectancy was discussed it was noted that in Barnsley as a whole, women would have a healthy life expectancy of 59, meaning that around 20 years of life was spent in ill health for many.  It was suggested that figures specific to the South Area would be useful.

Members noted the higher than average rates for excess winter deaths in the South Area, and asked whether a breakdown of reasons could be provided to give further enlightenment to the causes including whether any of these were specific to certain areas or prevalent in certain housing tenures.

Those present acknowledged that smoking was a significant cause of premature death.  For the South Area rates were higher than Barnsley and smoking in pregnancy rates were also higher. 89 people per year in the South Area died from smoking related illnesses.  Smoking costs society in Barnsley £62.4m.  Information could be broken down to ward level, with for example in Wombwell £326,000 social care costs per year due to smoking, and 1 tonne of cigarette litter produced per year.

Members discussed vaping, and it was acknowledged that advice was that this was 95% healthier than smoking but was not recommended.  With reference to assisting pregnant smokers to quit, Members heard that they were automatically referred for assistance, and had to make a decision to opt out if they so wished.

16% of adults registered in the South Area were obese, and Barnsley was 4^th lowest area in Yorkshire and The Humber for physical activity.  It was noted that rates for Cardio-vascular disease and Cancer in the South Area were higher than the Barnsley average, which was higher than the national average.

In relation to alcohol it was noted that in the South Area rates for alcohol related harm were higher than the England average.  Members noted that there was now an Alcohol Alliance being established. In relation to young people, overall fewer drunk alcohol but those that did often did excessively.  Members noted that issues with alcohol use were increasing in England, which was in contrast with the decrease being seen in other European countries.  This was due to changes in drinking patterns, the normalising of alcohol and the cheap price at which it was often sold.

With reference to children and young people, there were higher than average levels of non-attendance for vaccinations, in the area particularly in the Hoyland Milton Ward.  Levels of breastfeeding were comparable to Barnsley but much lower than the average nationally.  Obesity for 4-5 year olds was higher than seen in the borough, but lower than the England average, but for 10-11 year olds rates were higher than that for Barnsley and England overall.  Members noted the discrepancies between wards, and asked whether this could be broken down further into schools.  Members also acknowledged that there were also issues related to children being underweight.

Surgical extractions, an indicator of oral health in children, were similar to the average in Barnsley, which itself was high compared to UK averages.

The South Area had high rates of depression in adults with 12.3% of adults with recorded depression; however levels of referral to IAPTs were low. Members questioned whether this may be due to high levels of medication being prescribed.

Suicide levels overall were declining, with 20 on average each year in Barnsley. From January 2018, 4 people have taken their own life in the South Area (3 male and 1 female).  Members noted the work to promote awareness ‘Alright pal’ campaign to help combat this.

Members noted the high levels of referrals to My Best Life in the South Area, but also noted the high levels of complex needs and the need to ensure appropriate support services were in place.

Long term conditions were discussed, and it was noted that the South Area had the highest prevalence of diabetes in Barnsley, with 30% of those with diabetes not controlling their cholesterol and blood pressure correctly, a figure similar to Barnsley overall.

In addition 4,560 South residents were at risk of heart attack or stroke due to high blood pressure with more than 100 diagnosed not accessing the right treatment.

With reference to road safety 75 collisions were reported for 2018, with 1 being fatal, 18 serious and 55 slight.  Members expressed an interest in more detail being made available.

RESOLVED:-

(i)            Thanks be given to colleagues from Public Health for providing the information;

(ii)          That further consideration be given to key areas where the South Area is significantly different statistically, including excess winter deaths, vaccination rates, depression and referral to IAPTs, smoking rates, social Isolation, healthy life expectancy, collisions and road safety, and excess weight, in order to discuss appropriate intervention by the Area Council.