Issue - items at meetings - Annual Report of the Director of Public Health

Presentation by Dr Tom Scanlon on his 2011 Annual Report of the Brighton & Hove Director of Public Health (papers to follow)

7.1       Dr Tom Scanlon, Brighton & Hove Director of Public Health, presented his 2010 annual report to the committee. Dr Scanlon told members that the ‘theme’ for this year’s report was ‘community resilience’. Rather than simply audit the city’s public health needs (much of this work is now done by the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment: JSNA), the report focuses on community ‘assets’ - the areas where we do well as a city or across specific communities - and outlines how we might begin better utilising these assets to help address areas of concern or underperformance.

7.2       In response to a question from Cllr Phillips on teenage pregnancy rates, Dr Scanlon told members that latest figures had shown a flattening of recent years’ decrease. This was not surprising, as there is likely to be some year on year fluctuation of figures even if the long term trend is downwards, given the small numbers being analysed. Provided the city maintains its twin focus on sexual health/contraception services coupled with addressing the broader ‘causes’ of teenage pregnancy – educational attainment, family environment etc – Dr Scanlon was confident that figures would continue to decline in the medium term.

7.3       In answer to a question from Cllr Phillips on sexual health advisory services, Dr Scanlon told the committee that services based at the Morley St clinic had proved very popular. More still might be done by encouraging school nurses to play a bigger part in sexual health advocacy. Cllr Marsh noted that this could be controversial work for school nurses to undertake and that a potential role for non-statutory services (such as the ‘Crew Club’ and similar organisations) should also be explored.

7.4       In response to a query from Robert Brown (representing the Brighton & Hove LINk) concerning community development workers, Dr Scanlon told members that the potential for using these workers to develop community resilience had not yet been fully explored, but that it was an idea with some potential.

7.5       In answer to a question from the Chair concerning how the council should best use the Director of Public Health’s report, particularly in the context of the current financial pressures, Dr Scanlon told the committee that his report served as a warning against making cuts to services without properly assessing their impact on communities across the city. Services which were apparently discrete might in fact be closely connected with the health of communities and a key element in community resilience. Their removal might therefore be much more damaging than anticipated unless efforts were made to replace an outgoing statutory service with community-centred alternatives. Dr Scanlon wanted this concept of protecting and enhancing community resilience to be a key part in commissioning decisions.

7.6       The Chair thanked Dr Scanlon for his presentation and invited him to take part in HOSC work planning for the coming year.