Issue - meetings

To receive the Health & Wellbeing Strategy Performance and Outcomes Report.

The Insight Manager presented the regular performance and outcomes report. Members were informed that childhood excess weight at Reception age had risen but remained in line with national averages; for Year 6 the borough had aligned with the national average for the first time since 2006. The under?75 mortality had fallen for a second consecutive year but remained worse than the national average. Smoking at the point of delivery continued its long?term downward trend since 2010 and was similar to the national average. Members also noted positive trends in primary care access, with a higher proportion of same/next?day appointments than the national comparator.

To contextualise the GP access picture, members were reminded that local data presented to the Board in September showed same/next?day appointments at 58% in Telford & Wrekin compared to 51% for England, with 88% of appointments seen within 14 days locally compared to 82% nationally, reflecting the ICS’s focus on Modern General Practice and neighbourhood integration.

During the discussion, the Director of Public Health welcomed improvements in Year 6 excess weight and smoking in pregnancy and highlighted the work underway to increase uptake of NHS Health Checks through neighbourhood health initiatives. She also emphasised the need to reduce preventable cancers linked to smoking, with joint work planned through integrated system planning. Members asked what had driven the improvement in smoking in pregnancy; the Insight Manager cited the embedded service within maternity and wrap?around support from the Healthy Lifestyles team that engaged the wider family to sustain behaviour change.

The Board noted the report and requested a more comprehensive outcomes update in six months, incorporating refreshed data and progress on Health Checks and smoking?related cancer prevention.