Issue - meetings

Director of Public Health Annual Report

 

 

Meeting: 18/06/2013 - Cabinet (Item 67)

67 Director of Public Health Annual Report pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Cabinet Member: Adult Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/148

Contact: Dr Jonathan McWilliam, Director of Public Health Tel: (01865) 336707

 

Report by Director of Public Health (CA9).

 

This is the 6th Director of Public Health Annual Report for Oxfordshire.  It is also the first Annual Report produced since Public Health returned home to Local Government.

 

The purpose of a Director of Public Health is to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Oxfordshire.  This is done by reporting publicly and independently on trends and gaps in the health and wellbeing of the population in Oxfordshire and by making recommendations for improvement to a wide range of organisations.

 

Producing a report is now a statutory duty of Directors of Public Health and it is the duty of the County Council to publish it.

 

The Director of Public Health’s Annual Report is the main way in which Directors of Public Health make their conclusions known to the public.  This helps the Director of Public Health to be an independent advocate for the health of the people of Oxfordshire.

The Annual Report is scientific, factual, objective, focuses on long term gaps and makes clear recommendations.

 

The priorities highlighted In this Report include

·         An ageing population – the “demographic challenge”

·         Breaking the cycle of disadvantage

·         Mental health and wellbeing: avoiding a Cinderella service

·         The rising tide of obesity

·         Excessive alcohol consumption

·         Fighting killer infections

 

These topics are dealt with one by one. The current issues and recent action are laid out and progress will be monitored in future reports. 

 

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to RECOMMEND Council to receive the report and note its recommendations.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered the 6th Director of Public Health Annual Report for Oxfordshire. The priorities highlighted In this Report included

An ageing population – the “demographic challenge”

Breaking the cycle of disadvantage

·Mental health and wellbeing: avoiding a Cinderella service

The rising tide of obesity

Excessive alcohol consumption

Fighting killer infections

 

Councillor Glynis Phillips, Shadow Cabinet Member for Public Health and the Voluntary Sector drew attention to the helth inequality highlighted by varying life expectancy figures across the County. The trend persisted and decisive action was needed. She commented that there was a general feeling from the report that we could be doing better across the public health agenda, even in areas where we were doing well. Councillor Phillips raised a number of concerns and felt that there were some omissions such as an update on children’s oral health and the use of district hospitals for brief advice.

 

Councillor Hibbert-Biles introduced the contents of the report which was the first one since public health returned to local government. There was a statutory duty to prepare and publish the report which she commended as being objective and with clear recommendations. She highlighted the priorities set out in the report.

 

Cabinet discussed the report by priority area and endorsed the recommendations at the end of each section.

 

RESOLVED:             to RECOMMEND Council to receive the report and note its recommendations.