Agenda item

10.10

The Director of Public Health, Jonathan McWilliam will provide the committee with his regular report on matters of relevance and interest to the committee and will update specifically on the transition of public health to the local authority in April 2013.

Update papers will be presented on teenage pregnancy data (JHO5a) and local health profiles (JHO5b) which were discussed at the last meeting. All the health profiles are provided (JHO5c-k).

Jonathan McWilliam, Director of Public Health and Angela Baker, Consultant in Public Health, Prevention & Protection presented to the committee on,

• NHS transition
• Teenage Pregnancy
• Health profiles

NHS transition

Jonathan McWilliam reported that Public Health is making preparations for its move into local government in April 2013. Approximately twenty staff will move across. He also outlined the Commissioning Board arrangements for the Southern Region led by Andrea Young and the Local Area Team – Thames Valley (Matthew Tait) which will cover ten Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Teenage Pregnancy

Angela Baker clarified that teenage conception rates are calculated based on the total number of conceptions under the age of 18 by the 15-17 year old population. This is a nationally defined indicator and is unable to distinguish between wanted and unwanted pregnancies.

Members noted that performance is better than in the past with approximately 60 conceptions per quarter. Didcot has lower than average rates but is being watched as the rate has risen recently. The sex education programme is being redesigned to bring together county council and public health work and there are good relations with most schools. It was noted that we will need to work with academies and the service is offered to independent as well as state schools.

Health profiles

Angela Baker took the committee through the indicators showing red in the health profiles. The following points were noted,

• Whilst incidences of malignant melanoma are high there are relatively few deaths which shows that we are successfully identifying cases.
• Given the general affluence of the county healthy living indicators are not very good. However it was acknowledged that these indicators tend to relate to self reported surveys which whilst statistically robust are not comprehensive.
• Schools will no longer be required to report on the three hours exercise target.