Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Sub Committee received a presentation from Nicole Klynman, Public Health Consultant for City & Hackney, which outlined areas identified by the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for attention over next year.

Tackling Health Inequality
Dr Klynman advised that City Workers were a diverse group, including cleaners, baristas and support staff, who would have long working and commuting hours limiting their access to health services.

A Smokefree Future
Dr Klynman reported that good services were operating but work was needed to communicate their availability and access times.

Healthy Weight
Members noted that work was being done in one school, but as submitting data for state maintained school was not formally required and the City had such small numbers, it was difficult to draw robust conclusions.

Mental Health
Dr Klynman reported that Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and mental health services for adults were in place, and that City workers and residents would have different issues that needed to be addressed depending on their circumstances, i.e. income.  Members noted the need to ensure vulnerable and Looked After Children were accessing services in the Borough they’re living in.

Dementia
Members noted that it was harder to gauge an accurate picture of dementia patients in the City owing to the relatively small number. The Director of Community & Children’s Services reported that 300+ Dementia Friends were now trained who could help support people with dementia and their carers.

Air Quality
Members noted that significant work was being done to address these issues.

In response to Members’ questions, Dr Klynman reported that a priority was improving communication of and access to services; some patients were unable to access services, some not aware of what they could access. With regard to smoking, Dr Klynman advised that a Public Health consultant was working with Barts Health to address the issue of smoking in hospitals but that it was always going to remain difficult to remove long-term smoking patients from hospital premises. ‘Voluntary smoking bans’ would not be formally ‘policed’ as such, but estate staff were being trained to speak to smokers and offer cessation advice and it was hoped the self-policing mechanism would gather momentum and prevail. Members agreed that the number of fines for littering with cigarette ends be circulated electronically after the meeting, and noted that officers issuing these fines ends targeted pubs and clubs and that suggestions for sites were welcome.

RESOVLED – That the number of fines for littering with cigarette ends be circulated electronically after the meeting.