Agenda item

The Board considered the JSNA Annual Report which provided an update on health and wellbeing in Southwark and an analysis of the boroughs population, along with details of the health inequalities that exist in the borough.

The report further provided an overview of the boroughs changing population and detailed the improvements in health and wellbeing over the last decade. Amongst the key areas of success;

Ø  Life expectancy is comparable to the London and England average.

Ø  Levels of relative deprivation in the borough continue to reduce.

Ø  Child vaccination rates are generally comparable to or better than the London average.

Ø  Key risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and physical inactivity are comparable or better than the national average.

Ø  Preventable mortality has reduced by more than 40% between 2001 and 2022.

Detailed for the Board were also the key challenging areas which included;

Ø  Improvements in life expectancy have stalled, with no notable increase over the last decade. This mirrors regional and national trends.

Ø  Female residents are spending less years in good health. Female healthy life expectancy has reduced by 8.8 years for the 3 years up to 2020.

Ø  The prevalence of long-term conditions such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, mental health & obesity are increasing.

Ø  Poverty is a leading cause of the poor health and premature mortality we see in the borough, and many of our residents live in financial hardship. In 2021/22 over a third of children in the borough were living in poverty after adjusting for housing costs.

In order to try and tackle inequalities in Southwark, key population groups were identified as facing significant health inequalities in not only health outcomes, but also in their access and experiences of services which should be there to support them:

Ø  Asylum Seekers & Refugees

Ø  Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups

Ø  Carers

Ø  LGBTQIA+

Ø  Residents with disabilities

Ø  Rough Sleepers

A number of in-depth projects are recommended for JSNA programme and these included;

Ø  Preventing long-term conditions in later life: This needs assessment will consider the interaction between ageing and the development of long-term conditions and frailty, with a focus on identifying recommendations for local services that serve residents aged 50+ to help reduce and delay the development of long-term conditions and frailty amongst this population.

Ø  Adult Social Care: It is recommended a needs assessment is developed in collaboration with Adult Social Care colleagues to understand the needs and experiences of residents who are accessing, or would benefit from social care.

Ø  Hot Weather: This proposed needs assessment will collate data on the vulnerability of Southwark residents, services and the local built environment to increasing summer temperatures, and draw on best practice from across the UK and beyond to identify adaptations to meet local need and improve resilience.

Ø  Cost of Living: It is proposed that work will be undertaken to monitor the financial pressures and impacts on residents to inform the development of the Anti-Poverty Action Plan.

Ø  Ethnicity Profiles: A series of profiles are proposed to supplement this year’s annual report. They will improve more detailed understanding of health & wellbeing inequalities between ethnic groups.

RESOLVED - That The Health and Wellbeing Board;

1.  Noted the findings of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Annual Report 2024, and agreed to an annual update.

2.  Noted the population groups and communities identified with the poorest outcomes.

3.  Agreed the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment projects recommended for the coming months.