Issue - meetings

This report provides an overview of service delivery of Hertfordshire County Council’s Public Health funded projects including the Placed Based Health Inequalities, which has now ended, and the Healthy Hub Project following a request from Councillors for this work to be highlighted at committee.  The report also provides an overview of the Public Health Prevention Investment Programme application being submitted by Three Rivers District Council on a Healthy Food Environments project.

Recommendation:

That Members note the contents of the report.

The Partnerships Officer (Strategic Lead for the Healthy Hub) presented a report which provided an overview of service delivery of Hertfordshire County Council’s public health funded projects (including the Place Based Health Inequalities programme which had now ended), and the Healthy Hub Project.  The report had been requested by Councillors in order to highlight work which wasn’t statutorily required, but which provided positive benefits to the community.

The Committee heard about the workstreams undertaken, levels of engagement and outcomes, as set out in the report.

In response to a Member’s question about the project with Watford African and Caribbean Association (WACA) to deliver targeted health awareness initiatives on conditions disproportionately impacting residents of African and Caribbean heritage, officers clarified that WACA did not only provide services within Watford but also in Three Rivers and the broader area.  The project had involved delivering events both in person and virtually in order to widen accessibility, and these had also been open to wider community members.

In response to a question about how success of the initiatives was measured, officers responded that most of the workstreams had involved quarterly review meetings and the production of evaluation reports as a requirement of the funding agreement with the County Council.

It was noted that some services (such as smoking cessation and diabetes support) were already offered by other providers (e.g. GP practices).  In response to a question about the potential for overlap, the Committee heard that officers worked closely with the local health services (community pharmacies and GPs) to review the local offer, to complement existing services in areas of high demand, and to offer alternative routes of access (e.g. by providing in person rather than phone-based support).

A Committee Member suggested that in light of recent high profile successes in women’s sport and the success of the ‘Man On’ initiative, officers might consider working with partners to offer a similar programme of sessions for women.

Committee Members commended officers for the report and thanked them for their work, noting that this had continued during the challenging times of covid.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.