Decision details

Update on the progress of the Public Health funded one-off projects

43.1     The Acting Director of Public Health introduced the report. The Committee thanked officers for the detailed progress report on the three tranches of projects receiving one-off funding. It commented that there is a total of £6.3m worth of one-off projects in Tranche 2, of which almost £4m is linked to the Community Resilience programme. A summary of the key points raised during the discussion of the report is given below.

43.2     Suicide Prevention.

·        This has been a successful project with a number of aspects moved into mainstream service provision. Work from the project has been included as a case study in the nationally published Public Health England Local Suicide Prevention Planning document. The Committee asked if it was possible to quantify the number of lives saved. The Chair indicted that records of the Beachy Head Chaplaincy show that they intercept around one suicidal person per day, equating to around 350 people a year and that they prevent around 9 out of 10 people they intercept from committing suicide. The Acting Director of Public Health confirmed that Public Health will continue working on Suicide Prevention as it is a core function and so is reflected in mainstream budgets.

43.3     Safer Streets – East Sussex Road Safety Programme

·        The Public Health team are working with colleagues in the Communities, Economy and Transport (CET) department who are delivering this project. A joint Review Board was established with the Economy, Transport and Environment (ETE) Scrutiny Committee who received an update report at their meeting held on the 14 September 2016. The Senior Democratic Services Advisor to email a copy of the report to the Committee.

·        A further project progress report will be presented to the ETE Scrutiny Committee in June 2017. Implementing 20 mph zones is one of the areas of work being considered by the East Sussex Road Safety Programme, as well as other speed reduction and road safety engineering schemes. However, the main focus is on driver behaviour and how to change it.

43.4     Reduced incidents of self-harm in young people

·        This project is finished and was reviewed by a cross Council group and is achieving some success in reducing self-harm.

43.5     Addressing Obesity

·        Obesity figures are of concern. The Committee asked who is going to deliver some of these programmes in schools and whether the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee is receiving updates on the programmes.  The Acting Director of Public Health will follow this up with Children’s Services so that the Scrutiny Committee receives the information.

43.6     Re-Offending levels.

·        The Committee asked if this project had achieved a step change in re-offending rates.  The Acting Director of Public Health outlined that this area will need continued intervention, but will get an update from Children’s Services for the Committee.

43.7     Community Resilience

·        The Community Resilience programme work is reviewed by the East Sussex Better Together (ESBT) Programme Board. The Acting Director of Public Health explained that the programme seeks to achieve greater Community Resilience by building upon assets within communities and the skills and assets of individuals to improve health and wellbeing and to reduce the need for statutory services. The Community Link workers have just been appointed and are linking to the integrated health and social care teams. The ‘Connecting For You’ programme, the transformation programme which covers the High Weald Lewes Havens area, has also now adopted the Community Resilience Programme as a key programme within their overall programme.

·        The funding to support the programme is based on the Cumbria model (previously reported).  In total 33 communities were identified in Chances for Change programme. The Committee asked if the update going to the ESBT Programme Board will be presented to the ESBT Scrutiny Board. The Acting Director of Public Health can provide details of the implementation plan and delivery of the programme to the ESBT Scrutiny Board as part of normal reporting arrangements.

43.8     Exploitation, Domestic and Sexual Abuse

·        The Committee commented that the update on this project indicates a successful step change so far judging by the progress made to specify services and the recruitment of specialist staff.

43.9     Embedding Health Improvements in Schools

·        This project provides funding to all schools and colleges to develop and implement a health improvement plan. This has a particular focus on tackling childhood obesity.

43.10   The Committee commented on how useful the update report had been in outlining the progress of the various one-off funded projects. The Committee considered that it was important that monitoring of the projects evaluate whether the objectives have been achieved, including if the learning has been incorporated into mainstream services. The Committee recommended that the whole of update report should go to the relevant service Scrutiny Committees, for information.

43.11   The Committee RESOLVED to:

1)           Thank the Public Health Team for their work;

2)           Recommend that the whole update report is sent to the relevant service Scrutiny Committees for information; and

3)           Request the monitoring of the projects evaluates whether they have achieved their objectives, including if the learning has been incorporated into mainstream activities, and whether there has been a sustainable step change or instead there exists a need for identified continuing funding.