Agenda item

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Ros Jervis, Director of Public Health with the Hywel Dda University Health Board.

The Director outlined her key responsibilities which include working with Local Authorities to drive the wider public health agenda across public services and to lead on the assessment of need, contributions to Wellbeing Plans and strategic planning for the University Health Board.

Her role also included the following responsibilities:-

·       Acting as the public health executive lead for Local Authorities;

·       Access point for specialist and national services from Public Health Wales;

·       Working closely with relevant organisations to ensure high levels of local resilience;

·       Providing leadership on the public health implications of service reconfiguration and supporting the quality improvement and patient safety agenda.

The Director then proceeded to outline her priorities over the coming months:-

·       Strong and visible leadership;

·       Vaccination and immunisation;

·       Bringing population health into strategic planning;

·       Developing effective partnerships;

·       Implementing the University Health Board strategic objectives:

·       Risk taking behaviour

·       Obesity

·       Cancer prevention and early detection

·       Maintaining effective emergency planning and health protection arrangements;

·       Supporting the quality and safety agenda;

·       Social prescribing/community resilience;

·       Leading the Children’s Public Health Nursing Team

She referred to the overlap in the provision of some services and stressed the importance of partnership working.

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session during which the following questions were asked:-

·       Asked what was meant by risk taking behaviour, the Director explained that this included behaviours where an individual may come to harm e.g. smoking, drug taking, misuse of alcohol and it was all about targeting those individuals and supporting them;

·       Asked how the Health Board and Local Authority could work together to promote the afore-mentioned initiative, the Director informed the Committee that in her previous post she formed a very good working relationship with the Local Authority Licensing Committee on issues such as Alcohol Misuse Policies and she hoped to replicate that in this post.  She added that it was important to work together to get the communications right and pitch the message in the right way;

·       Reference was made to mental health and then tragedy of a young person taking their own life and the importance was stressed of working collaboratively to tackle some of the issues involved.  The Director informed the Committee that the Health Board is in the process of transforming its mental health services.  She added that with regard to mental wellbeing, it is all about having the support in place and being proactive rather than reactive;

·       Asked how she planned to address the issue of obesity the Director explained that you cannot provide a service just to deal with an overweight person.  There were many factors involved and there should be a far more holistic approach including support and prevention e.g. promoting active lifestyles and to this end it was important to engage with schools and involve school children and young people.  It was also important to work with retailers in terms of product placement.  She intended to work collaboratively with the Local Authority, third sector and private sector on this issue as assistance currently focussed on individual pathways but a far more holistic approach is needed.

The Chair thanked the Director for attending the meeting and for a most interesting and informative presentation.