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  • Agenda item
  • Agenda item

    Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) Performance Report - Adults

    To receive a report from the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Commissioning and Public Health and the Director of Public Health, giving an overview of the latest trends across a sample of public health measures.  The committee is asked to note and comment on the information set out and any additional indicators which it wishes to see included in future reports.

     

    Minutes:

    Mr G Abi-Aad, Head of the Public Health Observatory, was in attendance for this item.

     

    1.            Mr Scott-Clark introduced the report and explained that, as part of the Health and Social Care Act, three sets of outcomes were recorded; for NHS, social care and public health.  Kent’s performance under these three headings would be compared to national outcomes.  Mr Abi-Aad added that Kent mostly showed up well when compared to national outcomes, in areas such as life expectancy at birth and preventable premature mortality (i.e. under 75), but not so well in terms of increasing smoking levels, alcohol-related hospital admissions and depression.  Kent also continued to be challenged in two areas: reducing the suicide rate, which was above the national average, and addressing late presentation of patients with HIV symptoms, with which Kent had struggled historically.

     

    2.            Mr Scott-Clark and Mr Abi-Aad responded to comments and questions from Members, including the following:-

     

    a)    links between poor mental health and higher suicide rates were well known but there had also been media coverage of the link between the use of certain anti-depressants and higher rates of suicide;

     

    b)    asked what could be done to address the late presentation of HIV symptoms, Mr Scott-Clark explained that cases of HIV were rarer now and GPs tended to look at and rule out other possible illnesses before considering HIV. Some GPs may never have seen a case of HIV.  Mr Abi-Aad added that, although rarer now, HIV cases were increasing as screening for the disease had improved in recent years. Mr Scott-Clark added that the effectiveness of treatment was very good, and the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) method of preventing infection, trialled in 2017, had had some impact.  Many people still wanted to be able to take a pill rather than use a condom to protect against infection;

     

    c)    Public Health England was working on a more localised comparison of figures, using statistical neighbours and authorities of similar sizes, and was looking at combining several indicators into one to make recording easier. The figures recorded in the red, amber and green bandings were percentages of population, so fluctuations may reflect changes in population and not necessarily prevalence of conditions. Ratings were set by Public Health England rather than by the County Council.  Ratings for Kent as a whole also did not reflect variations in rates in different areas across a large county.  Mr Abi-Aad explained that regional figures were available and a link to local health profiling would be supplied to all Members after the meeting.  This was subsequently done; and

     

    d)    work was going on to identify and measure the impact of adverse childhood experiences, for example, domestic abuse or child sexual exploitation, on a young person’s later life, educational attainment and mental health.  Studies in the United States of America had also highlighted a link between adverse childhood experiences and public health. Work was in hand between health, early years and specialist children’s services colleagues to develop a holistic approach to addressing this issue

     

    3.            It was RESOLVED that:-

     

    a)    the public health trends and outcomes set out in the report be noted; and

     

    b)    the additional indicators listed in appendix 2 to the report be included in future reports.

     

    Supporting documents: