Agenda item

1.    The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Mrs Clair Bell, gave a verbal update on the following:

a)    The Kent Drug and Alcohol Strategy 2023-28 public consultation, available at  https://letstalk.kent.gov.uk/drugandalcoholstrategy, was open from the 6^th of September 2022 until the 31^st of October 2022. Kent residents were encouraged to share their experiences and views of local drug and alcohol services to help shape the new five-year strategy. The strategy was owned and overseen by the Kent Substance Misuse Alliance,a partnership of key organisations including councils, Kent Police, and emergency services. The strategy would build on the successes of the previous strategy and aimed to tackle drug and alcohol misuse through prevention, treatment and recovery, and community safety. The 13 strategic priorities in the strategy were informed by local needs and were also aligned with the national drug strategy: ‘From Harm to Hope’. It was said that while self-reported weekly consumption of alcohol had declined significantly in the younger age groups in Kent, it had increased for those 45 years or older. Illicit drug misuse continued to be a key issue in Kent and self-reported illicit drug use has increased in the 25-29 age category.

b)    World Suicide Prevention Day had taken place on 10^th September 2022. Mid-Kent Mind, a Maidstone based mental health charity part-funded by Kent County Council, urged people on this day to access free suicide prevention and awareness training. Further training dates had been launched and further information was available on the website - https://www.maidstonemind.org/mid-kent-mind-home/. Mid-Kent Mind was launching a video to encourage people to think about the steps that could be taken to support someone who may be feeling suicidal. This followed partnerships in educational, commercial, and voluntary settings. Members and the public were reminded of help available in Kent, including the Release the Pressure helpline (0800 107 0160) and the mental health text service which was available through texting the word ‘Kent’ to 85258. Further information about Release the Pressure was available at:  https://www.kent.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/health/release-the-pressure.

2.    Dr Anjan Ghosh, Director of Public Health, gave a verbal update and presentation on the following:

a)    It was said that the COVID-19 baseline was low. The ONS infection survey indicated a prevalence of 1.1% for South East England. Whilst there were limited data sources because testing had stopped in most settings, Public Health observed the ONS survey data for any change in direction of trend. Case rates remained highest in persons over 50, however, the start of term had resulted in the accelerated increase of case rates for primary school aged children. Care homes and hospitals continued to have a low and stable trend. Modelling suggested a surge in COVID-19 cases towards the end of November or early December. Additionally, the Australian example suggested the potential of a ‘Twindemic’ of flu and COVID-19 this winter. In light of this, there was an anticipated challenge for business continuity. There was an agreed a set of escalation triggers for seeking enhanced advice regarding business continuity.

b)    The Integrated Care System formally came into operation on the 1^st of July 2022. It was a statutory requirement of the Integrated Care Partnership to develop a Kent and Medway Integrated Care Strategy. The initial strategy needed to be published by December 2022. It was said that the strategy had a strong emphasis on evidence-based priorities drawn from strategic needs assessments and local strategies. The focus of the strategy was on improving public health, reducing disparities and improving wellbeing. Public Health had a role in providing input on disparities in health and social care, population health and prevention, health protection, needs across life course, research and innovation, and wider determinants.  The Kent Public Health Strategy, in the context of the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Strategy, would set out the Public Health priorities and actions to be carried out in Kent.

c)    In response to questions from Members it was said:

i)             Dr Ghosh would report back to Members on the COVID-19 figures compared to same quarter in previous year. Dr Ghosh would also provide the Committee with an update on the uptake of the COVID-19 autumn booster.

ii)            It was said that the Kent Public Health Strategy would take the national NHS England and NHS Improvement Core20PLUS5 approach to reducing health inequalities. The approach defines a target population cohort – the most deprived 20% of the national population – and five clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement. The Kent strategy would also include the consideration of additional areas such as addiction and obesity.

iii)           Ms Constantine requested that an item on the Public Health implications of the proposed air-cargo hub at Manston Airport be brought to a future meeting of the Committee. 

iv)           Members were assured that ongoing work was being carried out by the Public Health team to address health inequalities and other priorities identified in the strategies. The activity of the services would not be postponed until the implementation of the strategies.

3.    RESOLVED to note the verbal updates.