Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing submitted a report which provided an insight into the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and health data and how this could help Members in their role of health scrutiny.

The Chairman referred to JSNA data on Bishop’s Stortford Central Ward adding that it was the 65^th most deprived ward in England.

The Environmental Health Promotion Officer provided an overview of the JSNA and referred to other online sources of health information available to all, the detail of which was set out in the report.  He stated that the JSNA was an online tool which Members could use to extract, compare and contrast data affecting their ward to information held nationally.  The Environmental Health Promotion Officer explained that the JSNA was also useful in providing “soft intelligence” such as perceptions of public safety and comparative data which could then be used to build up a layered profile of the District. 

The Environmental Health Promotion Officer encouraged Members to log onto the JSNA and welcomed their feedback.

In response to a request from Councillor J Kaye that ward information from the JSNA be circulated to all Members, the Leader explained that although a hard copy could be useful, in order for it to be used effectively, the data needed to be compared and contrasted for it to be meaningful.  She added that East Herts was above average for its range of health profile indicators in relation to the Country as a whole but that East Herts should be exceptional.

The Director of Finance and Support Services stated that the Members’ Information Bulletin (MIB) was published weekly and that she would arrange for an overview of the JSNA and the link to the website to be included in a future edition of the MIB.  In the meantime, Officers would circulate a copy of JSNA Ward Profiles to Members.  This was supported.

The Committee agreed the report.

RESOLVED – that (A) the data on the JSNA and other health sources be noted as being a central focus for evidence in terms of scrutinising public health areas and outcomes;

(B)       the JSNA and other health data sources be used by Members and promoted to Parish and Town Councils to provide health information at a local level;

(C)       Members needing training on the use of the JSNA and other health data contact Officers;

(D)       feedback on the usability and improvements to the JSNA be directed to Officers; and

(E)       Officers provide Members of the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee with a hard copy JSNA ward profile with a subsequent article on the JSNA and link included in a future Members’ Information Bulletin.