The Cheshire and Merseyside Directors of Public and Population Health met for their end of year Executive Board meeting on 25th April. Please find below the key messages from the meeting.
The Directors would like to thank all colleagues and partners for their contribution to collaborative programmes across Cheshire and Merseyside (C&M).
- The Directors reviewed the Champs Collaborative end of year report and gave an update on progress for each programme of work. Key highlights include:
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- All Together Fairer – good progress has been made on the headline ambitions, Children and Young People, Physical Activity and Healthy Weight, Housing and Health, All Together Smokefree and Social Value. The Child and Family Poverty report and the ambition that no child should live in poverty in C&M, has achieved wide support from system leaders. There is good engagement in all nine areas working together as a Marmot Community. Eight out of the nine places in C&M have successfully implemented the healthy advertising policy. The Health and Care Partnership strategy was refreshed to become the All Together Fairer: Our Health and Care Partnership Plan 2024-2029 with the three overarching principles 1) shifting investment to prevention and equity, 2) anti-poverty and 3) social justice, health and equity in all we do.
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- All Together Smokefree – the programme is fully mobilised with a strategic framework, agreed governance, and ongoing communications activity with the public facing “Smoking Ends Here” brand and website. A key PR moment saw the dramatic illumination of the St John’s Beacon in Liverpool and Chester landmarks being lit up for No Smoking Day 2025. The digital campaign reached around 4 million people in its first month. Directors have also driven advocacy work to support the Tobacco and Vapes legislation.
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- Communications, engagement and social marketing – Directors have been supported with impactful joint statements on key topics, presented at regional and national events and been interviewed by the media. Our public health system model has been highlighted in key national publications including the Kings Fund, LGA, Health Foundation and NHS Confederation. Collaborative campaigns such as Smoking Ends Here, Lower My Drinking, Kind to your Mind and Simple Things have successfully raised awareness and driven behaviour change. A series of proactive communications via the Collaborate newsletter and six social media channels have also been delivered.
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- Health protection – The health protection leads meet bimonthly with UKHSA and wider partners as a strategic leadership forum. The group worked collaboratively to support Local Authority responses to the COVID-19 Inquiry response for Module 7: Test, Trace and Isolate and delivered a successful CPD event on indoor air quality.
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- Mental wellbeing and suicide prevention – Work has continued on the priority work areas of domestic abuse, self-harm and safety planning for children and young people, and the enhancement of the real time surveillance system. An event on World Suicide Prevention Day had the theme of Change the narrative on suicide, with a call to action to ‘start a conversation’ and speakers included 3 Dads Walking. The new C&M Suicide Prevention Partnership website was developed for use by professionals and the Kind to Your Mind website launched for all people living and working in C&M.
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- Reducing harm from alcohol – National recognition has been received for the Programme for Alcohol Care and Treatment (PROACT) through a RSPH award nomination and presentation at two national conferences. A working group for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is improving timely access to alcohol services, for patients referred from midwives and community liver checks has identified people at risk of chronic liver disease.
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- Strategic intelligence – Progress has been made on both the All Together Fairer Beacon indicators and the development of a smoking status dashboard, drawing from primary care records. Collaboration across C&M has resulted in a more consistent approach to Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment development and the Trauma & Injuries Intelligence Group contract is now in place with Liverpool John Moores University.
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- Workforce development and wellbeing – A range of high-quality sub regional CPD events were delivered, hosting nearly 700 colleagues in total, including two highly successful workforce sessions on Coaching and systems leadership. A wide range of training opportunities were provided across Collaborative priority programmes.
2. The Directors approved the year end finance paper and also agreed the refreshed strategic delivery plan paper.
3. Two items will be escalated to the ADPH regarding the dangers of Ketamine and the approach to planning for fast food outlets.
4. Directors expressed their sadness that Janet Atherton, former Director of Public Health in Sefton and Wirral, has passed away. Janet was an integral part of the public health family in Cheshire and Merseyside and helped to set up the original Champs Public Health Network in 2003, as well as being ADPH President. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
5. The Directors shared items of good news and gratitude:
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- Thank you to all colleagues who contributed to the C&M LGA SLI reviews on suicide prevention and child poverty.
- St Helen’s indoor air quality project has featured on Radio 4
- Ruth du Plessis presented on child poverty at the recent VS6 event in Merseyside
- Following Cheshire East’s commercial determinants of health report, the BBC are interested in a follow up study with communities.
- Congratulations to Mark Palethorpe who has been appointed Chief Executive of St Helens Council
- Sefton Council have appointed Adam Major as Consultant in Public Health
- Debbie Watson presented at the recent Chartered Institute of Environmental Health national conference on public protection.
- Well done to everyone who produced and took part in the population health end of year report video.
