Champs Public Health Collaborative System Leadership Meeting | Key messages | May 2026

The Cheshire and Merseyside Directors of Public Health met for their system leadership meeting on Friday, 15^th May 2026. The key messages from the meeting are below, along with items of good news and gratitude.

1. Sector led improvement programme on suicide prevention with the LGA – David Regan and Neil Peters from the LGA presented their findings to Directors, following a review of the Collaborative’s suicide prevention programme. Interviews with key stakeholders highlighted the challenges and opportunities and the review will inform the new suicide prevention strategy for Cheshire and Merseyside, which will be launched in 2027.
2. North West Coast Applied Research Collaborative (NWC ARC) update – Ben Barr, from Liverpool University, gave an overview of the draft first year work plan of the public health and prevention theme at NWC ARC, including objectives and planned activities. The work plan includes scoping and co-producing evaluations and implementation, supporting public health research networks, developing a community of practice, and support for place-based partnerships with evidence synthesis and research.
3. UKHSA North West update – The team has been dealing with the national and regional response to Hantavirus in light of the recent outbreak, which included the transfer of some passengers who are now isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.
4. Population health update – The Director of Population Health and team have also been working on the response to Hantavirus. They are currently preparing for a visit by the National Director for Neighbourhood Health, Claire Fuller. A meeting was held around the Office of Pan-Integrated Care Board Commissioning (OPIC) focusing on what can be done well at scale.
5. Smoking Ends Here campaign update – Directors were updated on the campaign activity for the new Cheshire and Merseyside behaviour change campaign which encourages smokers to quit. The first TV advert will go out on 26 May followed by a PR campaign with local case studies. A communications tool kit, with assets, has been developed for partners to amplify the campaign, which will be uploaded to the Smoking Ends Here website.
6. Gambling related harms – An options paper was presented by Katie O’Farrell and Esther Hindley from Knowsley on gambling related harms, with options for consideration including potential joint work on a needs assessment.
7. Good news and gratitude – the Champs Directors’ shared items of good news and gratitude:
   1. Mike Bridges and Becky Mellor will be presenting at the HSJ reducing health inequalities conference on the recently launched Cheshire and Merseyside All Together Fairer Neighbourhoods Framework
   2. Andrew Furber from DHSC North West thanked all colleagues who have been involved in the response to Hantavirus.
   3. The progress on the NHS Prevention Pledge was recently shared with the national public health team.
   4. The Halton public health team held a successful strategic planning meeting, which included a session on neighbourhood health.
   5. Liverpool will be presenting at a WHO conference on their healthy cities work.
   6. Warrington have been shortlisted for two HSJ digital awards for their Living Well Hub website.