Champs Public Health Collaborative System Leadership Meeting | Key messages | August 2025

The Cheshire and Merseyside Directors of Public and Population Health met for their System Leadership meeting on Friday 22 August. You can read the key messages along with items of good news and gratitude on our website by using the link below.

1. Neighbourhood health – Prof. Ian Ashworth gave a presentation on the new neighbourhood model, as detailed in the Government’s 10-year plan. The presentation covered the six core components of an effective neighbourhood service and key features of integrated neighbourhood teams. The Directors had a discussion on the opportunities to embed prevention and challenges for their local areas. The next steps include building a shared understanding of neighbourhood health and hearing about the outcome of national bids from local areas.
2. UKHSA update – The UKHSA has appointed a new Chief Executive, Professor Susan Hopkins. Most of the focus this last month has been around managing measles outbreaks and thankfully, due to the school holidays, the number of cases has decreased. Cases could rise again in September when the schools return and multi-agency groups will be mobilised as necessary.
3. Escalation to ADPH – Directors agreed to escalate items to the ADPH around the shortage of medication to treat TB, the marketing of alcoholic drinks to young people and a possible ADPH statement around the public health impact of global conflict.
4. New chair and vice chair – The Directors thanked Professor Helen Bromley, Chair of the Champs Collaborative Executive Board, for her leadership over the last year. Helen announced that Dave Bradburn, Director of Public Health in Wirral, would take over as Chair on 1^st September and Debbie Watson, Director of Public Health in Warrington, would become vice chair.
5. Good news and gratitude: The Directors shared items of good news and gratitude:
   1. Knowsley, Wirral and Halton’s social services teams and Liverpool Women’s hospital have all received a “good” rating from the Care Quality Commission.
   2. In recent surveys, staff in Knowsley and Wirral have positively rated their experience of working in public health teams.
   3. Liverpool’s work on targeting families to encourage uptake of free school meals has enabled 100 more families to benefit from auto enrolment.
   4. The visit by No.10’s Mission Delivery Unit to Wirral went very well and their good practice was noted in relation to the quality of 2 to 2.5-year health and development reviews.
   5. Wirral’s “Branch” website to support the mental wellbeing of young people has been shortlisted for a digital innovation award.
   6. The LGA has published a case study about Champs Collaborative on its dedicated health inequalities hub.