The Collaborative’s Executive Board met on 18th October and the key messages from the meeting are below along with items of good news and gratitude.
The Directors wish to thank local public health teams and system partners for their fantastic contributions.
- The Collaborative’s mid-year report was reviewed by the Champs 10 Directors and key achievements by our system together include:
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- All Together Fairer – Co-production of the Health and Care Partnership (HCP) Strategy “All Together Fairer: Our health and care partnership strategy”. Collaborative work, complemented by excellent local work in each authority with new HCP resources, for best start in life agreed.
- All Together Smokefree – Launched and agreed funding for a 3-year Strategic Framework and ambitious All Together Smokefree programme for Cheshire and Merseyside
- Child and family poverty – Co-produced Cheshire and Merseyside report with local leads, system and academic experts. This was published along with a unified statement with system partners generating significant media interest including; BBC Breakfast News, ITV, Radio Merseyside and Global Radio.
- Obesity/ healthy advertising – Enabled sub-regional policy changes on key priority areas such as healthy advertising, where five out of nine Cheshire and Merseyside councils have now implemented the policy.
- Public health workforce development and wellbeing – Shared findings from the public health workforce wellbeing pilot and delivered a wealth of training opportunities including the ‘All Together Inspired’ learning hub.
- Reducing harm from alcohol – Presented good practice at two national conferences, the Royal College of Nursing Education Forum National Conference and the National Alcohol Harms Conference. The alcohol and mental health pilot has been shortlisted for a Royal Society of Public Health Health and Wellbeing award. The Collaborative’s in-patient detox pilot has also been shortlisted for a Healthcare Financial Management Award.
- Suicide prevention – Led a World Suicide Prevention Day webinar for 120 system partners using the theme from the International Association of Suicide Prevention “Changing the narrative surrounding suicide”. In addition, an innovative domestic abuse and suicide awareness training package was delivered which was attended by 100 members of the Cheshire and Merseyside workforce.
- Strategic intelligence – Collaborated and established a consistent public survey across all areas, led by the Cheshire and Merseyside Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment group.
- Unique public health model with local government and the ICB – Established population health at scale programmes and the public health system model of working was recently highlighted by the King’s Fund as an exemplar.
2. Strategic discussion with Dr Ruth Hussey – Ruth Hussey, Non Executive Member of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside joined the Directors to share strategic reflections from her visits to the Integrated Care Partnerships across the patch.
3. Suicide rates – A discussion was held around the sad rise of suicide rates is some areas of Cheshire and Merseyside and across the North West in general, which is of great concern to Directors. The Directors are planning a Sector Led Improvement programme with the Local Government Association and collaborating with the North West Local Knowledge and Intelligence Service (LKIS) on a ‘deep dive’ into the data.
4. Good news and gratitude – The Directors shared items of good news and gratitude including:
- Congratulations to Margaret Jones, Director of Public Health in Sefton, who has been nominated for an Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) award. Margaret has been nominated in the Partnership category, which recognises individuals for their role in leading a successful partnership with a sector or organisation.
- Congratulations to Esther Hindley, Principal Public Health Officer, at Knowsley Council who has won a UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) award for her work on the healthy advertising policy.
- Cheshire East Council have recently agreed to implement the healthy advertising policy in their area, bringing the total up to five out of nine local authorities who have now agreed the policy which is great news.
- The All Together Fairer leads met last Thursday for their planning day which saw the launch of the new All Together Inspired website for anyone who wants to learn more about the social determinants of health and reduce health inequalities.
- The NHS Prevention Pledge summit was held on 15th October with delegates from across the 17 hospital trusts to celebrate success and share learning as it is rolled out across Cheshire and Merseyside.
- Cheshire West and Chester Council has been highlighted for good practice in the LGA Championing Inclusion Health report.
- Well done to everyone involved in the All Together Active Movement for Health stakeholder event which was held Friday 11 October.
