Issue - meetings

The Director of Public Health presented a report which set out progress made to date regarding the East Berkshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). He emphasised the following points:

·  That the JSNA had been in place since 2007. It should be regarded as a live document that contained up-to-date information and data that was accessible to decision–makers ie commissioners of services.

·  It would aid commissioners in determining the current and future health, care and wellbeing needs of the wider population and in designing and evaluating service provision.

·  The Berkshire East Public Health Intelligence Team were leading on it on behalf of all three Health and Wellbeing Boards in East Berkshire.

·  The Berkshire East JSNA website was due to be completed by the end of 2021.

·  There were several layers of governance and oversight of the JSNA, which included the three Berkshire East Health & Wellbeing Boards, the Directors of Public Health and the Chief Executives of each of the three local authorities as well as the ICS, lead Public Health consultants, the JSNA steering Group and task and finish groups.

The Chair stated  she would like Board members, partners and  the Council as a whole use the JSNA. Awareness of the JSNA needed to be raised among health commissioners, the Joint Health & Social Care Board and the CCG.

Following a question regarding the inclusion of SEN and disabilities needs to inform commissioning and service provision, the Director of Public Health advised that the JSNA was a collation of wide range of topics and should contain everything needed by the NHS and local authority health commissioners. Any gaps in it could be easily be identified and rectified by the JSNA team.  He stated that he welcomed any feedback from the Board and other users which would help to make the JSNA more accessible and complete. He added that meetings of the steering group and the task and finish groups would offer an opportunity for partners and commissioners to provide feedback.

The Executive Place Managing Director advised that, from the CCG perspective, the JSNA was mainly used by those who had experience of working in local government and knew of its existence.  There was a need to raise awareness of the JSNA  among health commissioners and partners.

Action 2: That the sub-groups be requested to discuss how to best raise awareness of the JSNA; and

the Director of Public Health to provide a verbal update regarding this at the January 2022 meeting of the Board.

Resolved: That the East Berkshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment be noted and the proposed work programme and timelines be approved.