The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday 3 September 2026 to discuss primary prevention within the context of Neighbourhood Health in Worcestershire and to review the committee's work programme. The meeting was scheduled to include an overview of how public health teams and partners are supporting a shift towards prevention and earlier intervention, as well as a review of the committee's planned activities for the upcoming year.

Primary Prevention in the Context of Neighbourhood Health

The committee was scheduled to receive an overview of the role of primary prevention within the Neighbourhood Health agenda in Worcestershire. This initiative aims to transform how health and care are delivered by moving more care into the community and addressing the wider determinants of health, which are understood to account for over 80% of health outcomes. The report pack outlined a three-domain framework for public health input into integrated neighbourhood systems: insight and intelligence, health improvement services, and community engagement and development.

The insight and intelligence domain focuses on understanding population needs and inequalities, with analysis shifting to smaller geographical areas like Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs). Statistical process control was to be used to identify variations in non-elective hospital admissions, with detailed neighbourhood profiles developed for priority areas.

Health improvement services were to be discussed as the practical translation of prevention priorities. This includes services for smoking cessation, weight management, falls prevention, substance misuse, and sexual health, all integrated under the Healthy Worcestershire programme. The report pack highlighted the development of an online portal for health and care professionals to access information and referral routes for these services, designed in collaboration with professionals. Promotion of these services through social media, community engagement, and local media was also to be covered. Specific initiatives mentioned included increased investment in online sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and the Quit Coach service delivered via WhatsApp for smoking cessation. Trading Standards' role in reducing illicit tobacco and non-compliant vaping products was also to be detailed. The report pack noted efforts to ensure accessibility for rural communities through the Family Hubs programme and the network of Healthy Worcestershire venues. Public health-funded youth work was also presented as a primary prevention approach.

Community engagement and development were to be discussed as essential for building trust and local ownership, with an asset-based approach focusing on community strengths. The expansion of the Public Health Community Wellbeing Grant Programme and its alignment with the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion were to be highlighted. The report pack noted that Worcestershire's community development programme had received national recognition.

The report pack indicated that these three domains interact to support Worcestershire's Neighbourhood Health programme, with insight and intelligence guiding service targeting, health improvement services reducing demand on acute care, and community development fostering local ownership. The committee was to be presented with recent prevention outcomes, including reductions in low birth-weight rates, smoking during pregnancy, and adult smoking prevalence, as well as improvements in preventable mortality and healthy life expectancy. The report pack also detailed challenges, such as the increasing number of children living in low-income households and child obesity, and outlined strategies to address these, including the expansion of the Family Hubs programme and work to reduce the availability of unhealthy food. Challenges in sexual health, including low testing rates, and planned responses were also to be discussed.

The committee was asked to consider and comment on the role of primary prevention within neighbourhood health, make recommendations for strengthening the programme, and determine if further information or scrutiny was required.

Work Programme

The committee was also scheduled to review its work programme for 2026/27. The report pack outlined the committee's responsibilities for scrutinising local NHS bodies and health services. The work programme, which had been discussed by the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board and agreed by Council, was to be presented for the committee's consideration. The committee was asked to agree any amendments to the programme and to retain flexibility for urgent issues. The report pack listed several topics scheduled for future scrutiny, including updates on stroke services, integrated care boards, long-term conditions, robotic surgery, ambulance service performance, and the annual review of public health. Potential future items for discussion included community mental health provision, social isolation, medical obesity, fall strategies, and various aspects of patient experience and service delivery.