The Adults, Wellbeing and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee of County Durham Council is scheduled to consider reports on suicide prevention, health protection assurance, and the transformation programme of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.

Suicide Prevention in County Durham

A joint report from the Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services and the Director of Public Health will be presented, detailing current and future activities aimed at reducing the rate of suicide across County Durham. The report highlights that suicide prevention has been a long-standing priority for Durham County Council, with a new Suicide Prevention Action Plan launched in October 2025, aligning with the national strategy. The plan focuses on eight strategic priorities, including improving data and evidence, providing tailored support to priority groups, addressing risk factors, online safety, crisis support, tackling means of suicide, bereavement support, and making suicide prevention a shared responsibility. Progress has been made on actions related to men's suicide prevention, embedding suicide prevention into the RSHE curriculum, communications, crisis support, community champions, and multi-agency assurance reviews. The committee will receive a presentation on the work of the Suicide Prevention Alliance, focusing on strategic oversight, progress, and challenges such as rising national need, addressing wider determinants of suicide, workforce capacity, and measuring success. Members will have an opportunity for a question-and-answer session with system partners. The report recommends that the committee note its contents and provide feedback to inform the ongoing development of the action plan. County Durham ranks 11th nationally for suicide rates, with approximately 74 deaths per year, 75% of which are men. The report notes that suspected suicides are disproportionately concentrated within the most deprived communities, highlighting the link between suicide risk and socioeconomic inequalities. It is estimated that for every person who dies by suicide, up to 135 people are affected.

Health Protection Assurance Annual Report June 2026

The committee is scheduled to review the Health Protection Assurance Annual Report for June 2026. This report provides an update on health protection assurance arrangements and activities in County Durham over the past year. Health protection is a mandated responsibility of local authorities under the Health and Social Care Act 2012¹, requiring a portion of the public health grant to be used for these services. In County Durham, the Health Protection Assurance Development Partnership (HPADP) provides governance for the health protection system. The report details evidence of practice, highlighting responses to communicable and non-communicable disease incidents, participation in national emergency planning exercises, improvements to sexual health screening, and efforts to protect communities from pests. Key achievements in 2025 included adapting the Association of Directors of Public Health's What Good Looks Like document for self-assessment, securing additional funding for the Childhood Immunisation Project to increase uptake in under-vaccinated communities, and participating in Exercise Pegasus to inform the Durham Local Pandemic Preparedness Plan. Areas for improvement in 2026/27 include embedding the What Good Looks Like assurance tool, reviewing screening governance, collaborating on an infection prevention and control action plan following a CPE outbreak, and developing and testing a comprehensive pandemic plan. The report recommends that the committee endorse its content, acknowledge the robust arrangements for health protection duties, and support efforts to address identified areas for improvement.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Transformation Programme Update

Representatives from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) are scheduled to provide an update on their transformation programme. The programme aims to improve mental health, learning disability, and autism services by delivering more care closer to home, preventing crises earlier, and making services more consistent and accessible. This aligns with the NHS 10-year plan and TEWV's medium-term transformation plan. Key service transformation priorities for County Durham include adult urgent care, adult planned care, older people's mental health, children and young people's services, adult learning disabilities, and specialist services. The programme focuses on a left shift of care, moving from hospital to community settings, building stronger neighbourhood mental health support with 24/7 centres and crisis alternatives, and fostering partnerships with local authorities, primary care, and voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) partners. There is also a focus on earlier help and prevention, including suicide prevention and dementia prevention, and reducing inequalities by tailoring services to local needs, particularly in deprived communities. The Trust reports achievements such as a 69% reduction in people waiting for assessment, reduced waiting times for first appointments, and zero inappropriate out-of-area inpatient placements. The update will also cover capital investment in Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres and a Crisis Assessment Suite at Lanchester Road Hospital, aimed at enabling care closer to home and providing alternatives to acute emergency departments. Challenges include the lack of ringfenced revenue funding for these developments and rising demand for services.