The Adult Social Care & Health Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday 5 September 2024 to discuss the Director of Public Health's Annual Report on health inequalities in Stockport, and to review the Working in Partnership Action Plan for adult social care. The committee also considered the Scrutiny Work Programme for future meetings.

Director of Public Health Annual Report

The committee received a report from the Director of Public Health highlighting significant health inequalities within Stockport. The report detailed how social determinants of health, such as deprivation, income, education, and environment, contribute to these disparities. Members noted the report with appreciation for its awareness-raising qualities.

Key points raised during the discussion included:

• Smoking Rates: While overall smoking rates in Stockport were close to the national average, there were stark variations between different areas, with rates as high as 40% in Lancashire Hill and parts of Brinnington, compared to 4.4% in an area of Marple. Smoking was identified as a major preventable risk factor for disease, contributing significantly to early mortality differences between socioeconomic groups. The upcoming Smoking and Vapes Bill was mentioned as a potentially impactful piece of legislation.
• Autism and ADHD Assessments: Concerns were raised about long waiting lists for autism and ADHD assessments, with an acknowledgement that Stockport has a programme in place to address this.
• Climate Change and Health: The need to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies with public health was emphasised, particularly in addressing the health impacts on the population.
• Community Design: The importance of community design, including the provision of appropriate schools and services, was discussed as a means to redress imbalances and promote equity.
• Information Dissemination: Clarification was sought on how the report's recommendations would be shared. It was confirmed that the information and data would be published on the Council's website, with efforts underway to create an accessible digest, and would also be submitted to the Health Executive Board.

The committee resolved to note the report.

Working in Partnership Action Plan

The committee reviewed a report from the Director of Adult Social Care outlining a framework for co-production, referred to by service users as Working in Partnership. This approach aims to involve individuals who draw on Adult Social Care support in a meaningful way, guided by pragmatic and transparent principles.

Members welcomed the report and the focus on improving collaborative working. Discussions highlighted:

• Staff Training: A significant emphasis was placed on training staff to work effectively with care users.
• Data Sharing: A key challenge identified was data sharing. To address this, client information is now pinned to files to ensure each service area has access, preventing clients from having to repeat their stories to multiple departments.
• Cultural Change: The embedding of this cultural change within the network was discussed, with the response indicating that the work is being delivered by individuals with lived experience and through induction sessions with senior social workers, supported by a clear action plan.

The committee resolved to note the report and endorse it for submission to Cabinet.

Scrutiny Work Programme

The committee considered a report detailing planned agenda items for its next meeting and items on the Forward Plan within its remit.

It was noted that senior colleagues from the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System (ICS) would be invited to a future meeting.

The committee resolved to:

1. Note the report.
2. Request the Assistant Director for Legal & Democratic Governance to confirm a date with the Greater Manchester ICS senior colleagues for their attendance at a future meeting.