This meeting of the Health Scrutiny Panel was scheduled to consider the council's financial plans for 2025-2026 and hear a report on an enter and view visit to Penn Hospital. It was also scheduled for the Director of Public Health, John Denley, to present his 2024 annual report.

Our Future Council – Responding to the Financial Challenge

The report pack contained an update on the council's financial plans in light of what it describes as unprecedented financial challenges . The council is projecting a deficit of £11.2m in 2025-26 and £8.0m in 2026-27. The plans set out a number of savings proposals and targets . Those relevant to the Health Scrutiny Panel were:

• A proposal to rationalise leisure centres, including swimming pools, in order to reduce costs.
• A proposal to reduce the amount of money available in ward funds from £3,000 to £1,500 per councillor per year.
• A minimum savings target of £967,000 for Public Health and Wellbeing, to be achieved by reviewing community assets, reducing the number of buildings, and integrating services.

Healthwatch Enter and View Report on Penn and response from the Mental Health Trust

The report pack included a report on an enter and view visit to Penn Hospital, carried out by Healthwatch Wolverhampton¹ on 6 August 2024.

The report found that patients generally felt safe and appreciated the help offered, but some felt that they weren't listened to. Patients also said that they would like more staff. Healthwatch recommended that the hospital should:

• Recruit more staff who can take time to listen and give attention to the patients.
• Talk with the patients to address the concerns of overcrowding at night.
• Allow more support for the Activities Coordinator.
• Work with patients and the café to provide fresh, healthy meals that accommodate dietary needs.
• Make the courtyards a pleasant place to be; clean the fencing and have safe raised beds, maybe with edible plants.
• Involve patients in work to improve race equality.
• Install a date and time clock in a suitable place.
• Work with patients to make their recreational environment more homely.
• Ensure there are genuine listening opportunities in place both for staff and patients.

The report pack included a response from Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust², which runs Penn Hospital.

The Trust thanked Healthwatch for their visit and said that they were committed to providing the best possible services. They said that they had a number of initiatives underway to address the issues raised by Healthwatch, including:

• Providing opportunities for staff to share feedback and strengthening their people resources.
• Improving the therapeutic environment by implementing a pan Trust Therapeutic Environment Group, installing fence cloaking, and refurbishing wards.
• Exploring with patients what they can do to address concerns about overcrowding at night.
• Increasing the menu rotation for food provided to patients.
• Reviewing and remedying the strange odour in the multi-faith room.
• Sharing information about the Trust's Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework with Healthwatch.

The Trust also said that they had recently been visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)³ and that the CQC had commented positively on the therapeutic relationships between staff and patients.

Our Children, Our Future – Public Health Annual Report

The report pack contained the Director of Public Health's annual report for 2024, which focussed on children and young people.

This year's report focuses on children and young people and signifies the importance of investment in our children and building a foundation for a healthier population.

The report is presented in digital format and includes videos and case studies from local parents and partners. It covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Healthy Pregnancy
• Health Visiting
• Immunisations and Vaccinations
• Healthy Start Scheme
• Breastfeeding and Responsive Feeding
• Family Hubs

• HENRY⁴

• Sexual Health

• Relationships and Sex Education

• Oral Health

• Physical Activity

• Emotional Health & Wellbeing

• Youth Vaping

• Youth Violence

The report highlights the great partnership work that is taking place across the city to improve children's health and wellbeing. It also sets out a number of recommendations, including:

• We need to continue to build upon the priorities in our Health and Wellbeing Together strategy, Our City Our Plan⁵ and One Wolverhampton⁶, ensuring that childrens health and wellbeing are given equal priority as the rest of the population.
• Prioritising investment in the first 1,001 days and that everyone understands their role in supporting babies and families in these crucial years
• Invest in those programmes and initiatives that work for our population, which are improving outcomes and reduce inequalities for children and families (recognising that some children and young people have greater vulnerabilities).