This meeting of the Hertfordshire & West Essex Integrated Care Partnership will include for discussion a range of topics relating to public health in Hertfordshire and West Essex, including childhood obesity, and a presentation on the Essex Healthy Weight Strategy. The meeting will also include for discussion the NHS 10-year plan consultation.

Tackling Childhood Obesity in Hertfordshire and West Essex

This meeting will include for discussion the serious issue of childhood obesity in Hertfordshire and West Essex.

The meeting will include for discussion a proposal for the partnership to agree on a series of pledges that will shape their response to the issue. The pledges cover topics including:

• Working to reduce health inequalities.
• Reviewing the food available in settings run by the organisations represented in the partnership to ensure that healthy options are available.
• Investing in health literacy to help local people make informed decisions about their diet and exercise.
• Providing training to frontline health and care professionals to support them in discussing healthy weight with children, young people, parents and adults.
• Working with food retailers to encourage them to offer healthier options.
• Using local planning policy to limit the proliferation of hot food takeaways near to schools.
• Improving the delivery of existing policies that are designed to improve diets and increase exercise in early years settings and schools.

A report included in the meeting pack for this discussion suggested that:

The planning and implementation of the pledges, whilst developed at an ICP level, will be informed by local places, systems and existing infrastructure. The assets and activity already underway to address child obesity will differ across Hertfordshire and West Essex, and localised action plans will reflect this where appropriate.

The meeting will include a presentation by Elozona Umeh, the Health and Wellbeing Programme Lead at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, on the topic of improving diets and reducing obesity.

The meeting will also include for discussion the outcomes of a survey on childhood obesity that was circulated to members of the partnership in advance of the meeting.

Essex Healthy Weight Strategy

The meeting will include a presentation from Adrian Coggins, the Head of Wellbeing and Public Health, Healthy Weight and Place Based Working at Essex County Council about the Essex Healthy Weight strategy.

The strategy is based on the idea that:

Informed failure is a “badge of honour” but naive failure should be unacceptable. Let’s not fail because we haven’t thought hard enough about the right things to do and how to reframe the issue!

The strategy is organised into a series of sub-systems:

• Food Environment.
• Physical Activity Environment
• Educational Settings
• Lifestyle
• Workplace and Community Facilities
• Weight Management Services and Support
• Awareness and Education
• System Leadership, Infrastructure and Influence.

A report included in the meeting pack for the meeting explains that:

Of all the things which could be done, WHAT ARE THE THINGS WHICH WILL GIVE US THE GREATEST IMPACT FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE FOR THE LONGEST TIME?

The report goes on to say that Essex County Council:

can advise/give some support but not DO the local actions.

NHS 10-Year Health Plan Consultation

The meeting will include for discussion the NHS England 10-year Health Plan Consultation. The consultation is a response to an independent review of the NHS in England, published in September 2024 by Lord Darzi, that concluded that the NHS is facing a significant challenge.

The consultation is taking place via a national conversation called “Change NHS: help build a health service fit for the future”.