The Rotherham Health and Wellbeing Board met on 24 September 2025, and approved the Tobacco Control Work Plan, the Vaping Position Paper, and the Child Death Overview Panel Annual Report. The board also noted the findings of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment and the evaluation of the 3-4 month health visiting check.

Director of Public Health Annual Report

The board received a presentation on the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025 from Lorna Quinn, Public Health Intelligence Principal, and Alex Hawley, Interim Director of Public Health. This year's report focuses on creative health within the borough, and how arts, creativity, and culture can improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people, particularly in light of Rotherham being named the world's first Children's Capital of Culture (CCoC) for 2025¹. The report is structured around the four CCoC programme themes:

• You're Not From New York City, You're From Rov'rum: supporting young people to have agency and create change, building pride in Rotherham as their home.
• Who We Are, Where We Come From: enabling children and young people to develop a sense of community and belonging through the arts and culture, enhancing their mental health and critical thinking.
• Plug In & Play: increasing opportunities for play in digital and physical spaces, as well as fostering physical activity and participation in sport.
• The World Beneath Our Feet: enabling children and young people to engage with nature and their local environment and take action to combat climate change.

The report makes several recommendations, including a comprehensive evaluation of the Children's Capital of Culture programme, a legacy programme to build on the success of the CCoC, and long-term sustainable funding to support engaging children and young people in arts, culture and creativity.

Tobacco Control Update

Amelia Thorp, Public Health Specialist, presented the Tobacco Control Update and sought approval for a three-year multi-partner Tobacco Control Work Plan for Rotherham and a Vaping Position Paper for Rotherham.

Key points from the update included:

• Smoking prevalence in Rotherham is 14.5%, significantly higher than the national average of 11.6%.
• Smoking is the single largest driver of health inequalities in England.
• Rotherham is projected to miss the Smokefree 2030 target.
• A ringfenced £70m Local Stop Smoking Services and Support Grant was announced with the intention of supporting an additional 360,000 people to quit smoking nationally. Rotherham was allocated £384,845 in funding for 2024/25 with a similar amount (to be confirmed annually) each year through to 2028/29, giving an estimated total of £1.92m over five years.
• The South Yorkshire Tobacco Control Alliance was formed in 2024, with the primary aim to collectively accelerate efforts in eliminating smoking across the region and contribute to the achievement of making South Yorkshire Smokefree by 2030.
• Concerns about the increase in vape use in young people, particularly children, who have never smoked. A Vaping Harms Action Plan will be developed in partnership with local stakeholders.

The board approved the Tobacco Control Work Plan and the Vaping Position Paper.

Child Death Overview Panel Annual Report 2024-25

Alex Hawley, Public Health Consultant/CDOP Chair, presented the Child Death Overview Panel Annual Report 2024-25. The report outlined the activities and findings of the Rotherham Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) for the period April 2024 to March 2025.

Key points from the report included:

• In 2024-25 there were 20 child deaths notified in Rotherham, but the panel reviewed 29 cases, partly because additional panels were held as part of a concerted effort to reduce the backlog of cases awaiting a review.
• Modifiable factors were identified in four Rotherham CDOP reviews. These identified issues related to the use of seatbelts in modified vehicles, the management of tracheostomies in babies and the importance of good communication between professionals.
• The risk of child death increases with deprivation.

The board approved the annual report for publication.

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment

Lorna Quinn, Public Health Intelligence Principal, presented the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA). The purpose of a PNA is to assess and set out how the provision of pharmaceutical services can meet the health needs of the population. The draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment has been updated to cover the period 2025-2028.

Key findings of the assessment included:

• Overall, access to pharmaceutical services is increasing in Rotherham. Most of the population live within easy access of a pharmacy and good physical access is supplemented by growth in national online service provision.
• The Rotherham Health and Wellbeing Board is satisfied that there is sufficient choice with regard to obtaining pharmaceutical services in Rotherham.
• The board identified that there would be need for pharmaceutical provision if one of the four 100-hour pharmacies reduced their opening hours to no longer cover evenings (17:00 onwards) or weekends (Saturday and Sunday).
• There are no new housing developments of significant size during the lifetime of the document, and the population projections are not predicted to increase to sufficient size to create unmet pharmaceutical need providing services remain as are at the time of writing.

The board noted the findings of the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment.

Evaluation of the 3-4 Months Health Visit Check

Lorna Quinn, Public Health Intelligence Principal, presented the evaluation of the 3-4 Months Health Visit Check. The aim of the evaluation was to assess the impact of the 3–4-month health visit for child development benefits and the impact on the health care system.

Key findings of the evaluation included:

• The 3-4 month visit was positively received and widely supported, especially for new mothers and those who are struggling.
• Children eligible for the universal 3–4-month visit had 41% higher adjusted odds of having problem solving ASQ scores above the close monitoring cut-off zone at the 9-12 month visit when compared to those in the pre-intervention group.

The board noted the findings from the evaluation of the 3-4-month health visit.

Healthy Homes Plan

Rachel Copley, Public Health Practitioner, provided an update on the progress of the Healthy Homes Plan. The Healthy Homes Plan is an annually refreshed document outlining the significance of poor housing on health and wellbeing in Rotherham and the key steps being taken to improve the housing sector. It represents a collaboration across three council directorates (Public Health, Housing and Regeneration & Environment) and a variety of voluntary and community sector organisations. The plan has three main themes:

• Intelligence and Evidence Gathering
• Reducing Fuel Poverty in Rotherham
• Increasing Support and Assistance to Tackle Housing Related Health Risks