Agenda item

Oscar Holden, Corporate Improvement Officer, and Emily Parry-Harries, Director of Public Health, to provide an update on the Health and Wellbeing Strategy action plan.

Oscar Holden, Corporate Improvement Officer, presented an update on the Health and Wellbeing Priorities.  The Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy 2025-30 was agreed at the Board’s meeting in June and endorsed by Cabinet on 15^th September, 2025 (Minute No. 40 refers).  The priorities, agreed in principle, were:-

Priority 1:  We will reduce the prevalence of smoking in Rotherham to 5% by 2030

Priority 2:  We will increase the wellbeing of the people of Rotherham to above national average by 2030

Priority 3:  We will increase the proportion of people who feel they have the support and resources they need to manage their own health

Priority 4:  We will promote environments which support and enhance wellbeing

The finalised wording and metrics for the priorities had been further discussed at a meeting on 24^th November, 2025:-

Priority 1 “We will reduce the prevalence of smoking in Rotherham by 5% by 2030”

Metrics

-        Smoking rate (from existing Public Health metrics)

-        Another metric that potentially measured smoking prevalence by areas of deprivation

Priority 2 “We will increase the good mental health of the people of Rotherham towards the national average by 2030”

Metrics

-        Happiness measure for adults and a similar source for children and young people (from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment)

-        Life satisfaction question (Office of National Statistics)

Priority 3 “We will increase the proportion of people who feel they have the care and resources they need to support their own health”

Metrics

-        Measure for soft services access

-        Measure for families and wider support

Priority 4 “People in Rotherham have access to environments that promote their health and wellbeing and they understand why this matters”

Metrics

-        Community Safety measure (from existing Safer Rotherham Partnership metrics)

-        One other metric that will include one of the following:  access to healthy food, adults take recommended exercise, air quality, public transport

Action Plan

Oscar also reported on the following feedback from the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board as follows:-

·         Consider the suggestions for smokefree zones, mental health support and family-friendly initiatives

·         Explore ways to promote services and activities such as through social media and in community spaces

·         Continue to involve children, young people and families in shaping and renewing the strategy priorities.

Councillor Baker-Rogers had been invited to the next Partnership Board meeting in January to continue to involve children and young people in the Health and Wellbeing Board.  These would be considered further once the new action plan was in place.

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised/clarified:-

·        Healthwatch UK had put together a detailed consultation and feedback on the 4 priorities.  These would be discussed at the January Board meeting

·        Some of the measures were easier to measure than others.  Metrics were needed that would give sufficient confidence that they were improving

·        Children and young people had been rarely mentioned in the past but were now feeding their views into the priorities/discussions taking place

Resolved:-  (1)  That the 4 Rotherham Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025-30 Priorities be agreed.

(2)  That a further discussion take place at the January meeting on the specific metrics for the corresponding Priorities.

(3)  That the feedback on the suggested priorities provided by the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board in October 2025 be noted.

(4)  That the new approach to the Health and Wellbeing action plan be agreed.