Agenda item

Presented by Lorna Quinn – Public Health Intelligence Principal

Lorna Quinn, Public Health, gave the following presentation summarising the key findings of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA):-

People

-        The population of Rotherham was 268,400 (2022 mid-year 30^th June) estimate of population) with an age structure that was slightly older than the national average

-        The Rotherham population had increased steadily by approximately 1,000 per year from an estimated 259,400 in 2013 to 268,400 in 2022 (+3.5%)

-        Rotherham ranked as the 35th most deprived upper tier local authority in England on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 out of a total of 151 authorities

-        59 Rotherham neighbourhoods (Lower Super Output Areas or LSOAs) ranked among the 20% most deprived in England and 36 LSOAs were in the top 10% most deprived

Life Expectancy

-        Life expectancy at birth for males in Rotherham 2020-22 was 77.1 years; significantly lower than the England value of 78.9 years

-        Life expectancy at birth for women in Rotherham 2020-22 was 80.2 years; significantly lower than the England rate of 82.8 years

Healthy Life Expectancy

-        The healthy life expectancy at birth 2018-2020 in Rotherham was 58.7 years for a male, significantly lower than the England average of 63.1

-        The healthy life expectancy at birth 2018-2020 in Rotherham was 56.5 years for a female, significantly lower than the England average of 63.9

Health Behaviours

-        The Rotherham Drug and Alcohol Service has been supporting more people with substance and alcohol use; the number of new presentations to treatment for adults increased from 784 in 2021/22 to 959 in 2022/23; the number of new presentations to treatment for children aged under 18 increased from 27 in 2021/22 to 36 in 2022/23

-        There had been a significant increase in the percentage of physically active adults in Rotherham from 54.9% in 2018 to 64.4% in 2021.  Despite this, health conditions which were associated with having a lower risk in physically active adults (such as CHD, Stroke and Hypertension) all had significantly higher rates in Rotherham than Yorkshire and the Humber and England

-        Smoking prevalence in Rotherham resumed its steady decline in 2022 after a spike in 2021 and was currently at 14% of adults smoking compared with 12.7% across England.  Quit rates in Rotherham had nearly doubled from 1,580 in 2018 to 3,155 in 2022

-        Prevalence of depression in Rotherham had increased between 2013 and 2022 from 9.85% to 17.3% with the gap between England and Rotherham growing to 4 percentage points

-        Both the Gonorrhoea and Syphilis diagnostic rates in Rotherham rose significantly between 2020 and 2022.  The Gonorrhoea diagnostic rate remained better (lower) than the England average (94 compared to 146 per 100,000 population) whilst the Syphilis diagnostic rate was worse (higher) than the England average (16.5 compared to 15.4 per 100,000 population)

-        Around 1 in 4 (24.4%) children aged 4-5 years were categorised as overweight or obese for the 2021/22 to 2022/23 period, however, this was 2 in 5 (40.2%) for children aged 10-11 years for the same period.  For adults almost 3 in 4 (71.9%) were categorised as overweight or obese in 2021/22

Community and Neighbourhoods

-        Interactive Ward profiles were available on the JSNA which detailed data available for the 25 Rotherham Wards

Environment

-        The percentage of mortality attributable to particular pollution for Rotherham 2021 was 5.3%.  It was important to understand that long term exposure to air pollution was not thought to be the sole cause of deaths.  Rather it was considered to be a contributory factor.  Given that much of the impact that air pollution had on mortality was linked with cardiovascular deaths, it was considered that it made a contribution to some of perhaps even all cardiovascular deaths

-        In 2023 Borough-wide Nitrogen Dioxide recordings were lower than in 2019 for every month of the year

-        In Rotherham local area greenhouse gas emissions increased by 1.1% from 2020 to 2021 driven by a 4.1% increase in emissions from transport

-        The risk of flooding from surface water was included in the Rotherham JSNA for the first time this year complementing a previous contribution on the risk of flooding from rivers.  By comparing the number of residential addresses in areas of flood risk with the distribution of relative deprivation within Rotherham, it had been shown that people living in more deprived areas were over-represented amongst the population at risk of flooding, for all flood risk categories, likelihoods and hazard ratings included in the study

-        Land surface temperatures, tree canopy cover and minimum near-surface air temperatures during heat periods were combined in a single ‘heat exposure’ indicator in the Rotherham JSNA for the first time this year.  Areas indicated as being more exposed to heat were concentrated in Rotherham Town Centre or were nearby conurbation of Sheffield e.g. parts of Brinsworth, Catcliffe and Waverley

-        The 2021 Census indicated that the private rented sector accounted for 15.3% of Rotherham households – a 2.3% point increase from 2011

-        In 2022 16.6% of Rotherham households were living in fuel poverty

-        Road traffic collision occurrences were increasing since a decrease in 2020 with collisions resulting in death or serious injury showing a slight decrease since 2016

-        Transport demand was increasing since Covid-19 but had not  yet reached pre-Covid levels. 

-        The proportion of travel undertaken by car appeared to have increased

Socio-economic

-        Between October 2022-September 2023 43,600 residents aged 16-64 were economically inactive in Rotherham.  5,800 (13.4%) of these wanted a job

-        13,200 Rotherham residents were experiencing long term sickness between October 2022-September 2023.  The recent release of January-December 2023 data showed that this had increased to 16,100

-        In January 2024 Rotherham’s JSA/UC claimant count (as a proportion of residents aged 16-64) was 4.3%.  Although this was lower than the count in January 2021 (6.9%) it had still not returned to the pre-Covid level of 3.6% seen in January 2020

-        The percentage of eligible 2 year olds in Rotherham taking up an early education place continued to rise with 89% taking up a place in the 2022/23 academic year.  Take-up of early education had a positive impact on outcomes for children and was a priority for the local authority

-        Using data from the 2024 Spring School Census, 4.6% of Rotherham school pupils had a reported Education, Health and Care Plan, 0.8% higher than Rotherham’s statistical neighbours (3.8%) and slightly above the national average (4.2%).  Speech and language and social, emotional and mental health needs remained the highest identified primary need across all pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

-        Data on the rate of children who had been referred to Social Care (per 10,000 children in each area) and were on a Child Protection Plan, showed a continued safe and steady decline.  Low Child Protection rates were good.  Rotherham had seen a reduction from a peak in 2017 of 114.3 to 70 at the end of March 2023

-        Data on the rate of young people aged 10-17 years (per 10,000 young people aged 10-17 in each area) who entered the Youth Justice system and consequently re-offended showed a decline from the previous reported year (11) and was lower than all comparators

-        Children Centre engagement rates increased between 2015/16 and 2019/20 from 63% to 75%, however, due to Covid-19 restrictions they fell to 69% in 2021/22 but had now increased to 73% in 2022/23

-        Currently there were over 3,700 individuals in Rotherham who were accessing Adult Social Care.  Approximately 47% of these were aged 75 years or older and around 57% were female.  The primary support reason for more than half of users was for ‘physical support’

-        The 2021 Census showed that over 23,000 people, around 10% of the population, provided some amount of unpaid care.  12,785 people, around 5%, provided over 35 hours of unpaid care per week.  Central areas of Rotherham, among some of the more deprived areas of the Borough, had the highest proportion of claimants of Carers Allowance and Disability-related benefits

-        Inclusion health was a new profile for the JSNA and covered a range of groups that experienced health inequalities including people in contact with the Criminal Justice system, vulnerable migrants and refugees and people experiencing homelessness.  For the 2022/23 financial year there were 1,236 Rotherham households assessed as being owed a prevention or relief duty for homelessness (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 2023).  Of this 428 households were assessed as being threatened with homelessness within 56 days with a homelessness prevention duty being owed as a result

Discussion ensued with the following points raised/clarified:-

-        The JSNA had one full annual refresh and quarterly reviews

-        Support provided to the voluntary sector on how to access the JSNA and used in the submission of funding bids.  Annual session also with Neighbourhood Area Co-ordinators to inform the Ward plans

-        The Drug and Alcohol Service was undertaking a big piece of work and increasing treatment/finding those who were not in treatment but needed treatment.   There were very few under 18’s injecting drug users – they were more Cannabis users.  More detail on the under 18’s presenting for treatment would be sought

-        Raise awareness of the JNSA and use it for the purpose of commissioning services/engagement work

-        Any comparisons across South Yorkshire would be beneficial

-        There was a lot of work taking place under the Food Strategy and Physical Activity Strategy with regard to child obesity.  The work of Sport England and the Place Expansion funding would be really important around the physical infrastructure for children to play

-        A lot of work had taken place on the Active Travel infrastructure.  It was important that the parents felt confident that their children could go out and use cycle pathways etc.

-        The issue of decrease in women’s life expectancy was hugely complex; some of it would be down to the pandemic and some would be as a consequence of the cost of living crisis.  Life expectancy was increasing in most parts of society but declining in the most deprived part of society and was a national picture

Lorna and the team were thanked for the work that went into producing the JSNA.

Resolved:-  That the report and presentation be noted.