Health and Wellbeing Board	22 January 2025
Report of the Director of Public Health

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment – Annual Update

Summary

1. This report provides members of the Health and Wellbeing Board with an update on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), including work undertaken in the last year by the York Population Health Hub, planned work for the coming year, and some key changes in the York population.  

2. At the Board meeting, officers will take the Board through a slide set introducing the JSNA. With JSNAs now nearly 20 years old, and with several new members recently joining the board, this will be an opportunity to remind members of the key role JSNAs should play within the Health and Wellbeing Board’s work, and outline the approach we have chosen to take in York.

Background

3. Health needs assessments (HNA) are a key tool within the public health field and specialism, used internationally as a coherent and robust tool to understand the needs and inequalities of populations and to underpin planning and decision-making. Whilst a variety of approaches can be beneficial, most HNAs incorporate elements of epidemiological assessment (e.g. trends in disease prevalence, service activity), comparative assessment (evidence and data from other areas) and stakeholder/patient assessment (e.g. focus groups, surveys).

4. Work on the JSNA is closely aligned to local work on a ‘population health management’ approach to health and care services. Because of this, the JSNA is routinely discussed as part of the Population Health Hub (PHH). The hub’s purpose is to put the development and delivery of population health management (PHM) programmes and the data which sits within the JSNA at the heart of local decision-making in health, care and other services.

Summary of work in 2024

5. As requested by HWBB, the population health hub are refreshing the cost of living pack. Highlights from this are presented in annex A.

6. The York approach of the population health hub approach was presented as an example of good practice at the Yorkshire and Humber Sector Led Improvement conference in 2024.

7. The population health hub has produced a core20plus5 information pack highlighting the health inequalities and needs of people living in deprivation or experiencing social marginalisation in York.

8. New website look successfully launched. This site has greater functionality, and importantly is fully accessible. With support from CYC IT there will be additional infographics and further content coming in 2025. www.healthyork.org

9. Specialist educational needs and disabilities HNA was completed in 2024. It was requested by the SEND board as one tool to review their progress against their strategy and in preparation for future OFSTED/CQC inspections. The HNA uses local and national statistical information as well as insight collected directly from children and young people, their parents, and professionals working in education, health and social care. The recommendations were developed in partnership with members of the SEND board and have been integrated into the SEND board action plan for 2024/2025.

10. Public health are coordinating the Autism and ADHD Strategy. To support this a provisional first draft of the Autism and ADHD health needs assessment has been developed, and a strategy development group formed. We are currently in a two month listening phase and hope to have fuller versions of both the HNA and the strategy out for consultation in May and June 2025.

11. Public health are currently engaging on the scope of a women’s health needs assessment with professional stakeholders and community leaders. We intend to continue this work into 2025.

Three big changes in the population of York in 2024

12. Healthy life expectancy in York is falling. (62 years for men, 63 years for women). People in York have lost more than a year of healthy life expectancy for the last three years consecutively. Healthy life expectancy is linked to loss of employment opportunity and higher use of health and care services. Healthy life expectancy is very sensitive to life circumstances, people living in deprivation in York have a healthy life expectancy of around 52. It can be even lower for many socially marginalised and inclusion health groups.

13. Fewer than 5% of new mothers in York now smoke at the time of delivery. The stop smoking service and midwifery are working effectively together to identify women. However, our smoking at time of first midwife appointment is 17% which is double the smoking rates in the general adult population of York.

14. The proportion of over 65s in York continues to be slightly higher than the England average, and is rising gradually year on year. The latest figures show that 20% of the whole York population are aged 65+

        Implications

15. There are no specialist implications of this report.

        Recommendations

16. The Health and Wellbeing Board are asked to:

a. Note the changes to population and demography highlighted in this report and consider how this insight should inform the 2025 HWBB workplan.

b. Comment on the use of the JSNA within their own organisations, and suggest how this use could be increased.

Reason: To keep the HWBB updated on the work of the Population Health Hub and the JSNA

Contact Details

Author:	Chief Officer Responsible for the report:
Jen Irving Public Health Specialist Practitioner Advanced City of York Council	Chief Officer’s name: Peter Roderick Title: Consultant in Public Health
	Report Approved	√	Date	13.01.2025
Wards Affected:					All	√
For further information please contact the author of the report

Background Papers:

All content relating to the overarching JSNA and the associated health needs assessments can be accessed on the JSNA website at www.healthyork.org

Annexes:

Annex A: Highlights from the updated cost of living pack produced by the population health hub.