Health and Wellbeing Board	7 May 2025
Report of the Chair of the York Health and Wellbeing Board

Chair’s report and updates

Summary

1. This paper is designed to summarise key issues and progress which has happened in between meetings of the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWBB), giving Board members a concise update on a broad range of relevant topics which would otherwise entail separate papers.

Key Updates for the Board

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

2. Women’s Health Needs Assessment: The team who are working on this project are progressing with the Women’s Health Needs Assessment. Following meetings with several stakeholders, the focus of the assessment will be on the following themes:

- Carers

- Mothers

- Screening

- Period health

- Violence against women and girls

- Isolation and mental health in older women

- Menopause

- Employment

- Accessibility of primary care services

3. Data and insights are being collated and the assessment is due to be published in late-Summer.

4. Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA): The PNA is in progress now with a full draft to be available in time for the statutory 60-day consultation in June. In addition to the residents’ survey which was reported on at the previous Health & Wellbeing Board, stakeholders are being contacted for their insights into pharmaceutical services. We have already had a good response from GP Practices, Healthwatch York, the Healthy Child Service, and York Drug & Alcohol Service. The general view is that pharmacy provision in York is good. However, access to prescription medicines following out of hours urgent appointments was highlighted as well as challenges to accessing additional services like needle exchange and supervised consumption. Further engagement with local organisations continues.

5. Following a Roundtable discussion with Councillors, Public Health, and the ICB, five market applications were approved for a new pharmacy at the Clifton site formerly occupied by Boots. These applications are currently being reviewed by ICB Commissioners.

6. This year, there have been three notifications of change of ownership and one application for a permanent decrease of supplementary dispensing hours to take effect from 1 May 2025. 

7. On 31 March 2025, the Government published its CPCF Settlement for years 2024/35 and 2025/26. Funding has increased by over £800 million (over 30%) and is the largest uplift in funding across the NHS. The Government recognises that there was a funding gap as indicated by the Economic Analysis. This is an improvement for the sector and will go towards maintaining positive progress. There should now be better support to maintain opening hours and provide essential and enhanced services. However, there will be an increase in dispensing fees which may impact on services such as those providing drug and alcohol treatment and their commissioners.

Director of Public Health’s Annual Report

8. In March, Council received this year’s Director of Public Health (DPH) Annual Report. These reports are a statutory duty on the DPH to write and on the council to publish and offer an independent view on the health of our city each year, both the challenges facing our health and the things which can strengthen and improve it.

9. This year, the theme of the report is Adolescent Health, focussing on the 25,000 people between 10 and 19 years old in York.

10. Although young people in York are some of our most vibrant and creative individuals – and the movers, shakers, artists, scientists, mums, dads, entrepreneurs, politicians, public servants of the future – they are also a generation with huge challenges to their health: the generation perhaps most affected by the recent pandemic; the first generation facing worse living standards than their parents; and a generation who share many uncertainties around their future social, technological, financial and emotional wellbeing.

11. This report seeks to strike a positive note throughout, but it also shines a light on some of the key health issues, with the aim to prompt action and greater partnership working amongst all who work with young people so we can better tackle these challenges together.

12. The report has six key findings, around the diversifying demographics of our young people, their changing educational and employment journeys, their mental health, their new and emerging health risks, societal factors affecting health, and the health of our most at risk young people. And it makes 10 recommendations, 6 of them costed and specific recommendations around programmes which partners are committing to, and 4 specific recommendations to young people and their carers or parents around gambling, vaping, smartphones and mental resilience.

Adult Social Care

13. Under the Health and Care Act 2022 the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has a new responsibility to assess how local authorities meet their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The CQC has developed a ‘Single Assessment Framework’ which adult social care departments will be assessed against. This covers 4 domains

ØDomain 1: Working with People

o Assessing needs

o Supporting people to live healthier lives

o Equity in experience and outcomes

ØDomain 2: Providing Support

o Care provision, integration and continuity

o Partnerships and communities

ØDomain 3: Ensuring Safety

o Safe systems, pathways and transitions

o Safeguarding

ØDomain 4: Leadership

o Governance, management and sustainability

o Learning, improvement and innovation

14. CQC assesses local authorities via 5 evidence categories – people’s experience; feedback from staff and leaders; feedback from partners; processes and outcomes.

15. City of York Council have received notification of their CQC assessment and have submitted an information return which includes evidence of policies, processes, strategies and other documentation. CYC have also submitted a self-assessment that describes our strengths and areas for improvement. Notification has now been received that the on-site assessment will take place week commencing 16^th June 2025.

Author:	Responsible for the report:
Compiled by Tracy Wallis Health and Wellbeing Partnerships Co-ordinator	Cllr Lucy Steels-Walshaw Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care
	Report Approved	Date

Specialist Implications Officers

Not applicable

Wards Affected:

All

b

For further information please contact the author of the report