The Adults, Wellbeing and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee of County Durham Council met on Tuesday 15 September 2026 to discuss suicide prevention initiatives, the Health Protection Assurance Annual Report, and updates on the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust transformation programme. The meeting focused on reviewing current strategies, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring robust health protection measures across the county.

Suicide Prevention in County Durham

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on current and future activities aimed at reducing the rate of suicide across County Durham. A joint report from the Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services and the Director of Public Health highlighted that suicide prevention has been a long-standing priority for Durham County Council. A new Suicide Prevention Action Plan for County Durham was launched in October 2025, following the national Suicide Prevention Strategy for England: 2023-2028. This plan addresses eight strategic priorities, including improving data and evidence, providing tailored support to priority groups, addressing risk factors, online safety, crisis support, tackling means of suicide, providing bereavement support, and making suicide prevention a shared responsibility. Progress has been made in areas such as men's suicide prevention, embedding suicide prevention into the RSHE curriculum, communications, crisis support, community champions, and Multi-Agency Assurance Reviews. Challenges identified include a rising national need, addressing wider determinants of suicide, workforce capacity, and measuring success. The report recommended that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee note the contents of the report and presentation and provide feedback to inform the ongoing implementation and development of the action plan.

County Durham has a high suicide rate, ranking 11th in the country, with approximately 74 deaths by suicide per year, 75% of which are men. Suspected suicides are disproportionately concentrated within the most deprived communities, indicating a link between suicide risk and socioeconomic inequalities. For every person who dies by suicide, up to 135 people are affected. The report noted that two-thirds of individuals who die by suicide are not in contact with mental health services, and many have experienced social disadvantages and life stresses not always recognised as mental health issues. The Health and Wellbeing Board has identified suicide prevention as a priority.

The report also outlined legal implications under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, which mandates local authorities to improve public health, including mental health promotion and prevention. Suicide prevention training is financed by Public Health for an initial three-year period, with longer-term sustainability requiring continued partner commitment. Consultation and engagement took place prior to the action plan's publication, with partner input being a core component. The implementation of the action plan aims to reduce stigma and discrimination, with specific consideration for care-experienced young people and the armed forces community. The report also acknowledged the impact of climate change on mental health and the benefits of access to green spaces.

Health Protection Assurance Annual Report June 2026

The committee was also scheduled to review the Health Protection Assurance Annual Report for June 2026. This report provides an update on health protection assurance arrangements and activities in County Durham over the past year. Health protection is a mandated responsibility of local authorities under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, with a portion of the public health grant dedicated to these services. The Health Protection Assurance Development Partnership (HPADP) provides governance for the health protection system.

The report highlighted the system's response to various communicable and non-communicable disease incidents during 2025, including outbreaks of C. Perfringens food poisoning, Group A streptococcus, and a healthcare Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) outbreak. Key achievements in 2025 included work to improve vaccination uptake, the development of behavioural insights to increase screening programme take-up, and participation in pandemic preparedness exercises like Exercise Pegasus. Areas for improvement in 2026 include enhancing assurance and oversight in screening and infection prevention control, strengthening emergency planning and pandemic preparedness, and addressing communicable disease and air quality. The Director of Public Health (DPH) requires assurance on these functions, and recommendations from the report inform the HPADP action plan.

The report detailed progress on health protection priorities for 2024-25, including the adaptation of the What Good Looks Like document for health protection assurance, and ongoing work to address variations in screening uptake. Efforts to boost childhood immunisation in under-vaccinated communities were highlighted, alongside work to reverse declining vaccination rates in children in care. Adolescent vaccination coverage for HPV and MenACWY remained below the efficiency standard. Flu vaccination coverage showed a decrease in some age groups but remained above targets for older adults.

The report also covered communicable disease control, noting responses to outbreaks of C. Perfringens food poisoning, Group A Streptococcus, lead and arsenic poisoning incidents, and avian influenza. It detailed challenges in managing infectious diseases within prisons and secure estates and highlighted issues with healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) at County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT), including a significant number of CPE cases. Sexual health data indicated a decrease in gonorrhoea diagnostic rates but an increase in syphilis. The report also touched upon Hantavirus and Invasive meningococcal disease group B, noting national and local responses.

Environmental health activities included efforts to manage rat infestations in Horden and Easington Colliery, and work on air quality, with a focus on reducing emissions around schools and public spaces. The report also discussed the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures and the planned national licensing scheme to address risks. A cosmetic (iatrogenic) botulism outbreak was detailed, highlighting good practice in collaborative partner working. Trading Standards' role in consumer safety and partnership efforts to tackle illicit tobacco and doorstep crime were also mentioned. The report concluded by outlining health protection priorities for 2026-27, including embedding assurance tools, reviewing screening governance, collaborating on infection prevention, developing a pandemic plan, and progressing initiatives related to food regulation, cosmetic treatments, HIV testing, and air quality.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Transformation Programme Update

The committee was scheduled to receive a presentation from representatives of the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) regarding their transformation programme. The presentation aimed to outline medium-term transformation plans and four key Big Shifts focused on improving mental health, learning disability, and autism services. The core objectives include moving more care closer to home, preventing crises earlier, and making services more consistent and accessible.

The presentation detailed a shift from hospital-based care to community-based support, with the development of neighbourhood mental health support, including 24/7 centres and crisis alternatives. It emphasised partnership working at local and neighbourhood levels, involving local authorities, primary care, voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) partners. The programme also prioritises earlier help and prevention, focusing on suicide prevention, dementia prevention, early intervention, and addressing wider determinants of poor mental health. Reducing inequalities by shaping services around local needs, particularly in deprived and rural communities, was also a key focus.

Service transformation priorities for County Durham were outlined, including adult urgent and planned care, older people's mental health, children and young people's services, adult learning disabilities, and specialist services. The presentation highlighted achievements such as a reduction in waiting times for assessments and appointments, a significant number of primary care mental health appointments, and zero inappropriate out-of-area inpatient placements.

The left-shift capital investment programme aims to create community capacity and crisis alternatives. This includes the development of Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres in the South (planned for 2026/27) and North (planned for 2027/28), and a Crisis Assessment Suite/MHED at Lanchester Road Hospital. These developments are intended to enable same-day specialist care, reduce reliance on acute emergency departments, and improve patient flow.

Key service changes for County Durham were detailed, including improvements to adult urgent care with the delivery of the Crisis Assessment Suite, and the embedding of community mental health transformation for adult planned care. For older people's mental health, the focus is on reducing reliance on beds and integrating services into 24/7 mental health centres. For children and young people, the aim is to strengthen Getting Help services and school partnerships, and improve crisis assessment and admission alternatives. For adult learning disabilities, the focus is on rapid, multidisciplinary support to reduce admissions.

The presentation also acknowledged system challenges, including the lack of ringfenced revenue funding for developments, rising demand for services, and the ongoing issue of delayed discharges from hospital, which impacts the effectiveness of the left-shift initiative.