The Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) were scheduled to meet to discuss the annual report from the Director of Public Health (DPH) which this year focuses on physical activity across Northumberland, as well as the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NUTH) Quality Accounts. The committee was also scheduled to review its work programme for 2024/25 and note the latest Forward Plan of key decisions.

Director of Public Health Annual Report 2024

The committee was scheduled to receive the Director of Public Health's (DPH) annual report for 2024. This year's report, titled Moving in the right direction , focuses on physical activity across Northumberland and ways to encourage more people to be active more often.

The report highlights that Northumberland residents can prevent illness, manage long-term conditions and improve their quality of life by being more active. Increasing physical activity levels can also help tackle health and social inequalities and relieve pressure on the health and social care system. It also notes that a more physically active population would result in significant economic gains by increasing productivity, reducing sickness absences and enabling residents to work until retirement age.

The report recognises that physical activity levels have declined across Northumberland, and that those from more deprived backgrounds are less likely to be active and face greater barriers.

The report focuses on building active people, active opportunities and active neighbourhoods to enable active communities across Northumberland. Recommendations include:

• Refreshing the Northumberland physical activity strategy using feedback from the 8 International Society of Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) workshops.
• Developing design codes in Northumberland to consider physical activity in neighbourhood design and include in the new countywide Housing Strategy.
• Continuing to support the development of good quality walking and cycling routes.
• Places Leisure to continue to develop the Active Communities offer so that people in Northumberland can have access to inclusive opportunities.
• Supporting communities to start new initiatives to become more active, such as through Thriving Together.
• Northumberland's new Leisure and Wellbeing contract to continue to support the strategic objectives within the county, aiming to reduce the inactivity gap and have a more physically active population.

The report also highlights the ways that having good access to physical activity can contribute to reducing health inequalities.

The report is split into four main areas:

• Active People
• Active Opportunities
• Active Neighbourhoods
• Active Communities

The report calls for all of us in Northumberland to take steps in helping residents be more physically active through strengthening community-based support, coupled with neighbourhoods designed to promote activity in our day to day lives.

The report makes several recommendations, including:

To refresh the Northumberland physical activity strategy using feedback from the 8 International Society of Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) workshops.

Develop design codes in Northumberland to consider physical activity in neighbourhood design and include in new countywide Housing Strategy.

Continue to support development of good quality walking and cycling routes.

Places Leisure to continue to develop our Active Communities offer so that people in Northumberland can have access to inclusive opportunities.

Support communities to start new initiatives to become more active, such as through Thriving Together.

Northumberland's new Leisure and Wellbeing contract to continue to support the strategic objectives within the county, aiming to reduce the inactivity gap and have a more physically active population.

Moving in the right direction: Director of Public Health Annual Report 2024

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NUTH) Quality Accounts

The committee was scheduled to receive an annual report on the quality of service from the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NUTH). The committee was also scheduled to provide feedback on the presentation and submit a formal response.

Health and Wellbeing OSC Work Programme

The Health and Wellbeing OSC were scheduled to consider their work programme/monitoring report for 2024/25. The work programme includes regular updates on the implications of legislation, minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board, notes of the Primary Care Applications Working Party, Care Quality Accounts and ambulance response times.

The work programme also includes the following items:

• Northumbria Primary Care Governance and Strategy
• North East Ambulance Service
• Audiology Services in Northumberland

Forward Plan

The committee was scheduled to note the latest Forward Plan of key decisions.