The Health and Wellbeing Board for Durham County Council was scheduled to meet on 17 November 2025 at County Hall, Durham. According to the agenda, the meeting was to include discussion of the Director of Public Health's annual report, findings from an adult health and wellbeing survey, poverty issues, winter planning, and the relaunch of a memorandum of understanding for young carers. Also listed on the agenda were consultation updates on alcohol licensing and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and pharmacy applications.

Director of Public Health Annual Report

The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive the Director of Public Health Annual Report 2025. The report, titled Healthier Futures: Our Ambitions and Actions, includes an update on the health of County Durham residents and outlines six key ambitions for future health and wellbeing.

The six ambitions outlined in the report are:

• Reduce self-reported high anxiety to 10% or less, equating to around 53,000 fewer people.
• Reduce the number of people living with obesity to less than one out of five, equating to around 61,000 fewer adults.
• Reduce the number of people smoking to 5%, equating to around 28,300 fewer smokers.
• Reduce alcohol-specific deaths by 20%, equating to around 20 fewer deaths per year than current levels.
• Reduce under-18 conceptions by half, equating to around 80 fewer conceptions.
• Increase levels of breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks to 2 out of 3 mothers, equating to 1,400 more women breastfeeding.

The report also includes findings from a large-scale adult health and wellbeing survey commissioned to provide data on the physical, emotional, social, and economic wellbeing of adults across County Durham. According to the report, these insights are intended to guide strategic decision-making, shape future interventions, and enhance understanding of health and wellbeing needs in County Durham.

Findings of the Adult Health and Wellbeing Survey

The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the findings of the Adult Health and Wellbeing Survey. The survey, which was completed by 3,799 residents, asked about their physical and mental health, as well as their experiences in daily life.

Key findings included:

• 57% of residents rated their physical health as good or very good.
• 62% of residents rated their mental health as good or very good.
• Residents in more deprived areas were less likely to describe their physical and mental health as good or very good.
• 11% of residents reported smoking tobacco.
• 37% of residents were living with overweight, and 29% were living with obesity.
• 37% of residents evidenced increasing or higher risk levels of alcohol consumption.

The report also notes that the data, insight, and intelligence gained through the survey has already been used to inform wider service plans, such as the development of the Adult Social Care Strategy.

Poverty Issues Annual Report

The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive the Poverty Issues Annual Report from Paul Darby, Corporate Director of Resources, Durham County Council, and Councillor Nicola Lyons, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Stronger Communities and Belonging. The report included updates on welfare, economic, and poverty indicators, core expenditure supporting poverty-related activities, progress in addressing poverty, and priority actions for 2025/26.

According to the report, Durham County Council has had a poverty strategy in place since 2013, with the current strategy structured around four key objectives:

• Using intelligence and data to target support to low-income households.
• Reducing the financial pressures on people facing or in poverty.
• Increasing individual, household, and community resilience to poverty.
• Reducing barriers to accessing services for those experiencing financial insecurity.

The report also notes that the council has drawn on national funding sources, such as the Household Support Fund, Department for Education, and UK Shared Prosperity Fund¹, to sustain existing work and develop new programmes.

The report highlights the impact of poverty on health and wellbeing, contributing to poor physical and mental health outcomes. It also mentions the Financial Inclusion Support Officer programme, which aims to tackle child poverty in educational settings, and a pension credit take-up campaign, which has facilitated an estimated £2,871,800 in extra financial support per year for pensioners in County Durham.

Winter Planning Assurance

The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the preparedness of the health and social care system for winter. The report covers plans to prevent excess winter deaths and cold-related ill health by managing demand on health and social care systems, protecting populations against surges in winter illnesses, reducing the impact of cold-related ill health on vulnerable populations, and planning for severe cold weather events.

The report notes that the County Durham Winter Planning Group is a multi-agency task and finish group that has been convened since 2021 to oversee health and social care system preparedness for winter. The group's work covers themes such as the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, primary care, adult social care, public health, civil contingencies, communities, welfare and financial support, housing, highways, data and intelligence, and communications.

Relaunch of 'No Wrong Doors for Young Carers' Memorandum of Understanding

The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to receive a report and presentation on the relaunch of the updated 'No Wrong Doors for Young Carers' Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU is designed to improve joint working between adult and children's social care services, integrated care boards, and other key organisations in respect of identification and support for young carers and their families.

The report includes findings from a Carers Trust review of the implementation of the 'No Wrong Doors for Young Carers' initiative, as well as an overview of County Durham's local MoU for Young Carers. The Carers Trust review found that local health and care systems were not aware of 'No Wrong Doors for Young Carers', and called for the initiative to be relaunched and highlighted by organizations responsible for providing young carer support.

The report also seeks agreement for the County Durham Young Carers Steering Group to oversee the integration and embedding of the updated MoU, along with key partners, stakeholders, and organizations.

Consultation Updates

The Director of Public Health was scheduled to provide verbal updates on the following consultations:

• Alcohol Licensing Consultation
• Tobacco and Vapes Bill Consultation

Pharmacy Applications

The Health and Wellbeing Board was scheduled to discuss pharmacy applications in a session that was not open to the public.