Issue - meetings

Background:

This report presented the Annual Public Health Report of the Director of Public Health for 2011/12.

This year’s report focused on health protection, the branch of public health concerned with protecting the public from communicable diseases and other environmental threats. The first section covered communicable diseases including childhood infections, sexually transmitted infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The second dealt with the prevention of communicable disease through immunisation. The final section covered environmental threats to health, which had the potential to worsen health inequalities such as poor air quality, noise and poor housing.

The report included recommendations to Medway Council and its partners within the new public health system:

·                    To improve immunisation rates particularly for Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) and seasonal flu,

·                    To promote uptake of chlamydia screening in sexually active 15-24 year olds,

·                    That Medway Council in developing its vision and strategy for public health considers how it can ensure that public health benefits are realised across the breadth of the Council’s responsibilities.

It was noted that from April 2013 Medway Council would have new responsibilities for ensuring that plans were in place to protect the health of the population.

It was noted that the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the report on 9 October 2012 and details of the Committee’s comments were set out in section 3 of the report.

Reasons:

This year's Annual Public Health Report focuses on health protection and the Cabinet acknowledged its role in considering how the Council, with partners, can work within the new public health system.