Agenda item

This report provides the Joint Board with an overview of the current position and key actions in Kent and Medway in respect of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) Prevention Action Plan priority area ‘reducing tobacco usage prevalence’.

Discussion:

Kent County Council’s Consultant in Public Health set out a detailed review of reducing tobacco usage in Kent and Medway, which was one of the priority areas within the Kent and Medway STP Prevention Action Plan. The Joint Board’s attention was drawn to the data, set out at section 3 of the report and on page 29 and 30 of agenda item 6 (Prevention Dashboard Progress). It was noted that the priority areas were Canterbury, Gravesham and Thanet, as well as smoking prevalence amongst young people and routine and manual workers across Kent and Medway. It was explained to the Joint Board that the actions to reduce smoking were set out in sections 6 and 7 of the report with a list of recommended further actions set out at Appendix 1 of the report.

It was clarified that bullet point number 3 at section 6 of the report should read, “Kent County has a Tobacco Control Alliance…”

With reference to examples, a Member commented that given the impact of smoking on the health of the population, not enough was being done to reduce smoking prevalence in Kent and Medway and insufficient detail was provided in the report concerning current and future actions. In particular, the Member expressed disappointment with respect to the rates of smoking at the time of delivery (SATOD). Noting that in quarter 1, the rate SATOD in Dartford and Gravesham was below the England average, a Member commented that lessons learned from what they had done well should be shared, if appropriate.

In response to a question regarding examples of good practice in Kent and Medway, the Joint Board was advised that Kent County Council had funded a pilot programme of specialist midwife posts to help with reducing SATOD. This pilot delivered very good results, as had the campaign ‘What the Bump’. It was added that this campaign would be rolled out across Kent and that with respect to the pilot programme, Kent County Council’s Director of Public Health and the Local Maternity System had requested the CCGs to scale up the programme to all maternity services in Kent and Medway. It was also noted that Medway’s ‘Grow My Brain’ campaign had been submitted for an LGC award.

Medway’s Director of Public Health reiterated the need for a whole system approach to scale up smoking cessation programmes. He noted that in Medway, smoking cessation activities had reduced smoking prevalence from 25% to 17% over a short period of time, which was a step in the right direction. He added that when people had accessed Quit Services, the quit rates were good, however some cohorts within the population did not want to access such services. It was considered that focus needed to be on encouraging this cohort of individuals to access quit services, addressing tobacco control and preventing smoking among young people.

Members also recognised the importance of the social and economic context when addressing smoking cessation. In response to a question concerning integrated partnership working to tackle deprivation, the Joint Board was advised that Medway’s Draft Local Plan required prospective Health Impact Assessments to be undertaken for housing developments. Using the example of Kitchener Barracks, in a more deprived area of Medway, the Joint Board was advised that the Public Health Team was working with partners, including NHS Medway CCG and community groups, to ensure adequate healthcare provision in this area. In addition, Medway had established a Skills Board and a housing initiative which brought together education, housing and employment. In Kent, it was explained that a place based Public Health approach was taken, particularly within the Healthy New Town programme. In addition it was explained that work was ongoing with partners, including local NHS CCGs and the districts to address areas of most need, i.e. the 88 LSOAs. In addition, across Kent and Medway the Public Health Teams had submitted an Interreg bid to deliver a social prescribing intervention across the Kent and Medway footprint.

With reference to the significant expenditure on smoking cessation services in Kent, in order to ensure that money was being spent intelligently to deliver the best outcomes for the population, a Member undertook to request that a further deep dive into smoking cessation be added to the Kent County Council’s Public Health Cabinet Committee’s work programme.

It was also suggested that once the data had been reviewed, the Joint Board should set out its vision for smoking cessation and measure performance within the Dashboard. In response, the Joint Board was advised that there was an existing national target as set out in the National Tobacco Control Plan 2017-2022 which performance could be measured against.

Decision:

The Kent and Medway Joint Health and Wellbeing Board:

a)    supported the specific actions set out in Appendix 1 of the report focused on preventing and reducing to use of tobacco in Kent and Medway; and

b)    noted the requirement for the NHS in Kent and Medway to identify resources for specific stop smoking interventions in the ‘Health Care’ settings that fall outside the remit of Local Authority stop smoking service provision.