Agenda item

Report of the Director of Public Health, Darlington Borough Council.

The Director of Public Health submitted a report (previously circulated) informing the Board of the key messages contained within the Darlington Child Health Profile 2019.

The submitted report stated that the Darlington Child Health Profile 2019 reported data from 2017/18 to provide a snap shot of child health in Darlington to enable comparisons to be made against regional and England averages; the profile was designed to help understand local need and enable services to be planned, in order to improve health and reduce health inequalities; the profile provided an overview of the health and wellbeing of children in relation to 32 indicators; and that the indicators fell into five broad domains, namely premature mortality, health protection, wider determinants of ill health, health improvement and prevention of ill health. Particular reference was made to the fact that the health and wellbeing of children in Darlington was generally worse than the England average, with eleven indicators for Darlington being worse than the England average.

In presenting the report the Director of Public Health stated that the childhood immunisation rates amongst two year olds in Darlington were above the recommended coverage rate of 90 per cent; 88.8 per cent of children in Darlington were up to date with immunisations which was in keeping with the England average; the proportion of 16 to 17 year olds not in education, employment or training in Darlington was statistically significantly better than the national and regional average; the rate of 10 to 17 year olds in Darlington coming into contact with the youth justice system remained similar to the England average and had fallen in Darlington since 2010; and outlined the priorities to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Darlington and reduce inequalities in health between Darlington and England.

Discussion ensued about children’s hospital admissions; the figures for children’s attendance at Accident and Emergency; and the Urgent Care Treatment Centre.

 RESOLVED – That the Darlington Child Health Profile 2019 report be noted, and further reports be received as appropriate to lines of enquiry.

REASON – To inform the Board of the key messages in the Darlington Child Health Profile 2019.