Ruth Harrell (Director of Public Health) delivered the Director of Public Health (DPH) Annual Report 2022, and highlighted the following points-

a)    Plymouth had a City-wide plan to tackle health inequalities. It was recognised that to tackle inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, it was important to look at the wider determinants of health such as genetics, age, lifestyles, communities, the economy, the built environment and social activities. There were however, some external factors that were beyond Plymouth’s control such as the global Covid-19 Pandemic and ‘Cost of Living’ pressures;

b)    Life expectancy had been on a gradually improving trend however, this had plateaued and dropped during the pandemic. Male life expectancy remained lower than female life expectancy, and life expectancy showed direct correlations with deprivation levels;

c)    The Pandemic had reduced access to early preventative care, discouraged many people from seeking early advice, and created significant pressures for the NHS. As a result, it was likely that there would be an increase in the severity and length of illnesses, and ongoing challenges for life expectancy performance recovery. During 2023 thus far, there remained excess deaths of around 6%;

d)    While life expectancy was easy to measure, it was often slow to respond to changes in policy and lifestyle. While Plymouth’s life expectancy remained below the England average, it performed well against comparable neighbours with similar levels of deprivation;

e)    Healthy life expectancy for men in Plymouth had improved, reaching the England average however, healthy life expectancy for women had not changed. A priority focus for next year would be to examine what successes had been achieved for male healthy life expectancy, so that these could also be applied for females. Investigations would centre around access to health services, risk factors, economy and jobs, and lived experience;

f)     Thrive Plymouth had been launched in 2015, and a large amount of work had been undertaken with many partners across the city. Following consultation with key partners, Thrive Plymouth would be going to Cabinet in Spring 2024 to set out the plan for future activity.

Following questions, the Board discussed-

g)    Current excess deaths were largely attributed to heart, respiratory and circulatory problems. Cancer deaths were not currently in excess. Excess deaths in Plymouth were currently below the England average, at 4%;

h)    Long-Covid was responsible for many ongoing health issues, and the true effects of Covid would not be known for some time.

The Board agreed-

1.    To note the contents of the report, and in particular, the concerning impact of the crisis on health and wellbeing;

2.    Require the DPH to return to Cabinet in the Spring with a proposal for the future of Thrive Plymouth.??