Issue - meetings

To review the current Work Programme (attached).

The Committee considered its Work Programme.  It was noted that North West Ambulance Service would be invited to attend the meeting in June and the Action Plan following the Diabetes/Obesity Scrutiny Review would also be considered in June.  The item on Health Inequalities including life expectancy and the Marmot Report could be aligned with the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Committee could be updated in June.  The Committee was advised that the Training session on the health reforms that had been carried out in November 2011 was likely to be repeated with updated information.

The Committee had received some information from Dr Guy Hayhurst, Consultant in Public Health, on Patterns of Death from Suicide and Undetermined Injury in Cheshire East.  This suggested that the death rate for men and women combined during the period 2007 – 2009 was slightly lower than the national rate (7.7 per 100,000 locally compared to a national figure of 7.9); the figures for male suicides in Cheshire East were slightly higher than the national average in some years and in some areas; the rate of deaths among women over that time period was lower than the national average.  Councillor Flude, who had suggested the issue of suicide as a potential Scrutiny item, referred to the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, who were the provider Trust of mental health services, both acute and community.  CWP were due to produce a Suicide Prevention Strategy very shortly; she also referred to a guidance document that suggested questions for local Councillors to raise to see what local level of knowledge existed around suicide.  Councillor Flude was concerned about the level of support for people who were not known to Mental Health services and sought support from their GP; it was also recognised that there were certain groups who were at greater risk of suicide and self harm such as those who were in the criminal justice system and from certain occupations. 

RESOLVED:  that

(a) the Work Programme be updated in accordance with the information given at the meeting; and

(b) the issue of suicide prevention be considered further at the next meeting following further research seeking more information from organisations such as The Samaritans.