Agenda item

To consider a report of the Strategic Director People.

The Committee considered a report of the Strategic Director People, relating to the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and national targets as they related to Cheshire East and to support received from Government Office North West and the National Support Team.

The Committee had previously considered a report on Teenage Pregnancy on 14 September 2009 and had supported recommendations made by the National Support Team that the Council should work with PCT and other partners to finalise action and delivery plans.

The Government’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, first launched in 1999, set out to halve the under 18 conception rate by 2010, compared to the 1998 baseline rate.  This target was reflected in NHS Vital Signs Indicator VSBO8 and in the Cheshire East Local Area Agreements, National Indicator 112.

Conception statistics were produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and were presented on a local authority, regional and national footprint.  Data was presented at around 14 months after the period to which they related and was released annually in February.  Data for 2008 was released in February 2010. 

In 2007, Cheshire East Unitary Authority had an Under-18 conception rate of 34.9 per 1000 females aged 15-17.  This represented an overall reduction of 8% since the 1998 baseline rate of 37.9 per 1000 for Cheshire East and was 16% lower than the England average of 41.7 per 1000.  The most recent performance information published on 24 February 2010 for 2008 indicated that the overall national reduction was 13.3% and the Cheshire East reduction was 9.1%.

Cheshire East rates varied considerably between areas. For example the rates in the Congleton area were relatively low but had seen a rise over the 10 year period, whereas for Macclesfield, Crewe and Nantwich the under 18 conceptions were much higher, but had shown a small decrease in rate.

The ‘hotspot wards’ where the rates of under 18 conceptions were high, were those that had the highest index of multiple deprivation. The largest number being in Crewe.

Termination rates were a concern for Cheshire East, and again they varied with Congleton having a termination rate of 59%, Macclesfield 61% and Crewe and Nantwich 43%.

Janet Smith Strategic Implementation Lead - 'Be Healthy', informed the Committee that the Council was concerned about outcomes for teenage parents and it was therefore important to reduce conceptions.

Lorraine Butcher Head of Children’s Services stated that a key question the authority had to address was ‘ Are we commissioning the right sexual health services in Cheshire East for teenagers?

In June 2009, the Teenage Pregnancy National Support Team (NST) visited Cheshire East and made a series of recommendations. As a result, a number of actions were taken including:

• The establishment of an Executive Board in October 2009, chaired by the PCT, including the Director of Public Health and Head of Children’s Services
• The establishment of an Operational Group across Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester, chaired by an Associate Director of Public Health from the PCT.  This group has agreed collaborative action on communications including campaigns; condom distribution and workforce development.
• The appointment of an Associate Director in Public Health from the PCT to be the PCT strategic lead along with a regional advisor from Government Office North West working with Cheshire East for two days per week to May 2010
• The completion of a Sexual Health Needs Assessment
• The establishment of a data group across Cheshire. Hot spots were identified and actions targeted in those areas.
• Young Advisors from Knowsley had undertaken a “mystery  shopping” exercise and identified areas for improvement in access to young people friendly sexual health services which the PCT’s Sexual Health Programme Board was incorporating as part of its redesign of sexual health services; work was in progress to establish a condom distribution scheme across Cheshire by 31 March 2010
• Connexions had completed a consultation survey with over 300 young people in Cheshire East on their views about sex and relationship information and advice
• The Radical Review of Sexual Health Services Planning event offered by a GONW team took place in January 2010.

RESOLVED – That the recommendations contained in the report by the National Support Team on contraceptive and sexual health services be noted and the steps being taken to formulate a more targeted programme of action to address the issue be endorsed.