Director of Public Health Health Protection Assurance Report

Executive Summary

  1. North Tyneside has robust systems in place for the management of existing and emerging health protection issues. These systems are shared across a range of organisations and services including health, social care, environmental health, and public protection and led the Director of Public Health, with governance through the North Tyneside Health Protection Board. The board is attended by key lead agencies such as UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to ensure the appropriate expert advice and response.
     
  2. An analysis of the data regarding health protection outcomes for screening, immunisation, communicable diseases, and air quality has highlighted that there are areas that may require further consideration and action to support the delivery of Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
     
  3. All programmes should be considered in the context of the unprecedented impact of the two years of the coronavirus pandemic. The impact of the mitigation measures that included national lockdowns and improved infection control practices, continues to have an impact on screening programmes and other infectious diseases.
     
  4. The Health Protection Board, chaired by the Director of Public Health, should continue to address the key priorities related to health protection in North Tyneside. Current areas for further action include.
     
  • Cancer screening inequalities - whilst uptake overall is generally very good, there is evidence of significant variation at a local level in uptake for all cancer screening programmes. This has been exacerbated due to the impact and mitigation measures associated with coronavirus, especially with breast cancer screening which is well below previous years.
     
  • Vaccination inequalities - the uptake of most of the vaccination programmes is above regional and national averages. However, analysis highlights inequalities in several programmes. This means there are unvaccinated cohorts of the population susceptible to infectious disease and outbreaks. Continued efforts to understand the systemic causes of these inequalities will also help to identify approaches to tackle them.
     
  • Increased public and local stakeholder interest in infectious disease outbreaks following the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging risks such as mpox as well as more established diseases such as Group A streptococcus (Strep A) highlight the increased awareness and public expectation around infectious disease. Local co-ordination and stakeholder engagement may help to ensure appropriate prevention, assurance, and outbreak control. Regional multi agency groups reporting into the Association of Directors of Public Health will ensure a co-ordinated regional approach.