Julie Webster, Director of Public Health introduced a report of the Director for Children, Families and Education that sought agreement to progress Public Health’s proposed commissioning intentions for 2021-2022 for Public Health services for children and young people. These services supported the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme for 0-19 years.

The proposals in the report linked to the delivery of the Wirral Plan 2025 and the statutory responsibilities of the local authority in respect of public health:  services which helped people live happy, healthy, independent and active lives, with public services there to support them when they needed it.

The Director of Public Health apprised Members that all Public Health contracts were subject to on-going evaluation as part of a clearly defined commissioning cycle, which is designed to maximise return on investment and improve outcomes. This methodology ensured that Public Health services (and contracts) were consistently and routinely tested against a range of criteria. Criteria against which contracts are tested include the following:

·  Evidence base e.g. academic research, engagement feedback, Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

·  Performance of targets e.g. financial and activity based and outcomes against plans and benchmarking information

·  Value for money

·  National policy and technical guidance e.g. Public Health Outcomes Framework

·  Strategic direction e.g. Wirral Plan strategic aspirations (narrowing the gap in life expectancy), delivery of Public Health outcomes through council services

·  Legal and contractual frameworks e.g. incorporate national updates to contract templates used for NHS providers.

Members noted that the following services were to be retendered during the 2021/2022 financial year as the current contracts concluded on the 31^st August 2021:

·  Preventative and Early Intervention Secondary School Based Service for young people (counselling - Action for Children)

·  Confidential Young People’s Online Counselling and Advice Service (Kooth.com - Xenzone)

·  Healthy Child Programme (Health Improvement) for 0 -19 year olds (breastfeeding; healthy weight; substance misuse; sexual health and relationship education for professionals) (Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust)

·  Sexual Health Education for young people (Brook)

Members questioned the Director of Public Health on a number of matters within the report, and the Director responded accordingly. Members noted that the proposals would provide an opportunity to reconsider the funding and delivery models, enabling the potential release of cost savings and the refocussing of service delivery. The Director highlighted a correction in recommendation one of the report that should have stated a figure of £1,548,858.

It was:

Moved by Councillor Wendy Clements; and

Seconded by Councillor Moira McLaughlin

and

RESOLVED – That

(1)  the Director of Public Health be authorised to re-commission contracts totalling £1,548,858 for four Children’s Public Health Programmes as detailed in paragraph 3.4 of the report, for initial one year contracts (1 September 2021 – 31 August 2022) with an annual value of £774,429 with the option of a one year extension for each; and

(2)  the short-term contract period proposed to enable a more collaborative and joint commissioning approach to be developed across the system be noted.