Agenda item

To consider an update on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

8.1       Jessica Nyman (Joint Strategic Needs Manager) introduced the item and stated that both the Young Adults Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the online JSNA highlights were significant pieces of work. She also requested the Board’s endorsement of the JSNA work programme for 2017/18.

8.2       Dr Mona Vaidya (NHS Central London Clinical Commissioning Group) then presented an update on the Young Adults JSNA and stated that a gap in services for young adults aged 18 to 25 years had been identified. The Young Adults JSNA sought to address this gap and consideration needed to be given as to whether there needed to integrate hubs for young people, as they tended to prefer other locations. She felt that a one stop shop providing a number of services for young people would be desirable. Members heard that young adults were often reluctant to visit family GPs, possibly because of concerns over confidentiality.

8.3       Dr Monda Vaidya then referred to the recommendations of the Young People JSNA in the report. Amongst them was a recommendation to pilot an integrated primary care model at one or more GP practice in each CCG where there were a high number of young adult patients, providing services such as sexual health services, eating disorder services and talking therapies. GPs would be offered training in young adults’ health at these practices. Another recommendation in view of the rise in eating disorders amongst young people was to review the eating disorder pathway as part of the Like Minded Serious and Long Term Mental Health Need population group. Other recommendations included extending Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or looked after children CAMHS from 16 to 25 year old care leavers, extending substance misuse services to young adults up to 25 years and coproduce the design of services with young people.

8.4       Thilna Jayatilleke (Senior Public Health Analyst) then provided a live demonstration of the online JSNA highlights. He advised that there were presently a number of different sets of data available from a variety of sources. The online JSNA report sought to provide a platform for all such data through one view and provided the latest data on Westminster. The report was due to be updated and Thilna Jayakilleke welcomed feedback from Members by end of March 2017. The online JSNA report and the Westminster JSNA highlights report were available at https://www.jsna.info/online/highlightreports and

https://lbhf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=baef2c5ffeaa4355a2261101d8fadfa3 respectively.

8.5       During Board discussions, a Member stated that providing access to services for young adults was further complicated in that young adults often preferred a social setting to access services. He suggested that there was an opportunity to consider Sports and Leisure facilities as a setting to offer these services. He also suggested that the Youth Council be approached to discuss how these services could be accessed and they could also be linked with settings that provided entertainment. He emphasised the need to ensure that young adults could approach services in a community setting they trusted. It was also asked whether addressing the needs of young adults was particularly challenging in Westminster because of the transient nature of the population. Members noted that the online JSNA report could provide details on specific localities.

8.5       In reply to issues raised by Members, Eva Hrobonova (Deputy Director of Public Health) advised that the demographics of Westminster for young adults was not too dissimilar to other neighbouring boroughs, such as Camden, however it was difficult to make direct comparisons. Mona Vaidya added that a number of students would try to register with GPs in Westminster, even though they were not in the practices’ catchment area. She acknowledged that a GP setting was not the preference for a number of young adults and that it was important that they were comfortable in the location where they were accessing services.

8.6       The Board approved the publication of the Young Adults JSNA and endorsed the future JSNA work programme for 2017/18.