Agenda item

Purpose: To present the web-based Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

Sarah Shildrick (Public Health Intelligence Manager) presented the report on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (Agenda Item 9).

Members were given a demonstration of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), which was hosted on the West Berkshire Observatory website. This was an ‘off-the-shelf’ product provided by ESRI UK, which automatically drew in data from the Office for National Statistics and other sources to provide a core data set.

There were pre-populated reports on key themes, with tables, infographics and charts. Default reports were at the local authority level, but reports could also be generated for individual wards and Lower Super Output Areas. Reports could be downloaded as images or spreadsheets. Geographic data could be displayed using the map function. A map on the homepage also could be used to provide quick ward profiles.

More detailed information could be generated using the ‘data explorer’ function. This had search and filter tools. Data could be interrogated for different geographies with area rankings, and the changes in data over time could  be shown.  Reports could also be generated for custom aggregate geographies.

Additional, locally generated data, including the Covid-19 recovery report and the JSNA summary reports. ‘People’ and ‘Place’ summary reports pulled in text from existing local strategies together with live data.

The site included a news section, which provided details of any updates. There was also a tool to allow users to provide feedback. In addition, there was a comprehensive support function.

It was stressed that the ‘needs assessments and further resources’ section would develop over time as more data was added.

The aim was to promote the JSNA widely and ensure that as many people as possible could access and use the site. The report proposed to develop JSNA superusers and to form a West Berkshire JSNA Steering Group.

Members welcomed the new site and agreed that it was important that people should be encouraged to use it.

It was noted that wards there could be huge variation within wards, with small pockets of deprivation. This made it difficult to identify people with the greatest needs. It was confirmed that superusers could help partners to drill down into the data. Also, there were more local products being developed around inequalities, which would be published on the site, which the superusers could highlight to partners.

The ability to select custom geographies was particularly welcomed, since it could benefit so many different parties. Board Members were urged to promote this to all partners involved in health and wellbeing. It was felt to bring the Health and Wellbeing Strategy to life and would allow support to be effectively targeted.

In relation to anti-social behaviour, it was noted that social media tended to highlight the worst cases and flag community concerns, but statistics were useful to be able to confirm or refute the issues raised. Also, the ability to look at custom geographies was welcomed as some issues were cross-boundary.

It was suggested that all West Berkshire Councillors should be made aware of the tool.

The value of the tool to the primary and secondary care sectors was recognised (e.g. targeting people who may be impacted by cost of living increases).

RESOLVED:

To note the developments to the local JSNA.

To endorse the proposal of the formation of a West Berkshire JSNA steering group supported by JSNA superusers.