Dr Dagmar Zeuner (Director of Public Health) introduced the paper which had been circulated to members. Dagmar gave an update on the Merton population outlining that the population is aging with birth rates falling. This was important to understand for planned services going forward.

Differences between some wards in the East and West Merton highlighted health inequalities and comparing the most and least deprived areas of the borough show a difference in life expectancy of 7.7 years for men and 5 years for women. This reflected no improvement and should therefore be a continued focus.

COVID infections have improved due to vaccinations and natural immunity but there was still fallout due to the pandemic which has been further impacted by the existing cost of living crisis. There has been a long-term impact on children and young people as a direct result of the pandemic that requires further attention and the Public Health team is keeping a continued focus on living safely and fairly with COVID.

Going forward there would be continued work that focussed on joint strategies to support children, young people and their families and specifically those with special educational needs, mental health issues and disordered eating.

The Live Well message remained unchanged. Many people have been impacted by unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, smoking and alcohol misuse that has been underpinned by mild to moderate mental and emotional distress as well as environmental factors. The focus on preventative action should continue on access to community and primary care.

There has been an increase in the complexity of many physical diseases, referred to as comorbidity, which was overlaid by mental health issues. The best way to develop support is by working alongside various partners.

Merton remained rich in assets but there were neighbourhood that were environmentally vulnerable which must continue to remain a priority.

In response to questions, the following was stated:

·       One source of understanding COVID would be the ongoing ONS Study. This was a recognised Study which provided data that could be used and applied to the Merton population as it provided a rough estimate on the volume of people that may have Long COVID. Due to discrepancies in data, it remained possible that there were individuals who were dealing with Long COVID by themselves.

·       Community champions have been equipped with services to further support those with Long COVID.

·       Those from minority ethnic communities who struggled with Long COVID remained to be underrepresented in seeking clinical help.

·       Central London Community Healthcare, who provide support for Long COVID across Merton and Wandsworth had finite resources. As such, it is important to raise awareness and reach out to such communities.

·       It was estimated that 4,211 Merton residents were living with Long COVID. Mark Creelman agreed to act on sharing material which could be distributed to residents.

·       Long COVID has remained a broad spectrum with some specialist studies on the impact to particular organs. Some people required broader support as opposed to a clinician, for example those suffering with fatigue may need support with childcare.

·       The importance of vaccinations continues

·       Enforcement remained important to stop the selling of vapes to under 18 year olds. To take a flexible approach and to listen to young people would help understand why this was important.

·       The importance of carers should always be at the forefront of discussion. The Joint Carers Strategy continued to be a working process.

RESOLVED: That the Board agreed the recommendations.