Stoke-on-Trent City Council is fulfilling its public health responsibilities well and has a strong foundation to continue improving residents' health and wellbeing, according to a peer review by the Local Government Association (LGA).
The LGA's Peer Review team visited the city council for three days in September, interviewing council officers and external partners. Over 140 people were spoken to and more than 150 documents were reviewed as part of the assessment. The city council is only the second authority to take part in the process, which was voluntary.
What the review found
The review identified that the city council's public health agenda is influencing decision-making well across the organisation. Partnership working was identified as a significant strength, and assessors found steadfast commitment to reducing health inequalities in the city.
The council's joint working across Early Years, Children's Services and Public Health was highlighted, along with its efforts to support and strengthen communities.
Recommendations for improvement
The LGA report also identified key recommendations to build on these foundations. These include focusing on a smaller number of key priorities for maximum impact, making best use of available resources, and ensuring public health priorities maintain a high profile across the wider system.
The city council will develop an improvement plan over the next three months to implement these recommendations.
Councillor Majid Khan, cabinet member for health integration and wellbeing, said: "I would like to thank every person that took part in this review. It is pleasing to hear that we have established a strong foundation and are making great progress in improving wellbeing and reducing health inequalities in Stoke-on-Trent."
The Public Health Peer Reviews form part of the LGA's Public Health Improvement Programme, funded by the Department for Health and Social Care. The full peer review report is available on the council's website.