Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Adult Health, Health and Wellbeing, presented the report which outlined a case for investment in data quality and project coordination to support the development of a population health management in primary care, with an initial focus on coronary heart disease (CHD). Members supported the proposal, noting that simple checks had the potential to save lives, and that this demonstrated a collaborative and invest to save approach.
Decision:
Cabinet agreed that £550,000 from the public health reserves be invested in building population health capacity, including in data quality and project coordination over three years (financial years 22/23, 23/24, and 24/25) through the GP Federation to support a wider programme of work focussed on reducing CHD and inequalities in CHD.
Reasons for the decision:
A population health management approach to reducing CHD and inequalities in coronary heart disease (and other long-term conditions) will depend on good quality data and project coordination. This investment supports the development of data and capacity that will enable this approach to be expanded to other major causes of illness and deaths and health inequalities.
Alternative options considered and rejected:
Do nothing: the lack of high-quality data on aspects of inequality such as ethnicity as well as aspects of care for people with CHD will prevent the measurement and reduction of inequalities in CHD, limiting the primary care system’s ability to identify and reduce inequalities in diagnosis and care for people with CHD and to improve uptake of preventive treatments.