A public health partnership between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has been given the go-ahead to continue for another two years.
The two councils have been sharing resources, expertise and a director since the partnership started in 2019.
Before that, inspectors said the Isle of Wight council’s public health team was ‘not fulfilling’ its duties.
Peer review: ‘Clear evidence of significant progress’
Now, following a peer review by the Local Government Association in September last year, there is ‘clear evidence of significant progress’ in providing ‘safe, high quality’ services to the Island through the partnership.
There is development potential moving forward, the review found, although some health outcomes still require improvement, including male life expectancy, smoking-related deaths and low childhood immunisation rates.
Extension agreed
The Isle of Wight council’s cabinet agreed the extension of the partnership last Thursday and will now come to an end in 2025 when another agreement could be made.
Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Simon Bryant, said he was delighted to be the Island’s public health director and help improve the population’s health.
Benefits of partnership
He also said the peer review really showed the benefit of the partnership.
The public health partnership on the Island provides services for: sexual health; substance misuse; mental health; domestic abuse; and healthy child provisions.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Tirachard Kumtanom under CC BY 2.0
