Tayside Joint Health Protection Plan 2025-2027
Perth and Kinross Council · 11 June 2025
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 11 June 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Housing & Social Wellbeing Committee Date of Meeting: 11 June 2025 Report Title: Tayside Joint Health Protection Plan 2025-2027 Report Number: 25/157 Report Author: Kirsty Steven, Principal Officer, Environmental Health Organisational Lead: Elaine Ritchie, Strategic Lead – Housing & Communities 1. Purpose 1.1 This report seeks agreement on the adoption and implementation of Tayside’s Joint Health Protection Plan 2025-2027 (TJHPP), see Appendix 1. 1.2 This plan provides an overview of the public protection measures across NHS Tayside and the partner Local Authorities for the period of the plan, in relation to: Health protection priorities, provision, and preparedness. The joint working arrangements in place for the protection of public health across Tayside. Ongoing mechanisms to improve the level of “preparedness” in relation to responding effectively to health protection incidents and emergencies. Developing learning across the agencies. Ensuring methods for reviewing and recording outcomes and achievements. 1.3 Appendix 2 contains an action plan which highlights PKC’s core activities, including programmed actions and predicted reactive response mechanisms to ensure the outcomes of the plan are met. This plan also highlights emerging issues requiring ongoing consideration in terms of future preparedness.
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2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Agrees the adoption and implementation of the TJHPP 2025-27 and provides an authorised signatory to approve the plan on behalf of PKC. 2.2 Supports the attached action plan objectives to ensure the outcomes of the plan can be met by PKC. 2.3 Acknowledges the ongoing requirements to ensure preparedness in terms of emerging issues. 3. Background/Context 3.1 In accordance with the Public Health etc (Scotland) Act 2008, NHS boards and local authorities (LAs) have a duty to co-operate in exercising their functions to protect public health. This includes the production and implementation of a Joint Health Protection Plan every two years. This is the fifth edition of the TJHPP. 3.2 The latest plan created by NHS Tayside Health Protection Team, in consultation with the three Tayside local authorities, details an overview of the core health protection functions across the NHS Board area. 3.3 The TJHPP has already been approved by NHS Tayside, but to be concluded requires approval and sign off by an authorised signatory from each of the three Tayside Local Authorities. Once full approval is reached the plan will be publicly available. 3.4 NHS Tayside and PKC maintain ongoing collaborative working and learning arrangements, along with all other relevant agencies responsible for public protection associated with animal/human & environmental health risks. Such agencies include the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Water (SW), the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA), Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR), Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS). 3.5 As part of these joint working arrangements prevention measures and rapid responses to incidents are manage based on agreed national and local health protection plans. These plans cover a variety of potential incidents, examples include the Scottish Waterborne Hazard Plan, the Pandemic Flu Plan and Health Protection Incident Response Plan. 3.6 In addition several areas of PKC’s core health protection functions are regularly audited by external agencies, including the Drinking Water Quality Regulator in relation to private water supplies, food safety by the FSS and air quality monitoring and management by SEPA and the Scottish Government.
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4. Main Issues 4.1 The core health protection functions within PKC are provided by the Environmental Health & Food/Health & Safety Teams, and primarily involve: • Ensuring the safety and quality of food, water, air, land, and the general environment. • Preventing the transmission of infectious disease (e.g. E. coli/Salmonella/Legionella); and • Managing outbreaks and other incidents which threaten the health of the public. However, there are a variety of other work streams undertaken by PKC teams, mentioned in the TJHPP and detailed in the action plan, that tackle the wider determinants of health. Examples include reactive work associated with poor housing standards, the investigation of statutory nuisance or health & safety incidents, and the proactive work by Trading Standards regarding scams and vapes. 4.2 Many aspects of local authorities’ health protection work is statutory. It largely involves monitoring, inspection, surveillance, sampling and the investigation and resolution of issues/incidents across a broad scope of both programmed (preventative) and reactive activities, often combining education/engagement/ enforcement actions. 4.3 Although there are similar health protection risks across the whole of Tayside, each local authority has its own unique profile, and these health protection considerations are recognised within the plan. For Perth & Kinross Council examples include: the substantial number of rural private water supplies, the variety of food businesses and the air quality issues in Perth City. It also acknowledges those vulnerable groups employed in local food processing facilities or agricultural work where health inequalities associated with the wider determinants of health are often more prevalent. 4.4 To fulfil the above duties requires a rich and diverse skill set from officers with ‘can do’ attitudes to deal with complex problems. These competencies range from empathy and understanding, speaking to family of extremely unwell cases to the formal enforcement of legal requirements with local businesses. 4.5 Similar to the other two Tayside LA’s PKC relies on our emergency response process and the co-operation and action by officers out with working hours. In terms of capacity, officer numbers under the public protection remit mirror Angus Council’s but are lower than that of Dundee City Council. 4.6 Horizon Scanning & the determination of emerging threats is primarily a core function of NHS Tayside but requires collaboration with LAs in the development of resilience and emergency plans.
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4.7 Examples include pandemic preparedness in relation to the ongoing threat of avian influenza or horizon scanning regarding the risks to vulnerable populations, such as TB or vaccine preventable diseases. 4.8 The migration of diseases north from warmer continents due to climate change remain under close national scrutiny, particularly in relation to ticks and mosquitoes. 4.9 More modern activities are also giving rise to increased concerns regarding the supply of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as facial fillers/fat dissolvers or the impacts of emerging novel food trends. However, these rapidly developing areas are often difficult to deal with where the legislation has not caught up with the science or public demand. 5. Proposals 5.1 In approving the TJHPP, PKC recognises and supports the well-established and positive working relationship between PKC and NHS Tayside in collaboratively monitoring and managing health events through optimisation of capacity and powers across the two agencies. 5.2 The action plan within Appendix 2 provides an insight into the robust methods of preparedness/prevention and response by PKC. There is a strong investment in programmed monitoring, inspection and sampling work to identify issues at source and reduce the more costly demand on services in reacting to incidents/outbreaks, or pressures on the NHS in treating ill health. 5.3 Through the work detailed in the action plan there is a constant gathering of valuable data and intelligence which not only highlights local issues but is shared to inform the national picture in terms of horizon scanning for emerging issues and the development of future actions. 5.4 Many of the topic areas within the TJHPP and the action plan are evolving work streams but highlights the ongoing need for officers to continue to do what we are good at, on a day-to-day basis, to protect public health. 6. Conclusion 6.1 Life expectancy has stalled, the nation is living unhealthier lives and becoming sicker earlier, health inequalities are rising, and public health issues and interventions are becoming more complex. 6.2 Therefore, it is essential that PKC remains committed to adequately resourcing and effectively undertaking the preventative and reactive functions required to tackle both the acute and chronic conditions affecting local public health within this plan, and beyond. 6.3 This plan also provides an opportunity to add value to the shared goals of PKC to provide strong prevention and a strong response to improve local health outcomes by tackling the wider root causes of poorer health.
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7. Impact and Value Assessment Impact and Value Assessment 8. Appendices Appendix 1 – Tayside’s Joint Health Protection Plan 25-27 Appendix 2 - PKC Action Plan, in response to the TJHPP.