North Yorkshire Council

 

North Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Board

 

5th June 2026

 

Health Protection Assurance Group Annual Report

 

Report of the Director of Public Health

 

1.0       PURPOSE OF REPORT

 

1.1       To provide the Health and Wellbeing Board with an update on the work undertaken during 2025-6 across the North Yorkshire system, as highlighted in the Health Protection Assurance Group annual report.

 

 

2.0       BACKGROUND

 

2.1       The Director of Public Health (DPH) has a statutory role to maintain assurance on health protection issues across North Yorkshire. The DPH chairs the North Yorkshire Health Protection Assurance Group (HPAG), a multi-agency forum providing strategic oversight across the individual parts of the health protection system in North Yorkshire.

 

2.2       The purpose of the HPAG annual report is to provide evidence to support the DPH in fulfilling their statutory assurance function on health protection for North Yorkshire, whilst summarising the work of the wider assurance group over the last year (25/26). In doing so the report also highlights the key risks, challenges and gaps across the system, which in turn help determine the priorities for the assurance group for the next year (26/27) as set out at the end of the report.

 

 

3.0       HEALTH PROTECTION ANNUAL REPORT

 

3.1       This year many partners across the health protection system have continued to experience the impacts of ongoing organisational change, including ICBs, UKHSA and NHS England. This has included loss of staff as well as changing responsibilities and boundaries.

 

3.2       Despite this, partners have come together to respond to a range of incidents, including infectious diseases and environmental issues such as the Fylingdales wildfire, as well as engaging in exercises including the national Exercise Pegasus.

 

3.3       Responses have been underpinned by close working relationships, with many formal arrangements also progressing such as the regional MOU and the completion of the NYC Infectious Diseases Plan.

 

3.4       Auditing the health protection system against the ADPH What Good Looks Like Framework has suggested good performance generally, although there is scope to improve information sharing pathways, which will be particularly important to maintain through ongoing organisational changes.

 

3.5       There are several areas of work that have been started during 25/26 that are due for completion in 26/27, including the Air Quality and Seasonal Health strategies. In addition, a number of national reports, and plans have been published during 25/26 (including on HIV and TB) which will be responded to as part of the 26/27 workplan.

 

3.6       The report identified the following system priorities for 2026/7:

•       Refresh the Seasonal Health Strategy

•       Complete the NYC Air Quality Strategy

•       Embed the national HIV Action Plan locally

•       Implement new IPC contractual arrangements

•       Implement local actions based on the tuberculosis “Getting it Right First Time” (GIRFT) Report

•       Support the completion of regional health protection agreements including MOU

•       Strengthening information sharing pathways between organisations to support assurance and response

 

 

4.0       CONTRIBUTION TO THE JOINT LOCAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING STRATEGY PRIORITIES

 

4.1       Health Protection is one of the 3 core areas of public health. In the JHWBS 2023-30, health protection is part of the ‘Think Prevention’ priority; key areas of the report align with actions in the strategy including:

·         Improve uptake of screening and immunisation programmes

·         Improve our approach to Community Infection Prevention & Control to support health protection in frontline services across the system

 

4.2       The report also contributes to the ambition on ‘Think People’ to focus on those who experience the poorest health outcomes, and also from a ‘Think Place’ approach on e.g. coastal communities through targeted Scarborough work.

 

5.0       ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

 

5.1       Not applicable

 

6.0       IMPLICATIONS

 

6.1       There are no financial, equalities or climate change implications arising directly from the recommendations.

 

7.0

RECOMMENDATION

 

 

i) That the Board receives the Health Protection Assurance Group annual report, as part of maintaining assurance on health protection issues across the broader North Yorkshire system.

 

 

APPENDICES

 

Appendix A – Health Protection Assurance Group Annual Report

 

 

 

Louise Wallace

Director of Public Health

County Hall

Northallerton

13/05/26

 

Report Author – Victoria Turner, Public Health Consultant

Presenter of Report – Victoria Turner, Public Health Consultant

 

 

Note: Members are invited to contact the author in advance of the meeting with any detailed queries or questions.