You can tell that summer is well and truly over, as the diary is crammed with unmissable events and not enough time between them. One of the highlights this week was the Leaders and Chief Executives’ Meeting on Thursday when all of the council leaders and chief executives from Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent gathered to discuss the most pressing issues. For the past 18 months, it has been dominated by devolution, and the question of what we are going to do, if anything. With that subject currently on the back burner, at least in the county areas, we had the opportunity to look at other issues – Brexit, the Health Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), and the planned full retention of Business Rates. There is a huge amount to do, but I sense that there is a shared willingness to do it.
Monday evening was the opening of the Centre for Health and Development (CHAD) at Staffordshire University, which we’re sponsoring with Stoke-on-Trent City Council. It was a very interesting event, with a lecture by Professor Sir Michael Marmott based on his book, “The Health Gap”, about the effects of economic and social inequalities on health outcomes. He’s a fascinating man, who, like all good public health professionals, is focussed on the evidence rather than opinions and anecdotes. What he says makes uncomfortable listening for those of us who are charged with delivering public health, and it spurs us on to greater efforts.
Thanks to all who came to this week’s Business Brief – it was indeed a standing room only event as I hoped that it would be. I was asked by a colleague in HR whether there was any way that it, or something like it, could reach a wider audience. After a brief discussion, we came up with the idea of a webcast of the event which colleagues could watch from their desks, perhaps with a means of asking questions through the intranet or by text. I’d value any thoughts from readers before we proceed.
Finally, please make sure you complete the staff survey. We’ve had a good response rate so far, with over 1,700 colleagues telling us about how they find working here. There are two weeks left to complete the survey, but don’t leave it until the last minute!