An independent review has praised Cheshire West and Chester Council for its commitment to improving public health, whilst also highlighting limited resources and competing priorities as barriers to progress.

The council became the first in England to take part in a new national Public Health Peer Review programme, with a panel of Local Government Association (LGA) experts spending three days with the authority in September to assess how well it is fulfilling its public health responsibilities.

The report praised strong political leadership, senior officer commitment and effective partnership working across the organisation

It also described the council's public health workforce as "talented, professional, enthusiastic, and committed", concluding that the authority is "fulfilling its public health responsibilities well" and is "clearly committed" to improving the health of its local population.

However, the report warned that turning the council's ambitions into "improved outcomes" remains a "challenge in some areas".

Persistent inequalities were cited in school attendance, self-harm among 10 to 24-year-olds, hospital admissions resulting from falls among older people, and the proportion of adults who are overweight or smoke.

The report also highlighted the "huge number of priorities" facing the council, warning that it cannot always "direct sufficient resources" towards them all.

Whilst the review strongly praised the council's political leadership, senior officers and partnership working, it called for a sharper focus on the areas where action could have the greatest impact on public health and inequality.

The report said: "The Peer Review Team is impressed by the Council's commitment to being a public health-led local authority, and the implementation of a Marmot Council has been key to this.

"However, the Council has many priorities. Focussing on a smaller number will help target resources in areas that will help reduce inequalities and tackle the wider determinants of health that impact most on the public's health."

The challenge of prioritising work was also reflected in feedback gathered during the review, with one interviewee commenting that "everything is a priority and it's hard to know where to start"

Funding constraints were also noted as hindering the implementation of some strategies, with partners expressing frustration at having "strategic ambitions without the resource to necessarily carry through".

It said this ongoing challenge needed to be addressed through sharper prioritisation and the management of expectations among partners and communities.

Among the other areas identified for development were workforce planning, strengthening the council's influence across the wider health system, and making greater use of residents' feedback to inform decisions and demonstrate the value of public health work.

It said the review team found it "difficult to discern a shared understanding" of neighbourhoods and neighbourhood health within the borough and across the wider regional health system.

The report called on the council to work with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and other partners to establish a clearer shared vision for neighbourhood health

Mental health was identified as another area requiring further development, with the review suggesting the council's Public Health Team could take a stronger lead in "acting as system convenor for mental health promotion and prevention".

Cllr Lisa Denson said: "We were pleased to be the first council in the country to take part in this new process.

"We're really proud of the work we do to improve health and wellbeing for people in the borough – particularly trying to break down the inequalities we see across different areas in our borough.

"There's always more to do, and having that independent assessment of our work to help celebrate what we're doing well, as well as help us to refine how we can improve, is vital to help us help our residents."

Described as an "improvement-focused" review rather than an inspection, the The LGA's Public Health Peer Review examined six areas: leadership and governance; vision and priorities; partnership working; data, intelligence and outcomes; resources, quality and commissioning; and statutory responsibilities.

Following the review, Cheshire West and Chester Council will develop an improvement plan with support from the Public Health Improvement Programme.

The plan is due to be produced within three months of the on-site review dates.

You can read the full report here.