Annual Report of the Director of Public Health
The Director of Public Health is required to provide an annual report that covers key local health issues and services.
2024 - Moving the Mountain
The 2024 Annual Director of Public Health Report is themed around childhood immunisations, with a focus on the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programmes.
Over the past decade, rates of childhood vaccination have fallen in London and England, leaving increasing numbers of children susceptible to diseases that are preventable. National data has shown that there are health inequalities, with lower rates of vaccination in some population groups. This has created a mounting public health challenge, for which the consequences are beginning to show.
This is a timely report given the recent rise in measles cases in England, at a time when London has the lowest childhood vaccination rates in the country. In Wandsworth, approximately 1 in 5 children born between April 2008 and March 2018 are unprotected or insufficiently protected against MMR. The report aims to understand the reasons for the decline in childhood vaccine uptake in Wandsworth, the potential impact of this on the health of children and to propose solutions to improve uptake.
The local story is told by those closest to childhood vaccination programmes in the borough, including residents, GPs, and vaccine delivery partners. Their views and perspectives have been paramount to informing how to move the mountain of childhood immunisations in Wandsworth. This report reaffirms the vital importance of vaccinating children and provides evidence-based solutions on how the local health system can work collaboratively to improve levels of protection in the borough.
2023 - Enough is Enough
The Director of Public Health Annual Report 2023 is a call to action. It describes, in people's own words, the inequalities and inequities ethnic minorities face in relation to their mental health, and highlights how much we still have to do to deliver much needed change. In addition, it showcases the excellent work taking place in Wandsworth to support the mental health of people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The report builds on the 2022 Wandsworth Mental Health Needs Assessment and covers the following themes:
- Impact of socio-economic inequalities on mental health
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health
- Cultural understanding and stigma of mental health
- Racism and racial discrimination in mental health services
- Community-based, culturally appropriate mental health support
View the 2023 large font report
2021-22 - The COVID-19 Pandemic Response
The Annual Director of Public Health Report for 2021-2022 is designed to take readers on Wandsworth’s journey through the world-changing pandemic. The report is a retrospective piece that reflects on the local authority public health response in 2020-21. Reflections examine the local experiences and lessons learned and advocates for the essential role of the local authority public health in responding to future outbreaks
2020 - Health Inequality in Wandsworth: Turning Aspiration into Reality
The Annual Director of Public Health report for 2020 shares the steps we have taken to address health inequalities through population level interventions using borough assets to promote healthy lives and also highlight areas where we need to do more. Effective place-based action requires action based on civic, service and community interventions, along with system leadership and planning. The areas of our preventative work include; physical activity, healthy eating, air pollution and climate change, social isolation and loneliness, smoking, alcohol and substance misuse, addressing health inequalities, immunisation, cardiovascular disease, sexual health, mental and emotional health, children and young people.