Agenda item

Healthy and Happy Communities: Devon's Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-25

Report of the Chief Officer for Communities, Public Health, Environment and Prosperity on Healthy and Happy Communities: Devon’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, 2020-25, attached.

Minutes:

The Board considered a Report from the Chief Officer for Communities, Public Health, Environment and Prosperity on the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy to cover the period 2020 to 2025.

 

Health and Wellbeing Boards had a statutory responsibility to produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), an assessment of current and future health and care needs in the local population, and a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS), a local strategy for the local population addressing the needs identified in the JSNA. 

 

During 2019, Devon’s Health and Wellbeing Board had been developing its new Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy to cover the period 2020 to 2025. Following the publication of the draft for consultation in July 2019, the Report summarised the consultation, changes made to the Strategy, and set out the next steps.  The consultation consisted of an online consultation survey, yielding 135 responses; focus groups with various people coordinated by Living Options Devon involving 173 people which included those with learning disabilities, LGBTQ communities, young people, disabled and deaf people, and BME communities; and table discussions at the annual stakeholder conference.

 

The vision and priorities from the draft JHWS were summarised in the table below:

 

Table 1, Draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2020-25: Vision, Principles and Priorities

 

Vision:            Health outcomes and health equality in Devon will be amongst the best in the world and will be achieved by Devon’s communities, businesses and organisations working in partnership.

 

Principle 1.      Prioritise prevention and early intervention across the health, care and wellbeing system

 

Principle 2.      Recognise and support the growing contribution and needs of voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to improving health and wellbeing, and the role of the public in the continuing development of services

 

Principle 3.      Recognise the diversity that exists across Devon, and respond to inequalities: those differences in health which are avoidable

 

Principle 4.      Seek to ensure that Devon’s citizens have access to the information and support they need to stay well, and receive health and care services tailored to their needs when required

 

Principle 5.      Adapt for the future by developing relationships and supporting partnerships across the community to support individuals and families with more complex needs

 

Principle 6.      Develop the wider health and wellbeing workforce and embrace digital solutions

 

Priority 1. Create opportunities for all

Inclusive economic growth, education and social mobility

Priority 2. Healthy, safe and strong communities

Creating conditions for good health and wellbeing where we live, work and learn

Priority 3. Focus on mental health

Building good emotional health and wellbeing, happiness and resilience

Priority 4. Maintain good health for all

Supporting people to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible

a. Narrow gaps in educational attainment and adult skills

b. Reduce levels of child poverty

c. Support economic growth in more disadvantaged areas

d. Increase social mobility

a. Improve housing conditions, reduce homelessness, and increase supply of appropriate housing

b. Create conditions for good health, physical activity and social interaction

c. Support healthy workplaces and schools

d. Help keep communities and individuals safe

a. Reduce loneliness in all age groups

b. Identify people at risk and intervene to improve poor mental health as soon as possible

c. Proactively address the mental health consequences of trauma and adverse childhood experiences

d. Promote a positive approach to mental health and wellbeing

a. Prevent ill health by enabling people to live healthier lives

b. Detect disease in the early stages to reduce impact on health

c. Support those living with long-term conditions to maintain a good quality of life

d. Support carers to improve and maintain their own health and wellbeing

 

The final version of the strategy and the updated outcomes reports would be shared with local authority districts, NHS organisations, local strategic partnerships, and other organisations, to help inform local organisations and gather intelligence on local programmes and initiatives to support work on priorities.

 

The Board discussed and asked questions on the following;

 

·         Under Priority 2 (a) Healthy, Safe and strong communities, whether there was a definition or increased information around what constituted ‘appropriate’ housing conditions, for this to be supplied to Districts to help ensure consistent standards across the County;

·         Reference to Climate Change within the Report, given the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency;

·         How to hear from hard to reach communities who didn’t have a voice, to ensure their thoughts were captured within the Strategy; and

·         How to ensure the need to combat loneliness was also reflected within the Strategy.

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Leadbetter, SECONDED by Councillor Parsons, and

 

RESOLVED that the the final draft and next steps in relation to publication of the final Strategy, outcomes framework, and further work to embed the Strategy, be approved by the Board.

 

 

Supporting documents: