Agenda item

Mid-term review of the Northumberland Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy Theme: Empowering People and Communities

The Cabinet Member for Improving Public Health and Wellbeing introduced the report which sought to provide an update on progress on actions within Northumberland Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2018-28 Empowering People and Communities Theme and propose amendments to priorities, actions, and indicators to measure progress for the remaining period of the strategy 2023-28.  

The report was presented by K. McCabe, Senior Public Health Manager (Inequalities) and P. Lee, Public Health Consultant.  The report had previously been considered at the Health and Wellbeing Board.  (A copy of the report and presentation has been filed with the signed minutes).

The presentation covered the following points:

The theme currently aimed to ensure that ‘people and communities in Northumberland are listened to, involved and supported to maximise their wellbeing and health.

In comparison for 2018/19, national indicators for 2021/22 showed a worsening position in Northumberland for a number of indicators, however when compared to both the North East and England averages they were not doing as badly.?

Northumberland’s population.  Collection of data was potentially limited by digital access and literacy levels.

Ambition – to move away from culture of preventing illness to promoting wellness. And from a culture of ‘doing to’ people to a culture of ‘doing with’.  More than Medicine approach and five areas for action.

Reflections – where Northumberland was now

Landscape, Terminology and Language

Desired outcome – All communities in Northumberland were heard, understood, and empowered and had an active role in optimising their wellbeing and health.

Principles –

Take a strengths-based approach

Working collaboratively

Priority Areas

Work collaboratively to remove barriers, promote and mobilise a local, holistic, whole person approach.

Equity of access to opportunities supporting resilience, belonging and connectivity.

Enable development of knowledge skills and confidence to understand health and are choices and their consequences.?

Lived experience central within policy development and practice.?

What are we going to do??

Be resilient, be inclusive, be community-based, be consistent, be open and made every door ‘the right door’.

It was hoped that the other three themes of the JHWS would also take on this approach and work with leads of the other themes and look at metrics within those themes that linked to the healthy life expectancy and inequality take forward and help people deliver within the Empowering People and Communities approach.

A number of comments were made, including:

Concern that this was overloaded with jargon that might be difficult for residents to understand.

The need to work with Councillors and other stakeholders to ensure the Strategy was fit for purpose and delivered successfully.

The voice of residents particularly those in the hardest to reach communities needed to be heard and understood.

Meaningful indicators and data were essential.

The need to link up with the Inequalities Group.

RESOLVED that:

(a)  note and comment on the achievements described in the report, and

(b)  that the proposed amendments to priorities, actions, and indicators or evidence of achievements for the theme be noted.