Health improvement
Health improvement covers a wide range of activity, principally
focussed on improving the health and well-being of individuals and
communities.
A key aim of health improvement is to reduce health inequalities
by improving access to services for people most in need and to
support those at most risk of illness and premature death to
improve their lifestyle.
What do we mean by health and well-being?
To help understand what is meant by health improvement it is
useful to define what we mean by health and well-being.
Health -
the World Health Organisation (new window) defines
health as:
'a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and
not merely the absence of disease or infirmity'.
Well-being - the
Government's Sustainable Development Strategy
(new window) defines well-being as:
'a positive physical, social and mental state, not just the
absence of pain, discomfort and incapacity. It requires that basic
needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose and that
they feel able to achieve important personal goals and participate
in society. It is enhanced by conditions that include supportive
personal relationships, strong and inclusive communities, good
health, financial and personal security rewarding employment and a
healthy and attractive environment'.
What determines our health and well-being?
Our health and well-being are determined by a wide range of
complex and related factors. The diagram below shows that these
range from physical aspects such as age, gender, hereditary
factors, through to lifestyle, social networks and the environment
in which we live.
Health inequalities
Health inequalities are the gap in health status and in access
to health services, between different social classes and ethnic
groups and between populations in different areas.
Groups of people can be defined by where they live, their
ethnicity, their level of income, their physical or mental ability
and a number of other factors. It is known that these factors can
affect the lifestyles people adopt, their access to health and
other services and the environments in which they live.
This in turn influences people’s health, such that there can be
marked differences in the health and well-being between different
groups of people, for example, people living in areas of
multiple deprivation such as parts of Lowestoft and Ipswich are not
as likely to live as long as those in other parts of Suffolk and
older people are more likely to suffer serious injury from a fall
in their home than any other age group.
Priorities for health improvement.
In 2004 the
Government published a White Paper called 'Choosing Health'
(new window) which identified 7 main priorities for public
services to work together and with individuals and communities
in order to improve the nations overall health and well-being
and to reduce health inequalities. The priorities are:
- Smoking.
- Diet and nutrition.
- Physical activity.
- Mental health.
- Alcohol misuse.
- Sexually transmitted infections.
- Drug misuse.
These priorities are for all ages and compliment other national
and local priorities for action such as reducing accidents,
addressing the environment impact of climate change, transport
provision, housing and education and employment.
The Council's role
Suffolk Coastal seeks to improve the health and well-being of
all its residents and works with many organisations -
voluntary, community, independent and statutory - to help with
this. Many of the Council's core responsibilities contribute to
promoting health and well-being, such as housing services, leisure
and community activities and environmental health services.
In addition the Council employs a health improvement manager
jointly with Suffolk Primary Care Trust. This post enables greater
joint working across health and local government with the aim of
developing services that take account of the many factors
influencing health, and partnerships between organisations that can
offer support and information to people in their own
communities.
Key within the role of the health improvement manager is
identifying where there are health inequalities in the district and
seeking ways to overcome those inequalities, as well as working
towards promoting healthy lifestyles generally in relation to the 7
priorities identified in 'Choosing Health'.
Much of this work is now co-ordinated through the
Suffolk Coastal Local Strategic Partnership
(LSP)(new window), which is a forum for voluntary and community
groups, local businesses, statutory organisations such as health,
parish councils, education and police to work together in
identifying the needs of residents in the district and ways to meet
those needs.
Follow the links below to find out about some of the current
intiatives: