Health and wellbeing strategy

The Health and Wellbeing Board has to publish a strategy setting out its key priorities and how members will work together to improve the health and wellbeing of Derbyshire's residents.

Derbyshire Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024 to 2027, sets out 5 areas of focus for improving health and wellbeing across Derbyshire.

The 5 areas of focus are:

1. Tackle the 4 main risk factors that lead to poor health.
2. Support good mental health.
3. Support communities to be resilient and independent.
4. Tackle child poverty and enable children and young people in Derbyshire to start well.
5. Develop the Health and Wellbeing Board to effectively deliver on the areas of focus.

Tackle the 4 main risk factors that lead to poor health

Smoking, alcohol use, poor diet and physical inactivity are all key risk factors which lead to preventable ill health and premature mortality.

Together these factors contribute to a range of conditions, including (but not limited to): becoming overweight or obese, poor oral health, mental health conditions, dementia, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, respiratory disease, cancer and heart disease.

Approximately 40% of the UK's disability-adjusted life years lost are because of tobacco or alcohol use, hypertension, being physically inactive and being overweight or obese.

The 4 risk factors are significantly linked to socioeconomic determinants and notably contribute to widening health inequalities.

The higher number of risk factors individuals engage in increases the health and mortality risk. Often the 4 main risk factors co-occur at the same time in individuals, and this multiplies the risks of poor health.

In order to make a positive difference to the residents of Derbyshire, we will:

• identify and target support to individuals most at risk of multiple unhealthy risk factors
• promote evidenced based interventions to tackle the 4 main risk factors of ill health
• contribute to and action the strategies relating to the 4 main risk factors including Derbyshire Tobacco Control Strategy, the Substance Use Strategy and the Making Our Move Strategy
• identify opportunities for co-production

Support good mental health

Mental health is important to quality of life and is a protective factor against physical illness and social inequalities.

Mental health is a state of wellbeing where a person can work productively, cope with stresses in life and contribute to their community.

A range of factors can affect mental health throughout childhood and adulthood.

However, between conception and the age of 2 years is a critical period for a child’s brain development and their long-term emotional health.

In order to make a positive difference to the residents of Derbyshire, we will:

• address the needs expressed in the mental health, Health Needs Assessment
• promote and support evaluation of evidence based mental health interventions including local campaigns and the mental health first aider training
• ensure a life course approach to mental health, with a focus on children and young people's interventions
• monitor and respond to the effect of the longer-term COVID-19 pandemic on mental health
• address and consider the factors that impact on poor mental health including cost-of-living pressures
• promote evidenced based information on mental health including the information on the Derby and Derbyshire Emotional Health and Wellbeing website

Support communities to be resilient and independent

Addressing the wider determinants of health has an important role to play in reducing health inequalities in Derbyshire.

There are many important factors that underpin our health and wellbeing, known as social determinants of health, these are conditions in which people in Derbyshire are born, age, live and work.

These factors, including employment, housing status, income and education determine our health and wellbeing outcomes and are often referred to as the 'causes of the causes'.

In order to make a positive difference to the residents of Derbyshire, we will:

• promote and support the evaluation of evidenced based interventions that address social determinants of health
• contribute to and action the strategies related to social determinants of health including the Derbyshire Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2022-2027
• contribute to and action the needs expressed in the Derbyshire Housing and Health Impact Assessment
• support the work of the Derbyshire Housing and Health Systems Group
• support the work of the Air Quality Group

Tackle child poverty and enable children and young people in Derbyshire to start well

Every child in Derbyshire has the right to develop with the best health possible, to have access to good education, to be protected from harm and to reach their full potential.

There are unacceptable and avoidable inequalities for children living in Derbyshire which impacts on future health and wellbeing outcomes.

In order to make a positive difference to the residents of Derbyshire, we will:

• promote and support the evaluation of evidenced based interventions for children and young people
• support the recommendations in the Food Insecurity in Derbyshire Health Needs Assessment
• consider and work in partnership to address the key findings in the My Life My View emotional health and wellbeing survey
• work with key partners including the Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) to support action plans

Develop the Health and Wellbeing Board to effectively deliver on the areas of focus

Over the last 5 years there have been many system changes, specifically the establishment of Integrated Care Boards and Integrated Care Partnerships.

There has also been a change in the Derbyshire Health and Wellbeing Board membership.

In order to make a positive difference to the residents of Derbyshire, we will:

• work with the Local Government Association (LGA) to improve the system governance and action planning
• develop and deliver Health and Wellbeing Board development sessions
• further understand the role of the Health and Wellbeing Board within the Derbyshire Integrated Care System including how it contributes to an effective system wide governance structure
• consider a range of data and information to extend shared understanding of the health need
• review the Health and Wellbeing Board Terms of Reference to align with the areas of focus including reviewing the Health and Wellbeing Board membership
• consider best practice examples from other areas in the country including case studies collated by the LGA