Joint Health Improvement Plan – Annual Report 2013-14
Background
The Joint Health Improvement Plan (JHIP) was launched in August 2013 for the period 2013 – 2016. It is owned and actioned by the Health and Wellbeing Partnership on behalf of the Community Planning Partnership. This document was developed in partnership with communities and organisations during the transition period between the old and new SOA. The JHIP contributes to the following outcomes:
4. Children and young people have the best possible start
5. People live active, healthier and independent lives
6. People live in safer and stronger communities
This report outlines the implementation of the first year of the JHIP and includes the following:
· Report of the Health and Wellbeing grant fund
· Update on the Health and Wellbeing Networks
· Action on strategic priorities and other activity
· Reference to wider health improvement delivery and future priorities
· Report of the Health and Wellbeing grant fund
In April 2013, £71,700 was allocated from the Public Health budget to support small grants for health improvement. The responsibility for deciding how this fund is spent is devolved to local areas (Bute; Cowal; Helensburgh and Lomond; Islay; Kintyre; Mid Argyll; and Oban, Lorn and the Isles). This was awarded as follows:
Total spend / £66,402.91Number of projects funded / 59
Average award / £1,125.47
Strategic priorities met:
· Health inequalities
· Mental health
· Tobacco
· Alcohol
· Obesity
· Early years
· Older people
· Teenage transition
(NB many projects met several priorities) / 49
49
6
10
34
21
25
17
Some examples of funded projects include:
· £250 for Dementia Awareness Week in Kintyre
· £1,736 for the Oban Winter Festival
· £1,500 for Rhu and Shandon’s seniors’ club
· £1,600 for a befriending service pilot in Mid Argyll
The full list of awardees is available here:
All awardees are required to submit a case study of their project within 12 months. For more information on funded projects see: http://healthyargyllandbute.co.uk/case-study/
The full £71,700 was not allocated due to a spending freeze in NHS Highland. Networks are ensuring they have robust plans in place to spend their allocations early in 2014-15.
· Action on strategic priorities
The JHIP contains 8 strategic priorities. Action has taken been taken or is ongoing as follows:
Health Inequalities
Reducing inequalities is a cross cutting theme for the SOA and should be inherent in all health improvement activity supported by the Partnership. Welfare reform is a current concern and was the topic of the Health and Wellbeing development day in February 2014, a twice yearly event where partners working in health improvement came together to share learning. A full report is available in the website referenced below. The Partnership and some Networks have also allocated agenda time to discuss this.
Alcohol and Drugs
Alcohol and drugs is led by the Alcohol and Drug Partnership but there are overlaps with the Health and Wellbeing Partnership so the ADP Co-ordinator is a member to ensure crossover. At local network level there is also significant co-ordination of alcohol and drug prevention activity with the wider health and wellbeing agenda.
Early Years
Liz Strang, Programme Manager for the Early Years Collaborative (EYC) attended the Partnership and gave a presentation, she also presented at the Welfare Reform event in February 2014. Ongoing cross over between Health and Wellbeing and EYC occurs as the Partnership chair attends EYC Thematic Group meetings.
Healthy Weight
The Partnership delegates healthy weight to the Food and Health Working Group and receives annual updates.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
The Partnership oversaw the promotion of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival across Argyll and Bute in October 2013. Many of the networks supported local activity. See Health Improvement Team report referenced below for full details.
Older People
This agenda is gaining an increasingly high profile in the Networks and it is well covered by Partnership members, for example one of the co-ordinators is a community resilience worker and others work closely with 3rd sector partners responsible for this agenda.
Smoking Prevention
The Partnership recognises that smoking prevention can be a difficult agenda and there was little activity in this area during 2013-14, for example only 6 grant fund applications mentioned smoking prevention. This will be carried forward to 2014-15 and the smoking cessation co-ordinator will be asked to attend a future meeting.
Teenage Transition
Along with Older People, this was a new strategic priority for the JHIP. Seventeen projects specified they delivered health improvement work with teenagers during 2013-14. The September 2013 Health and Wellbeing Development day had sexual health input which covered teenagers.
· Partnership working
The success of the Health and Wellbeing Partnership and Networks depends on buy in from a wide range of community planning partners. The Partnership has variable buy in from strategic partners such as Argyll and Bute Council departments and this is considered annually during a review of the Terms of Reference. Locally, the seven networks have very good attendance from a wide range of partners and community representatives.
· Miscellaneous activity:
o Monitoring and governance
A Pyramid scorecard has been developed for the Health and Wellbeing Partnership to measure progress against agreed performance indicators.
The Health and Wellbeing Partnership has contributed to the SOA, in particular Outcome 5 – People live active, healthy and independent lives.
o Update on the Health and Wellbeing Networks
There are 7 Health and Wellbeing Networks throughout Argyll and Bute, each supported by a co-ordinator. During 2013-14 a new co-ordinator was appointed in Cowal with Susan McFadyen taking over from Lorna Ahlquist. All Networks are active in their local community and have a current health and wellbeing plan. Co-ordinators provide an annual report to the Partnership.
o Website
A new website for health and wellbeing in Argyll and Bute was launched in August 2013. This can be viewed at: www.healthyargyllandbute.co.uk
· Reference to wider health improvement delivery
The Health and Wellbeing Partnership works closely with the Health Improvement Team from Argyll and Bute Community Health Partnership. An annual report outlining delivery during 2013-14 can be viewed at: http://healthyargyllandbute.co.uk/
· Future Activity
The following priorities are being addressed during 2014-2015:
- Evaluation of the social return on investment for the Health and Wellbeing grant fund
- Physical activity mapping and outcomes framework
- Promotion of self management for long term health conditions
- Health asset mapping and social prescribing
The Health and Wellbeing Partnership is aware of the ongoing review of CPP structures and welcomes the opportunities this review will bring in improving communication channels in both directions.
For more information on health and wellbeing in Argyll and Bute contact:
Alison McGrory
Chair, Health and Wellbeing Partnership
Argyll and Bute CHP
Email:
2