'Our lives, our health, the health and wellbeing strategy for 2018 to 2023', sets out 5 priorities for improving health and wellbeing across Derbyshire.
The 5 priorities are:
- Enable people in Derbyshire to live healthy lives.
- Work to lower levels of air pollution.
- Build mental health and wellbeing across the life course.
- Support our vulnerable populations to live in well-planned and healthy homes.
- Strengthen opportunities for quality employment and lifelong learning.
Enable people in Derbyshire to live healthy lives
Smoking, physical inactivity, poor diets, drinking above recommended alcohol limits and sexual ill health are 5 of the biggest contributors to disease and disability in Derbyshire. Together they contribute to a range of conditions including (but not limited to):
- becoming overweight or obese
- tooth decay
- depression
- anxiety
- type 2 diabetes
- respiratory diseases
- certain cancers
- heart disease
- osteoporosis
We will support work that enables people to live healthy lives through physical activity, healthy eating, living tobacco free, drinking at safer levels and maintaining good sexual health.
Work to lower levels of air pollution
Air pollution is associated with a number of adverse effects across the life course, contributing towards asthma in children, worsening of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and cases of lung and other cancers.
The Health and Wellbeing Board supports work that brings together individuals, communities and organisations to improve air quality. Improvements in air quality can't be achieved by any one organisation in isolation, so we must work together to reduce levels of air pollution across Derbyshire.
Build mental health and wellbeing across the life course
One in 4 people have a mental health problem in any given year, and half of adult mental health problems start by the age of 14.
Good mental health and wellbeing begins in early years; between conception and the age of 2 is a critical period for a child’s brain development and their long-term emotional health.
A wide range of factors then influence mental health and wellbeing throughout childhood and adulthood, emphasising the need for a life course approach to mental health and wellbeing.
We contribute to and champion programmes that support people in Derbyshire with their mental health and wellbeing, through investing in prevention, early intervention and mental health promotion across their lives.
Support our vulnerable populations to live in well-planned and healthy homes
Effective planning and healthy housing is key to preventing ill health and enabling people to live independently into old age. Poor condition housing is known to have significant impact on health and wellbeing, particularly for people who spend a lot of time at home such as children and older people.
Housing that is cold, damp, or overcrowded can also impact on people’s ability to access and sustain employment.
Some people have no home at all, or unstable housing, and this is detrimental to mental and physical health in a multitude of ways. Communities need to be well planned and linked so that people can live well.
The Health and Wellbeing Board supports work across Derbyshire to understand what makes a home healthy, and works with those who work in planning and housing to ensure healthy housing.
Strengthen opportunities for quality employment and lifelong learning
Education and employment are important for both physical and mental health.
Unemployment increases risk of ill health and mortality, and employment in low quality jobs which can be detrimental to health and wellbeing.
The Health and Wellbeing Board supports work that enables all local people to access good quality employment opportunities and the training or education needed to succeed in those roles.