Aim: To create healthy neighbourhoods.

Typically, when we talk about health and health services, we are actually talking about ill health. Whilst it is obviously important to provide services for people who are ill, have been ill or who are likely to become ill, we also need to look at ways of preventing and reducing the causes of ill health.

Important Issues to address

• Unhealthy lifestyles.
• Access to health services in rural areas.
• Support for carers.
• High smoking rates among young people.
• Support for vulnerable people living in their own homes.
• High rates of teenage pregnancy in some areas.
• Inequalities in health, particularly in those disadvantaged in some way.
• Harmful effects of drug use and misuse.
• Support for parents.
• Access to NHS dental care services.
• Understanding the real needs of communities.
• Community based health care services.
• Intermediate (non-emergency or specialist) care for older people.
• Communication and provision of information and advice.
• The stigma associated with mental illness.
• Services for diabetics.

Key Objectives

• To provide programmes and services that improve physical and mental wellbeing e.g. exercise, sports, arts, cultural and other recreational activities.
• To provide education on healthy lifestyles.
• To improve access to health services in rural areas.
• To examine the needs of carers and develop services to meet those needs.
• To develop a Help 2 Quit smoking scheme for young people.
• To establish a good neighbour scheme to provide support for vulnerable people.
• To raise health awareness amongst young people.
• To reduce the rates of teenage pregnancy, including extending the peer sex education programme to secondary schools in areas with a high teenage pregnancy rate.
• To reduce inequalities in health by targeting areas of deprivation, particularly North Shrewsbury.
• To reduce the harmful effects of drug use and mis-use.
• To develop a web site to advise parents, young people and others about substance misuse.
• To provide support for parents, particularly in areas of deprivation such as North Shrewsbury e.g. by establishing open-access parents' drop-in centres.
• To develop support work for teenage mothers in schools.
• To expand community based family therapy and behavioural support schemes for children with disabilities.
• To develop mental health services for children and adolescents who have relatively low levels of need.
• To introduce health assessments for children looked after by local authorities.
• To improve access to NHS dental care services.
• To undertake further assessments of the needs of the community.
• To establish a home improvement agency.
• To examine the feasibility of setting up community based coronary heart disease clinics and improve after hospital care for people who have had heart problems.
• To expand community based health care services for people who have recently had, or might in the future have, a hospital experience.
• To increase the number of intermediate (non-emergency or specialist) care beds for older people.
• To improve communication and provide better information and advice.
• To develop a foot screening service for diabetics.

Actions

• Support 'healthy living' initiatives.
• Undertake a wide-ranging review of health and care provision in the rural area by 2006.
• Examine, review and develop health related transport schemes.
• Prioritise the provision of carer support workers in GP surgeries.
• Continue to develop and promote Good Neighbour Schemes - aim to establish a Good Neighbour Scheme in North Shrewsbury by the end of 2002.
• Fund and support existing and developing community based physical and mental health promoting programmes.

Future Community Involvement

Although we have tried to involve as many people as possible in putting this strategy together, it is unlikely that we have managed to reach everybody. Over the coming year we will involve the community in further development of the strategy  

Monitoring

To include:

Links to other strands of the strategy

• Social inclusion.
• Vibrant communities.
• The environment.
• Transport.
• Learning and skills.

Partners in Delivery

• Community Council of Shropshire
• Community Groups and Organisations
• Community Health Council
• Parish Councils
• Residents Groups and Associations
• Schools and Colleges
• Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
• Shrewsbury and District Sports Advisory Council
• Shrewsbury Care Information Project
• Shrewsbury Community Transport
• Shrewsbury Museums Service
• Shropshire Ambulance Service
• Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority
• Shropshire County Council
• Shropshire County Primary Care Trust
• Shropshire Disability Consortium
• Shropshire Drug Action Team
• Shropshire Social Services
• Shropshire Youth Service
• Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust
• Through the Doorway Healthy Living Partnership
• Voluntary Action Shrewsbury
• Voluntary Groups and Organisations
• Youth Groups and Associations