Report will help to improve our health (From Swindon Advertiser)

Report will help to improve our health

8:00am Saturday 28th July 2012 in News

THE 2012 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment summary has been published to help improve the health and wellbeing of Swindon.

Produced by NHS Swindon and Swindon Council, the report is only part of the JSNA process which is set to highlight key issues for attention by the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The report suggests the Health and Wellbeing Board pay attention to a number of issues including young people and teenagers’ wellbeing, our ageing population, inequalities and their causes, equity across the population and mental health and wellbeing.

Director of public health, Jose Ortega said: “The purpose of the JSNA is to help improve health and wellbeing in Swindon – it is not an end in itself.

“It draws together some key themes from our evidence and sets the scene for the development of a local health and wellbeing strategy.

“This will include priorities for action which will greatly assist commissioners and outline the way in which local partners will work together to improve health and wellbeing and to reduce inequalities.”

The report shows that one in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life and one in six adults has a mental health problem at any on time.

National research suggests that 9.6 per cent of children aged from five to 16 will have a diagnosable mental health problem.

Although in many respects, Swindon is similar to national averages, recently publiched child health profiles suggested that the borough has a very high hospital admission rate for child mental health problems.

The most recent data indicates that there are 243.7 admissions for self-harm per 100,000 Swindon residents aged 0 to 17 in 2010/11, which is significantly higher than the national average of 158.8.

Mr Ortega said: “Our state of mental health affects us in many ways, including our physical health, our wider involvement in society and attitudes to the use of alcohol and drugs.

“While there is increasing evidence of effectiveness that can be taken forward in the Health and Wellbeing Strategy there may also be a need for further JSNA work to paint a more detailed local picture.”

The report also detailed areas of deprivation within the town, with hotspots named as Central ward, and mainly in areas of social housing in the wards of Penhill and Upper Stratton , Gorse Hill and Pinehurst , Rodbourne Cheney, Haydon Wick , Mannington and Western, Lydiard and Freshbrook, Walcot and Park North , Liden , and Eldene and Park South .

The report will be discussed in full at the meeting of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the Civic Offices on August 1.