By Cabinet Member for Partnerships Cllr Jenny Vaux (Content published 2022)
Our residents’ quality of life is a key priority for the council. Working with our local partners and organisations, we are committed to playing our part in enabling residents to live healthy lives, by encouraging them to access a range of facilities and support in their local community. This document explains in detail our priorities and actions.
We are fortunate in Basingstoke and Deane to have so many facilities and organisations in the public, private and voluntary sector who already strive to improve residents’ health. The council has a long tradition of enabling providers to deliver local services through a range of measures, such as providing leisure facilities, activities, advice, guidance, practical support, and funding. To respond to societal and economic changes, the council is refining and targeting its approach and seeking further opportunities to build upon the work already undertaken by partners and communities putting an emphasis on greater prevention to support people’s health and wellbeing.
As the council is not a health or social care provider, our focus has to be on the promotion of better health through more active lifestyles, which in turn can help prevent people becoming ill. We understand the wider benefits of physical activity and sport for our residents’ health and wellbeing, so we have continued to invest in local facilities. This is reflected in our Built Sports Facility and Playing Pitch Strategies.
There is also recognition of the changing national landscape of health infrastructure including supporting the provision of wellbeing facilities serving the residents of North Hampshire and delivered in Basingstoke. The borough benefits from having a hospital that provides excellent services to our residents. Ensuring the hospital along with health and wellbeing facilities and campus meets the needs of a growing population is key.
Understanding what we need to tackle and address through our approach to wellbeing is important. We have a role to play in enabling, or in some cases leading provision of facilities and/ or services. However, there are many things that other partners are better placed to deliver. We strive to be clear on what we need to achieve, where our resources can best be placed and identify where there is mutual benefit and overlap in priorities with our partners.
General health profile which shows a mix of very positive statistics and some that warrant further attention.
Strengths
Current Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of poor health.
The figures for Basingstoke and Deane, in line with national trends, show that promoting weight management through a combination of healthy eating and exercise is a key opportunity to improve health and wellbeing.
The pandemic saw some people become more active taking up new pursuits such as walking and cycling, but for others their lifestyle became more sedentary and home centric with more digital professional, educational and social interactions.
There is an opportunity for the council to encourage and enable both opportunities for formal sporting activities and more informal everyday physical activity including walking, cycling and active travel.
We will:
Local agencies research has indicated increases in mental health issues and loneliness. Further research has also shown a direct association between depression with lack of exercise and activity and obesity. Equally, in Basingstoke and Deane, of those who said their well-being had been affected by the pandemic (from October 2020 to February 2021), 34.2% of them said it was because they were lonely, compared to the England average of 38.4%.
In an age of ever-increasing use of technology, there is a growing concern about digital fatigue and increased social isolation, which can bring more anxiety and depression and coincide with a lack of physical activity.
National research suggests there is an opportunity for the council to promote good mental wellbeing by enabling activities that increase physical activity, social connectedness and volunteering.
We will:
Health-related infrastructure should be designed to meet the needs of a growing population and be sustainable. This could include utilising local community hubs where appropriate.
The council is working with local partners including the CCG(ICS), North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hampshire County Council to enable the planning for the future health services in north Hampshire. Whether improving local facilities or planning for new health and wellbeing facilities, the council has a key role.
We will:
There are many great facilities, services and initiatives already taking place in Basingstoke and Deane and there are opportunities for the council to further promote and support their development with clear pathways showing exactly where people can go to go to improve their overall wellbeing. This will support prevention and encourage greater resilience within the community.
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