On 11 October we were joined by over 65 partners from across the community, including health, policing, education and the voluntary sector, as we set out our plans to place prevention at the centre of our mission for a healthy population.
Prevention is an essential element to The Shropshire Plan, it supports better outcomes for residents by prolonging and enabling good health and wellbeing while also reducing, delaying or preventing demand for our health and care services. Prevention is everyone’s responsibility, so we are working with all our partners to ensure we increase our prevention offer across Shropshire.
This might mean supporting people in their communities, helping people to access good information, advice, and understanding about what activities are happening in their communities. This could include exercise groups to improve strength and balance and prevent falls, tackling loneliness through community groups and giving our young people the best start in life through targeted support.
At the event, Rachel Robinson, Executive Director of Health, Wellbeing and Prevention, shared our and the health and wellbeing boards commitment to work together to develop a more comprehensive community-based prevention offer which includes universal, early and specialist services working together as One Shropshire, to ensure that our combined services have the biggest possible impact for the residents in their own communities. This will be done by providing support and sign-posting for access to self-help, expanding targeted support, through brief interventions and referrals into appropriate specialised services
Rachel said:-
“Going forward Shropshire Council is delighted to be leading work with partners to develop better access to services in local communities. By coming together with partners, including the voluntary and community sector and the NHS, we can share resource, understand the needs of local people and better respond to need. As examples, we are working towards more stay and play sessions for families, baby weighing opportunities, community volunteering opportunities, befriending and peer support networks.”
“We are keen that local people have better access to services closer to home and will be working with local communities and people to determine the best way to do this, community by community. Most recently we have been asking Ludlow people for their views on their Health and Wellbeing, and the results of this work will be available soon. More information can be found on our Place Based Joint Strategic Needs Assessment pages”