"Leeds will be a healthy city for everyone who lives, visits or works here, promoting fulfilling and productive lives for all." from Vision for Leeds 2004-2020
Health is not just about freedom from disease but is linked to physical, mental and social wellbeing. The Council, through its services and its contribution to the city’s development, has a major impact on health.
The Leeds Strategic Plan has health and wellbeing as one of its main themes. The theme builds on the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Plan 2005-2008 - a partnership strategy which set the framework for improving health and wellbeing in Leeds.
The Plan is the responsibility of Healthy Leeds, a strategy group of the Leeds Initiative, and work is under way for its replacement by an updated Health and Wellbeing Theme Plan.
Visit the Leeds Initiative website for more information about the Vision for Leeds and how it aims to support people to stay healthy as well as promote equal chances of good health.
Other strategies such as Older Better, Leeds Food Matters and the Leeds Tobacco Strategy are also available from the site. The physical activity strategy, Active Leeds, is due for launch in November 2008 although many elements of it are already under way.
Healthier communities
Following the government White Papers Our Health Our Care Our Say (January 2006) and Stronger and Prosperous Communities (November 2006) the Council has been working with partners to develop and embed the concept of Healthier Communities (including the health and wellbeing of Older People) within Leeds.
For the population as a whole the lead officer for Health and Wellbeing is the Director of Adult Social Services, while the lead for Children and Young People is the Director of Children’s Services. Action across the Council is co-ordinated through a Strategic Leadership Team. For further information please email Mike Simpkin, Public Health Strategy Manager via the link on the right.
As part of the development of the Healthy Leeds Partnership, and to ensure effective implementation of the Leeds Strategic Plan, the Council has joined with Leeds Primary Care Trust, provider partners and the Voluntary, Community and Faith sector to set up a Joint Strategic Commissioning Board with sub-groups for promoting health and wellbeing, priority groups and planned and urgent care.
The Council and its partners have a strong commitment to supporting community development for health and wellbeing. This includes funding for community health development projects and support for the Community Health Development Network established in 2007.
Health and housing, noise, communicable diseases, food safety, home accident prevention and safety in office or commercial premises are dealt with by the council's environmental health service. Road safety is promoted by the Road Safety Unit. You can use the related web links on the right hand side to find out more about the work they do. The Council’s healthy workplace programme is led by Corporate Human Resources.
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
The government has given the Director of Adult Social Services and the Director of Children's Services a new duty, effective from April 2008, to produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for health and wellbeing in conjunction with the Director of Public Health of the local Primary Care Trust. This will involve both data collection and consultation with the public so that people's real experiences are taken into account. The first JSNA for Leeds is expected to be available in November 2008.
Public and patient involvement in health and social care
Following the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which received Royal Assent on 30th October 2007 the Council has been working to commission a host organisation to develop a Local Involvement Network (LINk) for Leeds. The LINk replaces the previous Patient and Public Involvement Forums and covers social care as well as health.
Other sources of information
Information about health-related issues is available from several sources. The major NHS organisations in Leeds have websites which can be accessed via the Leeds NHS portal. The section for health professionals gives access to a various published health statistics.
Broader statistics about Leeds are available from the Leeds Statistics Project which allows you to find information for smaller areas of your own choice within Leeds. The Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory presents a wide variety of regional and local reports and statistics as well as giving access to the national network of Public Health Observatories.
The national NHS in Leeds
Quarry House, near the West Yorkshire Playhouse, is the home for a number of major sections of the Department of Health.
Also in Leeds (Boar Lane) is the national Health and Social Care Information Centre, a special NHS health authority, created in April 2005, to co-ordinate and streamline the collection and sharing of health and adult social care data. The centre aims to reduce the burden of data collection for frontline staff, make information more accessible and strengthen the capacity for informed decision making.