Help shape the future health and wellbeing of residents

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is calling on residents to help shape a new Health and Wellbeing Strategy – a plan designed to improve health and wellbeing and to create stronger and more connected local neighbourhoods and communities.

Residents are being asked for their views on how the council should work with key partners to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents and reduce inequalities in health across the BCP area.

Producing a health and wellbeing strategy is a statutory duty of BCP Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board.

The draft strategy sets out proposed priorities and actions and will be in place until 2031. The key priorities included in the draft strategy are:

• Starting Well – ensuring children and young people have the best start in life and get supported to reach their potential
• Mental Wellbeing – helping people stay mentally well and improving access to local support services
• Living and Ageing Well – helping adults and older people to live and age well and to stay independent for as long as possible
• Healthy Neighbourhoods and Communities – creating better health opportunities in our local neighbourhoods and communities

Examples of some of the work set out in these priorities include:

• Reducing risky behaviours in children and young people including the use of tobacco, vaping, drugs and alcohol
• Improving access and uptake of community mental health support services
• Reduce inequalities in the uptake of NHS immunisation and screening programmes
• Reduce poverty and the impact of the cost of living on our most vulnerable communities
• Reduce social isolation and loneliness by creating more connected communities

Cllr David Brown, BCP Council Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said: 

“This is an opportunity to help shape how we make real changes to health and wellbeing going forward. We want to know if the priorities we have set out in our draft strategy are also the priorities of people living in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

“People may not realise that looking after the health and wellbeing of our residents is something the council provides. But we want our neighbourhoods and communities to thrive and for the people who in them to live long and healthy lives.

“The views of our residents will feed into our final version of the strategy which will be discussed and approved at BCP Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board later this year.”

The draft strategy and consultation questions can be found by visiting: haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/healthandwellbeingstrategy. Paper copies of the consultation are also available in BCP Council run libraries.

People have until Monday 23 March to share their thoughts.