PLANNING FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE

Public feedback has helped shape a long-term plan for improving health and wellbeing in County Durham.

The area’s first Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2013 – 2017 provides a four-year vision for improving health and addressing inequalities.

It sets out a number of objectives, including giving children and young people healthy choices, reducing early deaths and improving quality of life for people with long-term conditions, and outlines how these will be achieved.

A wide-range of people and organisations including the general public were asked to comment on the draft strategy during a consultation.

The feedback received has led to additional actions being included in the plan in order to address specific issues.

These include improving the oral health of children, reducing exposure to second-hand smoke and reducing the impact of fuel poverty on death rates.

The Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be presented to Durham County Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday, 12 December, when members will also receive the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 2012.

Cllr Lucy Hovvels, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for safer and healthier communities, said: “These two documents will guide the work of ourselves and our partners in tackling health inequalities and improving the wellbeing of the county’s population.

“It is important that it reflects the needs of the public and the organisations we work with so I am particularly pleased that we have been able to incorporate the suggestions we received through consultation.”