Preventing ill health :: Black Country ICB

Preventing ill health is better than treating it and our growing and ageing population means that without good prevention we will see an increasing number of people needing NHS care. Our aim is to increase healthy life expectancy so people can live the life that matters to them, preventing illness and improving life expectancy.

Group of older people smiling and living a healthy lifestyle.jpeg Many conditions which can contribute to shorter healthy life expectancy are preventable. While the factors which can lead to these conditions are many and varied, through prevention, our aim is to help people improve their own health through targeted support to help reduce alcohol or tobacco dependency, to offer weight management services, and increase access to cancer screening and diabetes prevention programmes. We will develop our prevention capacity and capability across the Integrated Care Partnership, working together to harness our collective assets and embed preventative approaches as a continuum, ensuring health equity is our golden thread.

Our plan includes:

supporting people to not smoke and to support those that are tobacco dependant with services to reduce their dependency
supporting people to lose weight and make healthy life choices
supporting people to not drink excessively and to support those that are alcohol dependant with services to reduce their dependency.

Outcomes to be achieved

Improved life expectancy,
Reduce preventable illness
Reduced morbidity and mortality
A voice for change, through co-production

Improved capacity and capability to accelerate prevention activities
Reduced dependency on specialist services

Improved health outcomes, reduced health inequalities
Reduced demand on health and social care services

Work Programme

Programme	To be delivered
Tobacco Dependence To complete the establishment of Tobacco Dependence Services across all inpatient and maternity services. We will identify opportunities to improve pathways and support in the community and primary care. An assurance cycle will be established to enable targeted support, along with an evaluation.	2023/24
Healthy Weight To further embed the Tier 2 programme through training and awareness across sectors, with targeted support where needed. Performance monitoring will continue and analysis or the ‘obesity burden profile’. Further exploration of inequity across Tier 3/4 interventions to be undertaken and addressed.	2023/24 to 2024/25
Alcohol Dependence To evaluate the Alcohol Care Teams established in each hospital to inform future decision making and test the early intervention and targeted prevention pilot.	2023/24

Programme

To be delivered

Tobacco Dependence

To complete the establishment of Tobacco Dependence Services across all inpatient and maternity services. We will identify opportunities to improve pathways and support in the community and primary care. An assurance cycle will be established to enable targeted support, along with an evaluation.

2023/24

Healthy Weight

To further embed the Tier 2 programme through training and awareness across sectors, with targeted support where needed. Performance monitoring will continue and analysis or the ‘obesity burden profile’. Further exploration of inequity across Tier 3/4 interventions to be undertaken and addressed.

2023/24 to 2024/25

Alcohol Dependence

To evaluate the Alcohol Care Teams established in each hospital to inform future decision making and test the early intervention and targeted prevention pilot.

2023/24