Making Sheffield fairer and healthier – launch of 10-year plan

The city now has a 10-year plan to create a fairer and healthier Sheffield.

The Fair and Healthy Sheffield Plan, launched this week at The Sheffield Joint Health and Wellbeing Board, intends to close the unfair gaps in length and quality of life by prioritising improvements to the health and wellbeing of those who need it the most first.

The plan highlights the need for ‘brave and compassionate leadership’, recognises that good health and wellbeing depends on many aspects of people’s lives and emphasises how important it is for people to know how they can be part of making the changes that they want to see.

The Sheffield City Goals show that fairness and health really matter to Sheffield as a city and that the current situation is not fair. Some people in Sheffield die younger and have worse health than others for many reasons including the impact of racism and discrimination, living in poverty, not getting a good education, having low-paying and insecure jobs, living in poor housing, the accessibility of quality food, the support from family and friends, what their local area is like, and how easy it is to access health and social care.

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health and Integrated Commissioning for Sheffield, said: “People consistently tell me how important good health is to them and we know that the unfair gaps we have here don’t have to exist. We can do something about it.

“Everyone in the city needs to do things differently to make Sheffield fairer and heathier. There’s plenty to do, working together across sectors and with communities. Greater and fairer investment in creating health and wellbeing and preventing illness is needed and of course, being on top of the data we hold, keeping it up to date, measuring and reporting back on the changing Sheffield picture over time is how we will really make progress and keep on track. It’s essential we get this right and that we review constantly based on our learning and people’s feedback.

“All of this will help us to create a different future, and we must do it together.”

The Sheffield Joint Health and Wellbeing Board is made up of organisations from across Sheffield, working together to make Sheffield fairer and healthier. These include Sheffield City Council, the NHS, Healthwatch, the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, the Voluntary and Community sector, and South Yorkshire Police. Every member is an equal partner as everyone brings an important point of view.

Councillor Angela Argenzio, Co-Chair of The Sheffield Joint Health and Wellbeing Board and Chair of the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “Now that we have approved this plan today, we can act on the commitments set out in the plan. The main message from all of us is that we must do what needs to be done together. We will only be successful if we take this approach. Already there is excellent work taking place in our communities and we must build on that using the ‘building blocks’ talked about at the Board meeting yesterday.

“I urge people to get involved with the work of the Board, it’s there for you to attend and engage with it and we know that doing things together will mean that we do things much better.

“Constant feedback is required. We’re asking you to tell us what we’re doing well, what isn’t so good and what changes you would like to see. We intend to update the priorities in the plan every three years, and you can help us do that properly.

"We want to be responsive and highlight the opportunities that there are for you to be part of making a difference in your life, family, or your community. Please talk with us about what matters to you so that you can have a healthier life and if you have lived experiences about any aspect of health and wellbeing and what that means to you, come to the Board and talk with us.”

Helen Sims, Chief Executive of Voluntary Action Sheffield, said: “In the community and voluntary sector, we work with communities by listening to people and making sure that people with the greatest barriers to health are empowered to build care and support around them. People working together in communities through social action are so powerful. It’s incredible what people can achieve when they have a common belief and goal and opportunity to participate in creating good health.

“This plan will hopefully make it easier for our communities to connect with the Board so that it can support them in different ways and connect them with others who are working towards similar goals. At VAS, we will be working with voluntary sector partners out in our communities, to talk about this plan and the City Goals so that people understand the city’s current and future challenges. We’ll invite their feedback and comments and discuss at the Board, and welcome greater participation of people directly at Board meetings to talk about their experiences, concerns, and action.”

Zak McMurray, Co-Chair of The Sheffield Joint Health and Wellbeing Board and Sheffield place Medical Director within the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: “I welcome the approach outlined in this new 10-year plan. Creating better health in our neighbourhoods and communities is key and we must do it together. Creating and improving our health is something we need to do as individuals as far as we can and to do that in conjunction where needed with those who can support our health, such as GPs, health services and prevention services.

"We must shift our focus from being done ‘to’ when it comes to health and instead focus on creating health ‘with’ others, our communities, our health providers. It’s a two-way thing. That said, how services are set up and run affects the unfair gaps in health and wellbeing between different groups of people, and that’s where the health organisations in the city must work hard to make it as easy as possible for those who need NHS and social care services to access them.”

The Fair and Healthy Sheffield Plan and information about The Sheffield Joint Health and Wellbeing Board meetings and events is at https://health-wellbeing.sheffield.gov.uk