Living well and staying well

Living well and staying well

Why is this important?

Living well and staying well. Prevention is always better than cure – detecting and treating disease early will improve people’s health and reduce demand on the NHS throughout Lincolnshire, and, more importantly, it will mean longer, healthier lives for people in the county.

Some sectors of the population, such as those living in deprived neighbourhoods or ethnic minority communities, are more at risk of ill health than others, so we need to focus our efforts on reducing health inequalities in these groups for the benefit of everyone.

Preventable and manageable diseases are also increasing the pressure on health services in the county and too many people live with undetected and poorly managed conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.

We understand that to prevent illness we need to work with wider agencies in areas such as housing, education and skills. We also know that we must work with people and their carers to understand what matters to them and what will enable them to live their best lives.

People have different needs at different points in their lives and our ambitions for this priority are related to each life stage. These are as follows:

  • 1. Preconception, infancy and early years

    Together we will:

    • Provide high-quality midwifery and children’s services that support mums, babies and little ones to get the best start in life possible.

    • Increase the number of babies and infants vaccinated and immunised against diseases, especially those from deprived groups or ethnic minority communities.

    • Encourage more people planning a pregnancy to take folic acid supplements and stay fit and well before and after pregnancy.

    • Reduce smoking during pregnancy and increase the number of smoke-free homes.

    • Help parents and young families to stay active, eat well and look after their health.

    • Support more mums to breastfeed and increase breastfeeding rates at six to eight weeks.

    • Increase the number of people accessing mental health services, and support good relationships between parents and infants.
  • 2. Childhood and adolescence

    Together we will:

    • Support young people with the services they need to keep them healthy and promote physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

    • Encourage more parents and guardians to vaccinate and immunise their children against disease – especially those in deprived groups or ethnic minority communities.

    • Develop mental health support teams to support young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

    • Give children and young people with disabilities or long-term conditions the support they need to reach their potential and lead a full and independent life, including psychological support.

    • Work with schools and colleges to encourage healthy habits, identify health needs early and provide access to support.

    • Improve oral health especially in deprived groups.
  • 3. Working age

    Together we will:

    • Work with people to understand their skills and knowledge and give them the confidence to look after their own health and wellbeing.

    • Identify people who could benefit from NHS health check and screening programmes and encourage more people to take up the opportunity.

    • Ensure regular physical health checks for people with severe mental illnesses and people with a learning disability.

    • Increase access to NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression and provide additional support by expanding local services such as peer support, mental health social prescribers and community connectors.

    • Support more people to stop smoking and offer people in hospital who smoke, including pregnant women and high-risk mental health outpatients, NHS-funded tobacco dependency services.

    • Support more people who need help achieving a healthy weight by increasing uptake of our integrated lifestyle service and the NHS Digital Weight Management programme.

    • Improve support for people suffering from and at risk of Type 2 Diabetes to help reverse and stop the progression of the disease, for example through our NHS Diabetes Prevention programme.

    • Reduce cardiovascular disease through early detection, better management of those known to be at high risk and encouraging people to manage their own health better.

    • Better support people waiting for treatment for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as back pain.

    • Explore opportunities to improve their physical and mental health prior to any planned
      operations.

    • Improve oral health, especially in deprived groups.
  • 4. Ageing well

    Together we will:

    • Find out what matters to patients and their carers for better future care planning.

    • Encourage more people to get vaccinated and immunised against disease, especially those in deprived groups.

    • Improve oral health.

    • Provide care focused on the individual for patients and carers living with cancer.

    • Improve early diagnosis and detection rates for cardiovascular disease and cancer, particularly colorectal cancer.

    • Improve brain health and prevent people from developing dementia by understanding risk factors such as smoking, high alcohol intake and hearing loss.

    • Develop a Strength and Balance programme to prevent falls.

     

How will this benefit people and the community?

People will live independently for longer, free from illness and disease. Those with long-term conditions will be supported to live the best life they can, and we will treat the person, not the condition. Detecting diseases, such as cancer, early on means we’ll be able to slow down their progression, or in some cases even reverse them. Everyone will have equal access to excellent health and care services provided in a way that best suits them, particularly those from our most disadvantaged groups. All children will have the opportunity to reach their full potential and those with disabilities and long-term conditions will be able to lead a full and independent life. We will ensure our older population can live the life they want in older age, with the right support at home, in the community and through our services to stay well and manage health conditions proactively.

How will this benefit clinicians and professionals working in the NHS in Lincolnshire?

Preventing people from getting ill will be a high priority, and approaches to achieve this will be a key part of the person’s journey, preventing or reducing the impact of illness and promoting healthy ageing. This will especially benefit those people at high risk of developing long-term physical and mental health conditions. Best practice and quality of care will be embedded in the person’s journey.

How will this benefit staff working in the NHS in Lincolnshire?

Using innovative models of service delivery, we will ensure that one size does not fit all; our approach to intervention will be appropriate to meet the needs of the most at-risk members of the population. We will work with people from across our population who have used services and can best help shape how they should look and feel. We will support staff to work alongside people, patients and communities to ensure that self-care is part of their everyday life, improving their health and wellbeing and helping them to manage long-term conditions. Staff will have access to information and resources so they can support people effectively, and the workplace culture will give them the confidence to have honest conversations with people that put them first.

Photo: Children at the Illuminate Festival Gainsborough. Credit – Electric Egg.