http://www.newcastlepartnership.org.uk/

Partners from public sector agencies, community and voluntary organisations and representatives from private industry; have come together to write Newcastle’s first-ever Health Improvement Strategy.

Most of us don’t think about our health until something goes wrong. However, we all have a responsibility to look after our own health and to teach our children how to be healthy.

Making really significant improvements to the health of Newcastle residents requires collective action, over a long period of time, from across all society. The strategy seeks to get us all thinking about our health before we need to use health services.

As well as offering a personal challenge to everyone who reads it, the strategy highlights the most significant health challenges facing us as a City. At times it makes uncomfortable reading but points a way forward to how agencies might work together to improve the health of every citizen in Newcastle over the next ten years. Our task now is to translate the strategies into detailed actions that will deliver priority health outcomes.

In partnership, we have a vision for Newcastle in 2017:

• Men and women from the range of social class, physical and intellectual ability, sexual identity and ethnicity will enjoy a long life of good quality, and life expectancy at birth for both sexes will be as good - if not better - than the national average
• Fewer people will die prematurely from the major killers: cancer, heart disease and stroke before the age of 75
• The stigma associated with mental health problems will be reduced
• People will feel valued and have high self-esteem, feeling part of a strong cohesive community with inclusive social networks
• Fewer people will be overweight or obese, with more people being physically active and involved in sports, and all organisations promoting healthy eating
• Few people will continue to smoke and most people will view smoking negatively
• The party image of Newcastle will be about having fun and enjoying being with people: many drinking venues will be family-friendly and the city will have lots of drink-free alternative meeting places for young people. Fewer people will drink excessively and more will be aware of safe drinking limits
• All people, even those living in difficult circumstances, will be highly knowledgeable about their sexual health, and will be confident about how to manage their relationships 
• Children will experience a lower risk of being killed or seriously injured and older people a lower risk of falling at home than the national average
• The diversity of our population will be something we are proud of; people will be valued and respected for their differences and the diverse health needs of our population will be met
• Those who need drug treatment will be able to easily access specialist support treatment services.

Two strategic approaches have the best chance of delivering this vision over the long term:

• All key partners collectively targeting their resources to address the underlying factors and lifestyle behaviours that directly improve physical, mental and social health
• A genuine community empowerment approach to developing and delivering a health improvement strategy.

Only by collective action and full partner engagement at every level, from senior management to front-line staff, will we achieve success.