Public health bosses in Suffolk have outlined the priorities for its new Health and Wellbeing Strategy, with a fresh focus on helping people of working age to optimise their wellbeing.

East Anglian Daily Times: Tony Goldson said previous health and wellbeing strategies had proved successful. Picture: SCCTony Goldson said previous health and wellbeing strategies had proved successful. Picture: SCC (Image: Archant)

The proposals, which are largely refreshing those the current strategy laid out, were presented to Thursday’s Suffolk Health and Wellbeing Board for discussion.

The strategy is set to run for the next three years.

The four priorities are to ensure every child in the county has the best start in life, support people of working age in optimising their wellbeing, ensuring older people have a good quality of life, and enabling everyone in Suffolk to improve their mental health.

Councillor Tony Goldson, chairman of the Suffolk Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “The vision of the Suffolk Health and Wellbeing Board is that people in Suffolk live healthier, happier lives.

“We also want to narrow the differences in healthy life expectancy between those living in our most deprived communities and those who are more affluent through greater improvements in more disadvantaged communities.

“Since the first Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Suffolk was produced in 2012 there have been many key achievements such as; our Integrated Better Care Fund which has allowed older people and those with disabilities to have a good quality of life, the launch of Suffolk Minds Matter which has provided the opportunity for people to improve their mental health and wellbeing, and our multi-agency collaborative action plan Working for Wellbeing which ensures that all Suffolk residents can live a happier and healthier life.

“I look forward to continuing this success under the effective partnership of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Board and I’m confident that our new strategy should help to guide the work of the enormous range of statutory, voluntary, community and private sector agencies committed to improving health and wellbeing in Suffolk.”

The strategy helps underpin areas of focus for health organisations, and involved detailed feedback from each of the Health and Wellbeing Board’s member organisations, including Public Health, clinical commissioning groups, Healthwatch Suffolk and NHS trusts.