Public Health Annual Report
NHS Isle of Wight and the Isle of Wight Council have published their latest Public Health Annual Report.
The report identifies key information about the Island’s population and health needs. It identifies successes made in improving health during 2009/10 and sets out areas to focus on in the future.
The key themes of this year’s annual report include:
Smoking prevalence
Ageing well
Change4Life
Reducing smoking prevalence on the Island remains a key priority. Each year it is estimated that 270 Island residents die because they smoked. To help reduce smoking prevalence, the Public Health team are working in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce to deliver stop smoking services to workgroups alongside their health check appointment scheme which delivers work place health screening services.
Issues facing the Island as the population ages include ensuring people continue to lead healthy lifestyles, ensuring social inclusion for older people and to promote the uptake and participation in screening services and immunisations. NHS Isle of Wight supported the 2009 Celebrating Age Festival which was originally led by Age Concern Isle of Wight on behalf of the Older Persons Network to encourage participation in local activities.
The national Change4Life movement, in partnership with local organisations, has been used to help continue to tackle both childhood and adult obesity on the Island, encouraging Islanders to Eat Well, Move More and Live Longer. Future plans to move this work forward include working with the Natural Partnership to develop a Local Shops Project using Change4Life branding.
Working in partnership is helping to reduce inequalities in health, providing locally based services such as the increasing use of community based pharmacies.
Dr Jenifer Smith, Director of Public Health and Chief Medical Officer for NHS Isle of Wight and the Isle of Wight Council, said: “I am pleased to present the Public Health Annual Report for 2009/10. The report highlights some of the key areas of work we are continuing to make progress in whilst identifying significant areas of challenge in improving health for Island residents.”
The Public Health Annual Report can be downloaded at www.iow.nhs.uk/publications look under Public Health Annual Reports.
