Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The building blocks of health and wellbeing have the power to affect our ability to achieve our potential and thrive.

The Covid‑19 pandemic and cost‑of‑living crisis have had a harmful, widespread impact on people's mental health and wellbeing. We will work to make emotional health and wellbeing a priority. When people have good emotional wellbeing, they live longer, enjoy a better quality of life, do better at school, gain and stay in employment, and build strong relationships.

We will make sure that everyone can take part in their communities, use local services, and help shape the future of Gateshead. We will listen to our communities so people feel their voices matter. Together, we want people in Gateshead to feel connected, empowered and have hope for the future. 

We will think about every stage of life, including the impact of dying and bereavement, and how these experiences affect people across Gateshead. Our aim is to help residents feel resilient, supported and valued.

With life skills, learning, volunteering, and readiness for work, young people and adults will be able to realise their full potential, to develop and take control over their lives.

The action we will take

We will:

• focus efforts on creating the conditions for people to enjoy positive emotional health and wellbeing. We will consider measures across the whole population alongside specific action in various settings, for example, the workplace and schools 
• make opportunities for volunteering and social action part of everyday life
• make sure we use multi-agency whole system responses, co-designed with people who have lived experience of health inequalities such as care experienced people, those with learning disabilities, and carers
• prioritise our resources towards those groups and communities who are most in need
• make sure that the views and opinions of local people are represented in all aspects of our work through our democratic process and asset-based community development approaches
• focus on improving our residents' achievement in education and skills for life, and support digital inclusion 
• prioritise preventing and reducing the scale and effect of violence and domestic abuse giving everyone control of their lives
• work closely with our communities, libraries, schools, colleges, organisations and trusted voices and leaders, to understand and address misinformation, using insights, research and tools that support media literacy
• create a shared vision and approach for Gateshead as a Compassionate Place

We will deliver this through:

• Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Clinical Conditions Plan and Quality Strategy
• Local VCSE Offer
• Community-led support services and the co-production Framework
• North East Combined Authority Excellence in Education programme
• North East Combined Authority Economic Strategy 
• Gateshead Economic Development Strategy
• Local VCSE organisations with a focus on volunteering and developing social action
• Post-16 Education Strategy (in development)
• Gateshead Domestic Abuse Strategy and Action Plan
• Integrated Adults and Social Care Strategy
• SEND Strategy
• Adult Care Givers Strategy
• Autism Strategy
• Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust Corporate Strategy
• Cumbria Northumberland and Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Strategy
• Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements

We will know we have made a difference when:

• everyone feels listened to and that their voice counts
• Gateshead is a positive environment where everyone can enjoy good physical and mental health and wellbeing
• we can all access the right support when we need it
• all young people and adults are ready, and have the skills they need, for the workplace
• everyone is able to be an active part of their community and we see an increase in volunteering in Gateshead
• we have created an environment where domestic abuse is unacceptable.