Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Strategy (Draft update)

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

The COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living-crisis has had a harmful, widespread impact on mental health and wellbeing.  We will strive to make sure that the emotional health and wellbeing of local people is a priority. Positive emotional health increases life expectancy, improves our quality of life, increases economic participation, improves educational attainment and facilitates positive social relationships. 

We will consider all stages of life, including the impact of dying and bereavement, and the ripple effects on our residents, so that people in Gateshead are resilient, supported and empowered. We will make sure that all local people can contribute to and engage with their communities, services, and shape the future of Gateshead. We will listen to what local communities say so that everyone feels that they have a voice which is heard. Enabling people in Gateshead to feel connected, empowered and hopeful for the future. 

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 well-being. We will consider measures across the whole population alongside specific action in various settings e.g. the workplace, schools, with opportunities for volunteering and social action part of everyday life 

• ensure a multi-agency whole system response, co-designed with people who have lived experience of health inequalities including care experienced people, those with learning disabilities, and carers 

• prioritise our resources towards those groups and communities who are most in need 

• ensure 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 supporting digital inclusion  

• prioritise preventing and reducing the scale and impact of violence and domestic abuse giving everyone control of their lives 

• work closely with our communities, libraries, schools, colleges and organisations to understand and address misinformation, using insights, research and tools that support media literacy 

• develop a shared vision and approach for Gateshead as a Compassionate Place 

We will deliver this through:

• Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust Community Promise 

• NENC ICB Joint Forward Plan 

• Local VCSE Offer 

• Domestic Abuse Board Action Plan 

• Community Led Support services 

• North East Combined Authority Excellence in Education programme 

• North East Combined Authority Economic Strategy and our Gateshead Economic Development Strategy 

• Local VCSE organisations with a focus on volunteering and developing social action 

• Post-16 Education Strategy (in development) 

• Domestic Abuse Strategy 

• Integrated Adults and Social Care Strategy 

• SEND Strategy 

• Adult Care Givers Strategy 

• Autism Strategy 

• Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust Strategy 

• CNTW Strategy 

• Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements 

• Great North Healthcare Community Promise 

We will know we have made a difference when:

• everyone feels listened to and that their voice counts 

• everyone has good physical and mental health and wellbeing 

• all young people and adults are ready and appropriately skilled for the workplace 

• Gateshead is a positive environment in which everyone's mental health and wellbeing can flourish and we can all access the right support when we need it 

• everyone is able to be an active part of their community 

• we have an increase in volunteering in Gateshead 

• we have created an environment where domestic abuse is unacceptable