Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Strategy (Draft update)

We know that good quality employment is critical for people's health and wellbeing. The core attributes for good work to support a healthy life, are defined by the Health Foundation5 as; pay fairly and offer lasting security, ensure good working conditions, enable a good work life balance, and finally provide training and opportunities to progress. 

We want to create the conditions for high quality employment for every Gateshead resident. 

Studies also show that volunteering and contributing to your local community have a positive impact on health and wellbeing and can provide valuable experience and skills on the pathway into employment. 

The action we will take

We will:

• help to create the conditions for local wealth, better jobs and economic growth across Gateshead  

• encourage local enterprise through self-employment and develop community led, cooperative employment opportunities  

• support sustainable, diverse and flexible opportunities for employment, innovation and growth  

• develop opportunities for volunteering and social action as a positive pathway to work and remove barriers to participation 

• support employers to create or adapt jobs, with flexible working patterns and the right support, that enable people to balance employment with personal commitments that support their wellbeing and maintain their employment 

• support employers to effectively promote and enable physical and mental health and wellbeing at work 

• support employers to achieve recognised accreditation, recognising employers who lead with fairness, opportunity and respect, enabling health and wellbeing. 

• support our local public sector to provide apprenticeships and employment  

• review current ways of supporting people into employment with consideration of those with different needs who may be disadvantaged in the labour market, and work to remove any barriers or inequalities to employment faced by our communities  

• upskill and support people who are returning to the work place, including digital and technological skills 

We will deliver this through:

• Gateshead Economic Development Strategy 

• North East Combined Authority SHINE programme 

• Better Health at Work Award 

• Gateshead's Local Plan 

• North East Local Transport Plan 

• Gateshead Transport Strategy (in development) 

• North East Combined Authority Transport Plan 

• North East Combined Authority Economic Development Strategy 

• Volunteering and local VCSE organisations  

• Apprenticeship Strategy 

• Post-16 Education Strategy (in development) 

• Tackling Poverty Together Strategy (in development) 

• Growth Health Accelerator Programme 

• Working Gateshead Programme 

• Great North Healthcare Community Promise 

We will know we have made a difference when:

• all working age residents have access to good quality, sustainable work with decent pay and conditions  

• all people in low paid, low skilled jobs have opportunities to improve their skills base so they can more easily achieve personal progression and attain an improved standard of living   

• availability of accessible and affordable childcare supports all working parents and employers 

• residents who face barriers to working are supported into jobs 

• people are able to maintain their employment when experiencing changes to their circumstances 

• the diversity of our population is reflected in employer/employment statistics