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Health Framework

Health FrameworkWhat is the Health Framework for East Belfast?

This framework will provide support and guidance to improving the health and wellbeing of communities in East Belfast. The framework seeks to address health differences in east Belfast and secure health improvement opportunities for local people. Health and wellbeing of local people is affected by a wide range of factors including:

  • Genetics
  • Gender and age
  • Personal behaviour and coping skills
  • Social support networks
  • Culture
  • Income and social status
  • Economy, employment and working conditions
  • Health services
  • Physical and built environment

Beliefs

This framework is based on the following beliefs, that many illnesses are preventable and that any action in addressing these health differences:

  • Is a matter of fairness and social justice;
  • Should take place across all the factors that affect people's health;
  • Will have economic benefits;
  • Health and wellbeing is as important a measure of East Belfast's success as economic growth.

Objectives

The framework supports the six policy objectives of the Marmot Review "Fair Society, Healthy Lives" framework (www.instituteofhealthequity.org) which are:

  • Give every child the best start in life;
  • Enable all children, young people and adults to maximize their capabilities and have control over their lives;
  • Create fair employment and good work for all;
  • Ensure healthy standard of living for all;
  • Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities;
  • Strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention.

Locally the framework will incorporate the new Public Health Strategy, the Belfast Transforming Your Care agendas and Belfast Strategic Partnership's Framework for Action in all future work.

Themes

East Belfast's Health Framework addresses these objectives through five key themes:

  • Healthy hearts
  • Healthy bodies
  • Healthy minds
  • Healthy relationships
  • Healthy neighbourhoods

Healthy Hearts and Healthy Bodies

  • Increase participation in programmes to address chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes;
  • Promote physical activity opportunities utilizing all natural outdoor space;
  • Implement a drug and alcohol strategy and action plan for East Belfast;
  • Promote early interventions through the development of men’s health screening and men’s health work.

Healthy Minds

  • Promote and protect emotional wellbeing of local communities through early interventions and training programmes;
  • Lobby for improved mental health services across East Belfast;
  • Provide a community development response to Mental Health and Suicide prevention;
  • Activate a suicide crisis response plan for East Belfast;
  • Coordinate the delivery of relevant mental health and suicide training;
  • Ensure that mental health support is reaching those who are isolated.

Healthy Relationships

  • Build the capacity of communities to influence health policy;
  • Organise community consultations on health issues;
  • Ensure the delivery of partnership working between community groups and key health stakeholders;
  • Ensure sexual health education programmes are targeted to those in need in east Belfast;
  • Facilitating the East Belfast Ethnic Minority Support Network;
  • Raise the awareness to emphasise the importance of support for family health.

Healthy Neighbourhoods

  • Maintaining regular contact with community organisations across inner and outer East Belfast;
  • Promoting awareness of, and deliver events in accordance with, local and national health observances throughout each year;
  • Improve participation, coordination and application of health related training across East Belfast.

The Framework will be overseen and managed by the East Belfast Health Project which will:

  • Inform East Belfast Politicians on relevant health issues quarterly;
  • Deliver health thematic workshops;
  • Conduct regular health team visits to key community groups to collate local health issues;
  • Provide regular health email bulletins and social media usage to inform key stakeholders;
  • Develop the framework through regular meetings with relevant stakeholders.

 

The latest version of the East Belfast Health Framework - Health Directory can be found here:  http://ebcda.org/report/east-belfast-health-framework-health-directory