Prevention has traditionally been seen as a role for public health specialists, but there is now widespread acceptance that prevention is the role and responsibility of all within the System, our communities, and residents. Good physical and mental health is shaped by many factors, and those which are thought to have the most impact are commonly known as wider determinants of health, which include living and working conditions, income, housing, education/attainment, technology and access to food, water and sanitation, social and community networks and lifestyle factors. When these factors are not adequately met, throughout the life course they can have a significant detrimental impact, and reduce the potential to experience ageing, and older age independently and with resilience.
Resilience
Resilience, simplistically defined, is having the ability to cope or adapt to difficulties. It is often referred to as the ability to bounce back from adversity, with those seen as having well developed resilience most likely to bounce back quicker and more fully. Consequently, developing resilience at personal, community and system level will help ensure that health and care services can be sustainable locally, promote health and well-being and prevent/reduce the impact of ill health where possible. Through using the resilience framework, our aim is for:
How will we as a system change?
We are taking a ‘what’s strong’ rather than a ‘what’s wrong’ personalised approach, adopting a positive starting point that utilises system assets at a local level. In essence, we are creating permissive space and freedom for the System to identify and develop individualised solutions to improve the wellbeing of the population. To do this in specific localities where issues have been identified will mean utilising the many tools already available to system partners, in order to offer the prospect of making a real difference to the residents of the East Riding.
Key tools and projects include:
- Primary Care Networks
- Social Prescribing
- Asset Based Community Development
- Making Every Contact Count
- Behaviour Change
- Demand Mapping & Population Health Management Intelligence
- Commissioning
- Exploiting Technology
- Bridlington Early Intervention Project
- Withernsea Whole System Project
Early intervention and prevention in adult social care
A focused initiative to improve independence, resilience, and wellbeing for older adult residents of the East riding, thus preventing, reducing, and delaying the need for long term formal care and support services. We maintain the ‘what’s strong’ rather than a ‘what’s wrong’ personalised approach, from the first point of contact into adult social care. We are committed to improve ageing well and end of life care.
Key initiatives include:
- Redesign of the First point of contact to support making every contact count
- Capture of intelligence: how do we respond to the issues of age, in age today, how can this inform the wider determinants of health earlier in the life course
- Short term, goal orientated interventions to support independence and resilience.
- Aligned with Public health initiatives – Age friendly communities, Dementia friendly communities, community offer
- Aligned to the voluntary and community, social enterprise schemes.
- Developing the effective use of technology and digital platforms
- Developing a changed narrative and thus relationship between residents and adult social care
As the Early intervention and prevention portfolio we look forward to monitoring progress and taking actions to ensure our residents and communities are able to participate in the journey in making a real difference for how people experience ageing, and aspire to ageing well in the East riding.
