Live Longer Better has been designed to realise the three strategic objectives of the ten-year plan :-
- The shift from sickness to prevention
- The shift from hospital care to community leadership
- The shift from analogue to digital
Integration with Neighbourhood development
The work being done has to tie in with all the other work taking place on digital development not only with primary care information systems but also with information systems in general, in particular with the NHS App that will use the W:ISH technology taking place at present.
This will not only allow the NHS to achieve its objectives of disease prevention but also to reduce the time demands on front line NHS staff by providing knowledge directly to people, knowledge about the benefits of the different type of activity including creative activity and knowledge about opportunities, both local and digital. The responsibility of the citizen needs to be more clearly emphasised and made explicit. This will be done as part of Live Longer Better empowering people called patients instead being considered as being partners in their care.
Working with VCSE organisations
In addition, it is vitally important to involve other organisations as well as local authorities and local businesses but of even greater importance, community organisations made up of people from that particular community and the ability of digital resources to create virtual communities and support local face to face groups, for example in every church and synagogue will be used to the maximum. A priority is to support the interaction not only of the NHS and government, local and DWP, but also the VCSE sector and play a key part in the development of www.HealthierUK.org
Supporting population subgroups in addition to the population 60+
In Neighbourhood development the priority is to integrate any work for specific subgroups such as people approaching or over sixty or NEETS with the priorities of the NHS Neighbourhood Development Programme. Furthermore, the Live Longer Better Initiative can help provide meaning to people involved in neighbourhood development because the concept of the neighbourhood is too diffuse for many people. An opportunity is to use Live Longer Better as an example of the benefits from the neighbourhood focus and the neighbourhood policy.
The W:ISH technology will be used to improve the health for all the subgroups of the population, and there are plans to develop a similar initiative to improve the wellbeing of NEETS (people not in Education, Employment or Training),
The Live Longer Better Programmes primary focus has always been people who are approaching or are over sixty. Its philosophy and policies are also relevant to people in younger age groups. The NEET population falls into this category. There are now over 1 million 16-24 year olds that are classed as NEET. Though the majority are struggling to find employment because of shrinking vacancies for entry level jobs, a growing number are NEET because of a work limiting health condition. This now accounts for 44% of NEETs. This has gone up by 78% in the last 10 years. Those citing mental health as a reason for not being able to work, has doubled.
W:ISH is also working with the DWP to support people of working age with sickness absence'
Directors; Dr Sarah Price and Sir Muir Gray [email protected]
www.livelongerbetter.uk