Fit for the Future

What is Fit for the Future?

Fit for the Future is a strategic partnership, which brings together a diverse range of local organisations on a single mission: to tackle health inequalities in Barnsley. It was launched in 2003 and is now moving into a new phase.
 
This next phase has a much broader intent than commissioned activity. Ultimately we want to go further, and faster, with the improvements in Barnsley people’s health. It is about making the best use of all resources, across all partners and agencies to reduce health inequalities and is not intended to be a commissioning strategy.

Who is in Fit for the Future?

Improving Barnsley’s health is everyone’s responsibility. A variety of organisations have come together to support the Fit for the Future programme and to make sure things happen including NHS Barnsley, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, local employer representatives, education, local community organisations, regeneration agencies and voluntary groups.
 
The new strategic approach is overseen by an executive group which includes the Director of Public Health and Chair of NHS Barnsley. The executive group will report through the One Barnsley performance framework.

What does Fit for the Future actually do?

Fit for the Future ensures that:

• Partners work together to tackle health inequalities
• Barriers to healthy behaviours and choices are removed
• Efforts are targeted to areas of need
• Local people and communities are empowered to make things happen
• Success is measured

How has Fit for the Future made a difference to local health in its six years?

Here are just a few examples:

• Between 2003 and 2008, average life expectancy for men increased by 1 year to 75 years and for women by half a year to 80.1 years.
• In some areas of Barnsley life expectancy has increased by 2.5 years for both men and women.
• Community development health workers have worked with and for the local community supported by health trainers to offer one-to-one support 
• Over 3,000 people have had a heart health check at community venues 
• A network of breastfeeding peer supporters and link workers have helped to increase rates to 29.5%.

Why does Barnsley need Fit for the Future?

Life expectancy in Barnsley is improving but the gap between Barnsley and England is not closing. Cancer is the major cause of premature death and mental health problems are of concern. Much of this ill-health is preventable and is due to poor lifestyle choices. Therefore, collective action and shared objectives to address the causes of preventable ill-health in Barnsley is needed.

How is the vision of Fit for the Future Changing?

•  Our overall vision has not changed. Our vision is to reduce health inequalities so that everyone has the prospect of a long and healthy life. 
• The strategy is evolving so it can focus efforts on priority topics that will make the biggest difference to improving health quicker. 
• The revised approach will be to ensure that collective action across the lifespan, from prevention through to treatment, will have an impact on health inequalities in the short term as well as the medium to long term.

Why is the strategy evolving?

In the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA), published in December 2009, Barnsley received a red flag for improving health for all. The National Health Inequalities team suggested that Barnsley would be in a strong position to achieve the 2010 targets with extra impetus and focus on a few key areas. 
 
It is recognised that timescale for reducing health inequalities are to be measured in decades, rather than years therefore the strategy must evolve to reflect the changing needs of the population. The next phase will focus on the key issues that affect people’s health and contribute to health inequalities.  

What are the new priority topics and how have they been selected?

• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Healthy Weight
• Mental Wellbeing

These areas are key issues that are still a significant challenge and that all sectors –public, private, community and voluntary can act upon. These choices have been informed by a local health needs assessment. Resources to inform decisions about the development of strategy include: 

• The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
• The Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA)
• The Local Area Agreement (LAA)
• The Health Inequalities National Support Team recommendations

How do local partners fit into this new phase?

This second phase of Fit for the Future can provide the focus for actions that present the widest opportunity for partnership input, as well as offering strategic direction and advice to those partnerships on how they can contribute to our toughest health inequalities targets.

How will each topic be driven forward?

Each priority topic will have a cross-sector group responsible for developing the detailed action plans. They will report progress to the Fit for the Future executive group, which will report through the One Barnsley performance framework.

How does the strategy pose to reduce widening health inequalities between Barnsley and the rest of England?

Inequalities in health are caused by inequalities in society – in the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.  The link between social and economic inequalities and health inequalities is strong.  Therefore, this strategy alone will not reduce health inequalities.  Action across the whole society and delivery of the Barnsley Sustainable Strategy and its family of strategies is also required.

If you would like any more feedback, or to discuss this is more detail, please call us on 01226 433722 or email elaine.ogden@barnsleypct.nhs.uk .