York The Healthy City

On the whole people in York and the surrounding villages are relatively healthy, but we know that this is not the case for everyone who lives here.

The aim of the Healthy City strand of the Community Strategy is to ensure that all residents enjoy long, healthy and independent lives.

This will be achieved through the promotion of healthy living and the provision of easily accessible health and social care services.

Selby & York Primary Care Trust is the natural co-coordinator for the partnership delivering the Healthy City objectives, as the NHS organisation with responsibility for improving health for all and reducing inequalities in health.

We will continue to develop local work with communities, in hospitals, general practice, community health services, education, leisure, social services, industry and the voluntary sector. We are in the process of establishing a Healthy City Board to oversee progress.

We have recently run a local consultation on Choosing Health? part of the government's review of how we can support people to make healthy choices.

We will use the results of this consultation to influence our work to help individuals live a healthy lifestyle. Particular priorities at the moment include smoking, sexual health and preventing obesity.

Locally, access to health and social care services is improving and we will work to continue this trend. The NHS in York has achieved significant reductions in waiting times and by next April no one will wait more than 13 weeks for a consultant outpatient appointment or more than six months for surgery.

Patients will also be able to choose between a number of health care services, from a range of hospitals and treatment centres.

Local services will continue to develop from their existing high standards and we will develop community-based alternatives where appropriate, in line with initiatives such as the City of York Council Preventative Strategy for older people and the development of the PCT's Close to Home initiative.

These approaches will allow people with long-term conditions to be cared for at home as much as possible and stop unnecessary hospital admissions.

Over time local people will increasingly be able to influence health organisations, starting with the establishment of Foundation Hospital Trusts.

The newly developed independent Patient and Public Involvement Forums will also give local people a chance to have their say on locally delivered health services.

We will build on our existing partnership work to enhance the health services we offer, including health needs assessment pilots, integration of mental health and learning disabilities services and the York Children's Trust.

Many things will change - health will improve, treatment will be faster and there will be more support for independent living - but the delivery of health services over the next 20 years will still rely on the exceptional skill and dedication of the people working in the health service in York, as it does today.

What's the aim?

To be a city where residents enjoy long, healthy and independent lives with easy access to health and social care services.

What issues do we face?

Some people in the city do not experience good health and are disadvantaged in relation to the causes of poor health

By 2006, the number of over 85s will have increased by 22 per cent, bringing new challenges to health and social care services

There is a need to change lifestyles to prevent ill health

The most common causes of death are cancer and circulatory disease

What can we do?

Ensure health inequalities are identified and addressed

Increase the provision of 24 hour care in a community setting

Provide good advice and strong education programmes to enable people to live a healthy life

Use a one stop shop approach to provide understandable and integrated access to health services

Further develop partnership arrangements with the public and voluntary sector to improve health and social care services for York people

Offer quick access to responsive and good quality health care services

What will we do?

The Without Walls vision will aim to work to implement a healthy lifestyle strategy addressing the major risks to health including smoking, diet, alcohol, obesity and physical inactivity.

It will continue to develop high quality health services in community and hospital settings that meet the needs of York people.

Success would mean a reduction in the death rate from cancer in people under 75 by at least a fifth by 2010 and a reduction by at least 40 per cent in the death rates of people from heart disease and strokes.

The vision aims to provide readily accessible and consistent drugs services to meet the different needs of York residents.

Strong education and preventative guidance programmes will hope to lead to a reduction in the number of drug related crimes in York.

The vision sees a health service which allows all patients to be able to see a primary care professional within one working day and a GP within two working days. This will hopefully be in place by the end of December 2004.

The vision will look to reduce the death rates from accidents by at least a fifth, and serious injury by at least a tenth.

A key aim will be to build on the strength of existing partnerships using the Health and Social Care Partnership board to develop the work.

Updated: 12:23 Thursday, July 22, 2004