Lizanne Conway NHS Health Scotland SURF OPEN FORUM 25 January 2007 Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group HEALTHY COMMUNITIES: A SHARED CHALLENGE

A Shared Challenge “We are taking a cross-cutting whole government approach to health improvement – putting health improvement in all our policies, and seeking to support all our policies by improving health”. Delivering A Healthy Scotland: Meeting the Challenge, Scottish Executive December 2006 Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Overview Background to Task Group Outputs and key highlights Recommendations and actions Next steps Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Background A strategic framework for health improvement in Scotland Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group Improving Health in Scotland: The Challenge (2003)

Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

“Community Pillar” Informal partnership response to Scottish Executive in 2003 Official Task Group established in September 2004 Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Membership Aberdeen City Council Association of Local Government Health Improvement Officers Big Lottery Fund Communities Scotland Community Health Exchange (CHEX) Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) Napier University – School of Community Health NHS Health Scotland Community Food and Health (Scotland) Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health Scottish Executive Departments Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) - CHAIR Voluntary Health Scotland Volunteer Development Scotland Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Role and Remit To recommend to Ministers how to take forward and strengthen community-led health improvement activities across Scotland that are designed to tackle inequalities in health Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Overarching Task Group Vision “For communities to be empowered and supported in the development of initiatives and solutions for health improvement, both by taking action themselves and by playing a full part in broader partnerships.”

Methods of Working Together Four more inclusive sub-groups: Evidence and Measuring Success Planning and Partnerships Community Based Activities Community Engagement Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Task Group Outputs Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group Ministerial launch12 Dec.2006 Main and summary reports 5 individual papers and DVD 12 recommendations All now available from:

Key Highlights Supporting and strengthening community- led health improvement in Scotland by building the evidence base Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Effective Community-led approaches tend to: Be open, responsive, and flexible Allow active individual participation and empowerment Recognise the central importance of mental wellbeing Promote a group approach Help people re-connect with their communities Directly tackle wider issues of local importance to health Evidence from Research

Evidence from Practice Involvement in community-led health can: Help increase confidence and sense of control Assist in making new friendships and sense of belonging Assist in skills and knowledge development Help increase motivation, hopes, ambitions and a sense of purpose Create a greater sense of security Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Evidence Challenges Challenge of monitoring and evaluation practice – not fit for purpose Tensions- funder interest versus information collection for longer term organisational learning and development Concerns that insufficient robust evidence yet exists to fully understand and replicate the health impact of community-led activity Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Building the evidence base 1Use evaluation designs and methods that recognise the timescales and complexities involved in assessing and demonstrating the impact of community-led health activity. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Building the evidence base 2Identify and set out more clearly the links between objectives, inputs, outputs and outcomes, defining success in ways that reflect a broad view of health and its determinants. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Building the evidence base 3Work with the community and voluntary health sector to build a greater knowledge and understanding of what factors enable community health or act as barriers to it. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Key Highlights Supporting and strengthening community-led health improvement in Scotland through effective planning and partnerships Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Health outcomes of effective partnerships Influencing responsive services Addressing service gaps Supporting sustained and shared responsibility for health improvement Supporting sustained health improvement across diverse communities of place and interest Enhancing community and organisational relationships Information and idea sharing and learning Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Successful Partnerships Unambiguous structures and processes Levels of community involvement are clear from outset Sufficient resources Appropriate monitoring and evaluation Strong leadership Recognised and shared health aims Strategic and operational distinction and recognition in all processes and structures Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Effective planning and partnership 4Make health improvement planning more effective in engaging communities at all levels and more flexible in allowing them to identify their own priorities. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Effective planning and partnership 5Support the community and voluntary health sector in informing and relating to national priorities, applying the principles of the Scottish Compact. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Effective planning and partnership 6Embed the National Standards for Community Engagement and NHS draft guidance Informing, Engaging and Consulting the Public in the practice of all sectors. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Key Highlights Supporting and strengthening community-led health improvement in Scotland by building capacity Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Capacity-building 7Invest in capacity-building for both the voluntary and community health sector and the public sector. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Capacity-building 8Recognise the role of intermediary bodies in community-led health improvement and resource them. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Capacity-building 9Recognise and strengthen support for the role of volunteers and volunteering in community- led health improvement. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

Key Highlights Supporting and strengthening community-led health improvement in Scotland by learning lessons to ensure sustainability Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Sustainability 11Build on the lessons from existing practice to provide improved infrastructural support and put in place appropriate strategic and operational frameworks for the long-term sustainability of community-led health improvement activity. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

COMMUNITY-LED HEALTH IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Next steps 12Build on the success of partnership working in the Task Group and create a new national group to oversee the implementation of the Task Group’s recommendations following their joint ministerial endorsement. Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group

First meeting Steering group 22 January 2007 Chaired by Kay Barton, Head of Health Improvement Strategy Division, Scottish Executive Action plan now being developed – using task group materials To report to Ministers by end of year Scottish Executive depts., Communities Scotland, Health Scotland, CHEX, VHS, Scottish Health Council, CHPs and SOLACE/COSLA represented Short term group, but long term solutions required Require time and resources to develop with input and commitment from all working locally and nationally Communication will continue via quarterly newsletters from Health Scotland and dedicated web pages. Commitment to listening and wider involvement is high Next Steps

Message from Launch Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group “Actions speak louder than words. The implementation group needs to have teeth.”

Thank you More information, please contact: Lizanne Conway NHS Health Scotland Community-Led Supporting and Developing Healthy Communities Task Group