Tackling poor wellbeing is a community effort, and that’s precisely the focus of this pioneering initiative in Essex. Aiming for shared accountability, the programme utilises hyperlocal community asset approaches to deliver prevention outcomes at an unprecedented scale. The initiative isn’t just changing lives—it’s also redefining what a workforce means in the context of community wellbeing.
The initiative employs a data-driven approach, identifying target groups and locations based on population need and the risk profiles of individuals. It introduces a joint local commissioning, procurement, and contracting process that consolidates efforts to improve wellbeing across the Mid and South Essex (MSE) system. The plan is to allocate resources wisely—more where it’s needed and less where it isn’t.
The strategy embraces the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) model to address all facets of broader determinants affecting health and wellbeing. It unifies previously disjointed organisation-specific approaches into a holistic strategy, monitored by senior officers who are stakeholders in community wellbeing.
The strategy embraces the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) model to address all facets of broader determinants affecting health and wellbeing. It unifies previously disjointed organisation-specific approaches into a holistic strategy, monitored by senior officers who are stakeholders in community wellbeing.
Traditionally, success would be gauged through specific outcomes like smoking cessation or weight loss. However, this initiative goes further. It aims to capture sustainable wellbeing outcomes by looking at root causes and broader determinants of health. This integrated perspective can offer fresh insights into collective aspects like obesity prevention and treatment pathways.
With clear aims, unified strategies, and a focus on community, this Essex-based initiative is set to become a beacon for effective, large-scale wellbeing improvements. As we move closer to the new contract variation date, the eyes of communities and health experts alike will be on Essex, keen to see how this revolutionary approach to public wellbeing pans out.