Healthy Community

Using Evidence

We are continually working to improve our knowledge of people and communities to help develop new plans for local services.  Our Healthy Community action plan comes from a broad base of evidence that has been gathered using local and national statistics, identification of needs and issues from HCTAP members, current programmes and service mapping and community engagement.

Indicator Baseline

A statistical baseline has been prepared and forms part of a suite of six baselines covering all nine long-term outcomes from ‘Connected 2017-2030.  This baseline has focused on the 3 indicators that underpin the Healthy Community outcome of our community plan.  A statistical presentation and baseline report are available for download below:

Mapping

Review of current activity, an initial mapping exercise was carried out with partners involved in the TAP team.  There were returns from 10 organisations.  This was used as a starting point for informing actions.  It will be built on through the life span of the action plan which may inform future actions and identify new approaches and initiatives in the borough.

Community Engagement                                                 

In order to extend our reach and include more voices into the action planning process TAP members carried out community engagement. This engagement allowed us to build the story behind the baseline.

What we asked…

1. What are the community strengths?
2. What are the key issues or needs to be addressed?
3. What is currently working well to address them?
4. What organisations/services would you like to see working together more and why?

What you told us…

Community strengths

• Extent of existing cross-community working
• The range of social clubs, programmes and activities
• The quality of existing facilities
• The funding available to run initiatives
• The local expertise

Issues/needs

• The need for more partnership working specifically with schools, GPs, and other health professionals
• Funding / resources (e.g. training)
• Promotion of services / programmes / activities
• Community amenities/upkeep (e.g. cleanliness of streets/ potholes)
• Lifestyle factors (smoking, drugs, alcohol, diet)
• Targeting social exclusion/vulnerability
• What’s working well to support the community?
• High quality facilities / venues
• Diverse range of programmes / clubs
• High calibre of volunteers
• PHA funding
• Rural transport
• Strong community networks

What could work better?

• Better and smarter advertising/ promotion of services
• Having a functioning NI Executive
• Better transport
• More activities for older people
• Increased capacity across organisations
• Need to learn from one another

The partners in this action planning process have listened to what people have to say, considered the evidence and bringing their own experience to and expertise to collaboratively design an action plan that is meaningful and will bring about real change.

This plan has been prepared by the Healthy Community TAP team under the leadership of Gerard Rocks as the Chair and Sharon McNicholl, Armagh City and Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council as the Council Lead.

The Action Plan has a total of nine actions which are being taken forward under the Healthy Community outcome.  The strategic actions for each are shown below.  To view the full action plan please click the link below.  The detailed actions set out in the action plan will be driven by the ‘Action Coordinator’ who will work in partnership with identified individuals and organisations.  The performance measures will help measure the success of each action.

What’s next?

For each action identified partners will work to identify performance measures which will tell us:

• How much did we do?
• How well did we do it?
• Is anyone better of as a result

The action plan will be living document and actions may change according to changing needs.

The team will continue to make progress in this theme and will meeting twice per year to ensure that a collaborative approach is taken moving forward.

Meetings and workshops

Any business or activity that takes place in our Healthy Community Thematic Action Planning Team will be published here so that you can keep up to date with what is happening.

Downloads

• Workshop One
• Workshop Two
• Workshop Three
• Workshop Four

Please contact the Community Planning team at Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council if you have any further enquiries:

E: or T: 028 40660644

Each thematic action planning team will report to the Community Planning Strategic Partnership every six months. The Progress reports provide an update from the Chair and show the performance of the healthy community actions.

The Chair of the healthy community action planning team reports to the Partnership in March and September.