Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023 to 2030

‘Leeds will be a healthy and caring city for all ages, where people who are the poorest improve their health the fastest.’

In Leeds, as we grow up and we grow old, the people around us, the places we live in, the work we do, the way we move, the time we spend playing and relaxing, and the type of support we receive, will keep us healthier for longer. We will build accessible, inclusive, thriving communities where people live happier, healthier lives, do the best for one another and provide the best care possible.

Foreword

Hello and welcome to the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Leeds is a forward looking, great northern city with plenty to offer to all of us who live, learn and work here. Our health and wellbeing is what supports us in making the most of our city, enjoying our lives and reaching our fullest potential. This is why we set an ambition in 2016 to be the best city for health and wellbeing.

It is the people of Leeds, our greatest asset, who are at the heart of driving this ambition. The innovation, creativity, and commitment of all of us to work together to improve health and wellbeing has never wavered. This refreshed Health and Wellbeing Strategy, taking us to the year 2030, reaffirms our vision to be a healthy and caring city for all ages, where people who are the poorest improve their health the fastest.

Since we published our last strategy much has changed in Leeds. There is a great deal to be proud of in our achievements as a partnership, which brings together the council, NHS, public sector, a thriving third sector, businesses, education, academia, and organisations championing the voices of our communities, such as Healthwatch Leeds.

The most significant event in that time has undoubtedly been the pandemic. We all responded to it by coming together to take care of each other, supported by our resilient communities. 60,000 people who work in health and care, alongside public, business and community sector partners, and hundreds of volunteers, meant we were able to make sure people had food, medicines and wellbeing checks. We have also delivered an extraordinary vaccine programme, with nearly two million doses given in Leeds to date. None of this would have been possible without the strong foundation of partnership working, supported by an ethos of working as one Team Leeds.

Many lives were tragically lost during the pandemic and each person will not be forgotten.

The aftermath of the pandemic is clear to see throughout our great city. Health inequalities in Leeds have grown over the last few years, with the cost of living crisis adding further pressure. The impact of this will be experienced differently by our diverse communities and across generations.

Breaking the link between poverty and poor health and wellbeing is more important than ever. To do this, we will focus on improving health from preconception, birth and childhood, through the transition to adulthood, working life and older age. In particular, this refreshed strategy will address what the people of Leeds have told us is important to their health and wellbeing, such as support for carers, housing, employment and mental health. People also want to see care that is communicated well, coordinated and compassionate. We will do this through collaborative working and bold leadership, learning from the experiences of the last few years.

We are supported in this by other plans and strategies. This strategy is part of our Best City Ambition, which also focuses on economic and environmental priorities. We are becoming a Marmot City, challenging inequality and creating a fairer city for everyone. This is all built on the solid foundation of our strong economy, exceptional schools, colleges and universities, a vibrant and diverse population, and leading sectors such as digital health, data and medical technology. All are key to creating a healthier, more sustainable and inclusive city.

We are launching this refreshed strategy at a time when we have seen great progress in the transformation and integration of our health and care system. The creation of the Integrated Care Boards and Integrated Care Partnerships as part

of the wider health and care system in Leeds gives us the opportunity to make more progress on what matters to our communities. Partnerships at all levels: neighbourhood, local, regional and national, will help us achieve our vision.

The success of this strategy will be determined by how people feel, and the real difference being made to improve their health and wellbeing. We know that despite the hard work of health and care professionals, there are challenges accessing some services, such as NHS dentists, GPs and mental health. Numerous third sector organisations are significantly under-resourced, or their funding is short term. Social care remains chronically underfunded, with workforce challenges across all sectors. People also remain frustrated by the long waits for some services, including ambulances and accident and emergency.

As a Health and Wellbeing Board, we acknowledge the extent of these challenges. We will not see improvements immediately, but we believe that by working together, we can deliver stronger, more equal services.

We remain absolutely committed to achieving our shared vision and we cannot afford to fail. We won’t be able to do this alone and must all play an active part. Working as one Team Leeds, with compassion and care, we can deliver the positive

changes that will mean better health and wellbeing for everyone in our city.

Councillor Fiona Venner

Chair of the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board

Our partnership

The Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board

Wellbeing starts with people: our connections with family, friends and colleagues, the behaviour, care and compassion we show one another, and the environments in which we live together. We all have a part to play in Leeds being a healthy city with high quality equitable services.

The Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) sets and leads our ambition of Leeds being a healthy and caring city for all ages, where people who are the poorest, improve their health the fastest. The Board exists to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Leeds and to integrate person-centred health and care services.

The Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board is made up of senior representatives from organisations across Leeds, including Leeds City Council, the NHS, the West Yorkshire Health and Care Integrated Care Board, the voluntary and community sector and Healthwatch, which ensures the views of the public are fully represented and acted on. There is also a cross-party political representation, with meetings chaired by the Executive Member for Children’s Social Care and Health Partnerships.

The Board has public meetings throughout the year, receiving regular progress updates on work related to this strategy’s 12 priorities, and providing advice and challenge where needed. It develops an understanding of the health and wellbeing needs and assets in Leeds by completing a Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA), which gathers information together about people and communities in our city.

Listening to people is central to the work of both the Health and Wellbeing Board and partners across the city, with findings feeding into strategic planning and service delivery. The Board works collectively, with the strengths and assets of our people, to oversee, influence and shape action to ensure Leeds is a healthy city with high quality and equitable services.

The Leeds Health and Care Partnership

Many of the partners of the Board are also part of the Leeds Health and Care Partnership (LHCP), a group of health and care organisations across Leeds working together to integrate and transform health and care services in the city. The LHCP has outlined its ambitions in the Healthy Leeds Plan, which is aligned with the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, but has a specific focus on the health and care sector in Leeds.

The LHCP is also part of the wider West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, which is an Integrated Care System, working to improve the health and wellbeing of people across West Yorkshire.

Integrated care systems (ICSs) are partnerships that bring together NHS organisations, local authorities and other key partners to take collective responsibility for planning services, improving health, and reducing inequalities in their areas. There are 42 ICSs across England, each covering populations of around 500,000 to 3 million people.

Our partnership principles

The following key principles underpin how we work together to deliver our ambition and vision:

We start with people: working with people instead of doing things to them or for them, maximising the assets, strengths and skills of Leeds citizens, carers and workforce.

We are Team Leeds: working as if we are one organisation, being kind, taking collective responsibility for and following through on what we have agreed. Difficult issues are put on the table, with a high support, high challenge approach.

We deliver: prioritising actions over words. Using intelligence, every action focuses on what difference we will make to improving outcomes and quality, and making best use of the Leeds £.

Our 3 Cs approach

In Leeds we are committed to delivering person-centred care. Through our many valuable conversations with local people and listening to their experiences of health and care services, we know that our person- centred approach matters to them too. As a result of our engagement with local people, the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board has committed to our 3 Cs approach, which is how everyone should experience health and care.

The 3 Cs are:

Better Communication with people

Effective Coordination of health and care services

Compassion in the delivery of health and care services

Context

This Health and Wellbeing Strategy is a blueprint for enabling people to live fulfilling lives in a healthy city, supported by high quality equitable services. It is led by the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, but it belongs to everyone. Everyone in Leeds has a role to play in creating a city which does the very best for its people.

Diverse cultures, a strong economy, vibrant partnership working, and quality services are just some of the many strengths which make Leeds a great place to live, learn, work and visit. However, not everyone benefits from these in the same way, leading to unacceptable health inequalities. Stalling improvements in life expectancy for people living in low-income parts of the city demonstrates the scale of the challenge we face. 197,651 (or 1 in 4) people in the city live in areas ranked amongst the most deprived 10% nationally.

Big Leeds Chat

The Big Leeds Chat is a series of local events, in which we engage people in conversations to find out what matters to them, and what they need to improve their health and wellbeing. Below are the ten key themes the people of Leeds have told us about:

A city where children and young people’s lives are filled with positive things to do.
A city where there are plentiful activities in every local area to support everyone’s wellbeing.
A city where people can use services face-to-face when they need to.
A city where people feel confident they will get help from their GP without barriers getting in the way.
A city where each individual community has the local facilities, services and amenities they need.
A city where fears about crime and antisocial behaviour are no barrier to enjoying everything the community has to offer.
A city where services acknowledge the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental health and where a varied range of service- and community-based mental health support is available.
A city with affordable activities that enable everyone to stay healthy.
A city where green spaces are kept tidy and welcoming, because services understand the vital role they play in keeping people well.
A city where everyone can get around easily on public transport, no matter their location or mobility needs.

We have incorporated these asks throughout this Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Starting well

	Leeds average	Deprived Leeds*
Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births)	5.0	6.1
% of children in reception living with obesity	9.9	11.9
% of children reporting feeling stressed or anxious every day or most days	29.7	32.8
Increase in child population (0- to 17-year-olds) between 2012 and 2018	7%	13%
*Deprived Leeds is the collective term for areas of Leeds ranked in the 10% most deprived areas of the country

This strategy balances the ambition and drive we have in Leeds to tackle health inequalities, with the reality of the scale of the challenges, and of the rising demand for services. Through this strategy we put the needs of all local people at the heart of our actions, but with a particular focus on improving the outcomes of people and communities living with poverty and inequalities, and a drive to relieve pressures on health and care services.

We will respond to the needs of the city’s people and communities, focusing on actions that are resourced and delivered at scale, accelerating improvements in tackling health inequalities through national approaches such as Core20PLUS5.

Addressing these challenges will be a key focus in this long-term strategy, and we will consistently review progress to ensure we remain flexible in response to our changing context from now to 2030.

We will focus on building thriving communities and improving health and wellbeing, and thereby tackling inequalities.

We know that people’s health outcomes are influenced by their socio-economic conditions. We want to give people the best start to life, good education, sufficient opportunities for play and leisure, inclusive, stable and well-paid jobs, and quality homes that are affordable and safe. This is what we mean by building thriving communities that enable people to leave healthier and happier lives.

Living well

54 of every 1000 deaths in Leeds are connected to air pollution.
Suicide rates are highest among middle-aged men, whilst girls and young women have the highest rates of being admitted into hospital because of self-harm. Rates of suicide and self-harm are higher in poorer areas.
19.8% of the Leeds population of 0-17 year olds are estimated to live in households with any one of the following: domestic violence, parental mental ill-health, or parental substance abuse.
The percentage of carers providing 20 or more hours of care per week increased between 2001 and 2015 from 31% to 37%.

The population in Leeds is growing and is more diverse than ever.

One in four under-16s are estimated to be living in poverty, this is worse than the national average. People are living longer than they used to, which means it is more important than ever that communities enable older people to thrive, age well and live independently.

Through our asset-based approaches, we can empower people to take more control of their health, by utilising the best of what their local community offers. The city’s diverse community organisations and campaigning groups have a special role to play here, as these are some of the strongest assets in some of the poorest communities.

We must continue to listen to the voices and experiences of people living with inequalities.

We prioritise this in everything we do. We have dedicated engagement and involvement from leaders throughout the city, who work together to make it easier for people to engage with our partnership.

Our work on the Big Leeds Chat, the Allyship Programme, the Communities of Interest Networks, and the How Does It Feel For Me? project are some of the ways we are bringing the voices of local people, especially those of the most vulnerable people, into our decision making. The insight we have gained through this engagement has massively impacted the priorities in this strategy.

We have also established a Tackling Health Inequalities Group, made up of experts acting as an advisory group and challenging our decision making through the lens of people living with inequalities.

These are just some of the ways the Health and Wellbeing Board can ensure that are decisions and long-term plans are based on the voices of local people. We are also working to strengthen our co-production approaches and deliver other consultation and engagement activity across the city to support specific pieces of work, such as community mental health transformation.

We need to ensure people have equitable access to quality health and care services.

Too many people struggle to get appointments to access services such as primary care and dentistry. As ageing populations lead to more people experiencing multiple long-term conditions, health and care services need to adapt to manage these changes and better help people. People in Leeds have told us they want to feel confident they will get the help needed from services and access to treatment without barriers getting in the way.

Working well

7.9% of young people are currently not in employment, education or training.
12.5% of Leeds residents earn less than the Real Living Wage.
It is estimated that poor mental ill-health costs Leeds over £500m every year through lost economic output, benefits payments and its effects on the health and social care system.

We will continue to focus on this as one integrated health and care system, which will improve people’s health. We will also be focused on reducing healthcare inequalities across the entire population to build and maintain the best long- term health possible for everyone.

Having equitable access to quality health and care services remains a key priority of this strategy. It is vital that we have timely and person-centred care. Whilst the cost of providing high-quality care continues to rise, we must continue to work hard to deliver this for the people of Leeds. This will ensure people’s health and wellbeing can be better, fairer and more sustainable.

To do this effectively we need to both develop new capacity where possible and free up capacity in existing services. Preventing people needing expensive reactive, acute or emergency care will be a priority in this strategy as we see all public services facing an unsustainable rising tide of demand. To genuinely reduce demand we must not only have effective and evidence-based services, we also need to prevent problems from developing and create the conditions for thriving individuals, families and communities.

Further, we will continue developing our localities and neighbourhood-based community building approaches, through our Children’s Clusters, Local Care Partnerships, and Asset Based Community Development.

As part of an integrated system, people and organisations will work together to develop joined up health and care services that focus on the people who use them. Improving health services also needs to happen alongside maintaining financial sustainability. This remains a major challenge. Rising cost pressures and sustained and increasing demand of health and care services means making the best use of the collective resources across organisations and sectors.

This will continue to help us to develop the city’s health and care system, which has seen its own transformation supported by a strengthened governance structure, including at the city level with the establishment of The Leeds Committee of the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). The ICB will help to join up health and care services, improve people’s health and wellbeing and delegate some funding and decisions to local places so that we can work with our partners to plan and fund services that make a difference to people and reduce health inequalities.

None of this will be achievable without the wonderful 60,000 people who work in health and care in Leeds.

We need to make Leeds the best place to train and work, in safe and inclusive workspaces.

Ageing well and dying well

People from ethnically diverse backgrounds living in the most deprived parts of Leeds become frail 11 years earlier than white counterparts living in the least deprived areas
1 in 8 Leeds households has a person aged 65+ living alone
The gap in life expectancy between the most affluent and least affluent areas is 14 years for women and 11 years for men
Life expectancy is even wider between some communities, such as the Gypsy and Traveller communities in Leeds, with the average life expectancy around 50 years compared to the city average of around 78 years
The Leeds Dock, Hunslet and Stourton area of the city has the lowest female life expectancy in England

Our health and care workforce is facing pressures both inside and outside the workplace. Worsening mental and physical health is a real concern.

We have a highly motivated, creative and caring workforce in our city, working hard to deliver high quality care for people in Leeds. But we need to create the conditions that enable them to thrive in work. This means giving our employees the right skills for the future, expanding career opportunities, offering flexible working, and ensuring they have access to the best technology and training.

It is also essential that our future workforce better reflects the demographics of an increasingly diverse city. Opportunities for younger people to access good jobs will need to be coupled with ensuring mid-career support, e.g. childcare, developing flexible working and supporting older workers to thrive and remain in the workforce.

Workplaces will be age, disability, carer and family friendly, will support flexible working and act as a beacon of best practice to attract the diverse skill the city needs to thrive.

Connecting strategies and programmes to better tackle health inequalities

Reducing health inequalities is a long-held commitment in Leeds, and it is reflected in many different strategies, plans and programmes across the city. Each plays a specific role in achieving our health and wellbeing ambition, and reflecting our life-course approach to tackling health inequalities. This approach recognises that a diverse range of factors, including social, economic and environmental conditions influence a person’s health and wellbeing.

Our Health and Wellbeing Strategy also connects with regional and national strategies, recognising that many of the challenges we face in Leeds are not unique to us, and sometimes they can be better tackled at a regional or national level. Full details of all linked plans, strategies and commitments can be found under the ‘Linked strategies and plans’ section of each priority.

The strategies, plans and programmes below will be key in helping to deliver improved health and wellbeing for people and communities in Leeds. We will ensure there is clear and strong alignment across all of these, to ensure the most effective delivery of the city’s health and wellbeing priorities.

Leeds Best City Ambition: The Best City Ambition is our overall vision for the future of Leeds to 2030. At its heart is our mission to tackle poverty and inequality and improve quality of life for everyone who calls Leeds home. Health and Wellbeing is a key ‘pillar’ of the Best City Ambition, along with Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon – a recognition of how all three are interlinked, and how all three need concerted effort if people’s lives in Leeds are going to improve.

Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy: The Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy sets out how we aim to make the city a healthier, greener and inclusive economy that works for everyone. The strategy details how we will harness partnerships across the city to improve the health of the poorest the fastest, linking people and communities with place and productivity. The Leeds Anchor Network will continue to play a key role as part of our place-based approach to inclusive growth and community wealth building. Bringing together the economic power and human capital of large organisations to work with communities mutually benefits the long-term wellbeing of both.

Zero Carbon Ambition: Leeds has committed to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has the ambition to be one of the first net zero cities in the country. Tackling climate change will mean that we focus on reducing pollution and promoting cycling, walking and the use of public transport whilst also promoting a less wasteful, low carbon economy. This will also require the need for more national funding and powers to make our 2030 commitment possible. The Leeds Health and Care Commitment will be one of many key components of addressing poor health outcomes. This Commitment is a set of principles and actions to work towards being a resilient, sustainable health and care system that mitigates the impact of climate change.

Leeds Marmot City Commitment: Leeds is proud to be a Marmot City, demonstrating our commitment to creating a fairer, healthier city for everyone. This work is overseen by the Health and Wellbeing Board and aims to ensure everyone has the right conditions in place to enable people to thrive. Referred to in the programme as ‘building blocks’, the right conditions include better education, quality housing, and quality jobs.

West Yorkshire Integrated Care Strategy: This five-year strategy is the vision for the future of health, care and wellbeing in the region, where all partners are working together so people can thrive in a trauma-informed, healthy, equitable, safe and sustainable society.

Healthy Leeds Plan: The Healthy Leeds Plan outlines the health and care contribution towards delivering the vision of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. It also sets out the high-level ambitions for improving health outcomes for the people of Leeds both collectively and at a population level. The Plan describes two overarching system goals that the Leeds Health and Care Partnership are collectively committed to delivering, and priority areas of focus in relation to delivery of the goals. These goals are to reduce preventable unplanned care use across health settings, and increase early identification and intervention (of both risk factors, and physical and mental illness). Demonstrating the commitment of the health and care system to reducing health inequalities, these goals will be focused on the 26% of our population who live in the 10% most deprived areas nationally.

Leeds Health and Social Care Hub: In partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care, organisations across sectors including the NHS, local government, universities and the third sector, are working together in key areas to tackle health disparities and improve employment opportunities in the city. This new way of working between local and national partners includes a fresh approach built on productive relationships to developing inclusive careers and innovation, whilst also improving health and care for local people - making Leeds a place where people want to come to live, work and stay.

12 Priorities

Priority 1: A Child Friendly and Age Friendly City where people have the best start and age well

This is a priority because…

In Leeds, our younger and our older populations are growing. These groups are at higher risk of living in poverty, and with poor health and wellbeing.

Leeds is already committed to being a Child Friendly City, where children enjoy growing up, achieve their potential and thrive from early years to adulthood.

Though we have made some progress in areas such as childhood obesity and infant mortality, rates of infant mortality in Leeds remain higher than the national average. Not all communities are seeing the same progress, for example, Black women are still four times more likely to die during childbirth. So, we will focus on faster improvements for children and families in more deprived communities.

We want all children in Leeds to reach their potential, supported by good-quality services. To do this, we will transform our services with a particular focus on mental health and complex needs.

Preventing health problems emerging in children and young people will have lifetime impacts that enable people to age in better health. While many people are living longer, there are big differences across the city in life expectancy, and how many years people are living in good health. Our Age Friendly focus is on Leeds being a city where people age well, are respected and appreciated, and valued for their contribution.

Older people are more likely to have multiple long-term health conditions, especially people living in more deprived communities. Promoting healthy ageing and making sure services are easily accessible is key to helping older people keep their independence and quality of life.

For Leeds to be a successful city, we need to support both younger and older people to live healthy and fulfilling lives. We need to create an inclusive city where both groups can thrive together, enjoying mutually supportive and compassionate intergenerational relationships.

24% of the Leeds population is aged between 0-19 years.

Pregnancy, birth and the first two years of a child’s life - the first 1001 days - set the foundations for an individual’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Improve support and care for parents before, during and after pregnancy.

Build local maternity services tailored to communities’ needs.

Support parents and babies by reducing stress, promoting positive bonds, and enabling the development of language and communication skills.

Promote opportunities for babies, toddlers and caregivers to come together and play.

Work with the whole family to improve children and young people’s mental and emotional health.

Work better together to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ensure social work services are consistently good quality for all vulnerable children and young people.

Build on pre-pandemic progress in reducing childhood obesity.

Focus on improving education, training and employment skills for children and young people, and older people.

Make sure older people have everything in place to enjoy a healthier and more independent life.

Prevent older people at risk of discrimination from becoming vulnerable or disadvantaged.

Support Leeds to be a dementia-friendly place.

Reduce social isolation and loneliness for everyone.

Reduce fuel poverty and reduce climate- related excess deaths.

Improve outcomes and experience of services for people living with frailty, especially those living in deprived communities.

There are 8,500 people aged over 65 in Leeds living with dementia.

The proportion of people living with frailty is almost three times higher in the most deprived communities of Leeds.

15% of the Leeds population is aged 65+.

People from ethnically diverse backgrounds living in the most deprived parts of Leeds become frail 11 years younger than their white counterparts in the least deprived areas.

Linked strategies and plans

Age Friendly Leeds Strategy 2022-25

Everyone’s included: the Leeds SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2022-27

Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan 2023-28

Leeds Maternity Strategy 2021-25

Living with Dementia in Leeds – Our Strategy 2020-25

Priority 2: Strong, engaged and well-connected communities

This is a priority because…

People’s health and wellbeing is improved when they have access to quality services, reliable transport, good information in their local community, and opportunities to connect with others. We want people to live in thriving communities that they feel proud of.

Strong communities and a diverse city go hand-in- hand. More than a quarter of Leeds residents are from ethnically diverse communities, over 4% of people in the city identify as LGBTQ+ and 1 in 6 people in Leeds live with a disability.

We want local people to have a say in the future of the city, including people from our diverse communities. We have been doing this in Leeds in many ways, including through our Big Leeds Chat, the Allyship Programme, and the Communities

of Interest Network. Listening to and acting on diverse voices means we can help create strong communities that meet the needs of those at highest risk of poor wellbeing.

As part of the Integrated Care System in West Yorkshire, we are proud that we have become the first Partnership of Sanctuary in the country, meaning we provide safe, welcoming and accessible healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers, recognising the additional challenges their experiences may bring to their health and wellbeing.

We recognise that local people are the experts in what is best for their communities, which is why we are using Asset Based Community Development approaches. This empowers people to strengthen their communities by harnessing the strength of the assets within them. These could include skills, knowledge, capacity, resources and the enthusiasm of people and organisations in that community.

Digital transformation has provided lots of new opportunities, but to help people keep active and connected to their communities, we need to make sure no-one is being left behind, with services adopting a digital-by-choice approach, not digital-only.

All parts of the city must be accessible for everyone to move around safely and easily. The ability to travel is crucial to maintaining independence and staying connected, and the way we all move around the city affects our wellbeing too. Walking, public transport, cycling and other forms of sustainable travel all have a more positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

Ensuring good connections across Leeds means we can all benefit from what the city has to offer, including shops, parks, community groups, galleries, heritage sites, libraries, museums and theatres. These all help to keep people feeling well and connected. Alongside this, we need to make sure that people have access to good quality information about what is available to them in their local community and beyond.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Involve people in conversations about their communities and their wellbeing, prioritising the voices of the most vulnerable people.
Expand the strength-based model of social work and the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approaches, building on programmes such as the Leeds Neighbourhood Networks.
Support innovative ways of tackling loneliness through digital technologies, especially for those living with dementia.
Better promote arts, creativity, culture and heritage projects that aim to improve health and wellbeing.
Improve access to key services when people need them, and support people to thrive using their individual and community assets.
Improve the use of data and technology to improve community outcomes, whilst also ensuring people who are digitally excluded are not left behind.
Explore the 20-minute neighbourhood concept to look at how people can more easily access essential amenities.
Create places, communities and information that are accessible to all regardless of mobility or language needs.
Ensure all health and care services abide by the Accessible Information Standard, so that everyone knows what support is available to them.

Spotlight

Community Hubs

A network of community hubs has been established in communities across Leeds.

These hubs bring together key public services, where residents can find free, confidential and tailored support and information on a range of issues, such as job applications, budgeting, and benefit claims. They also provide access to free computers and WiFi, and many are based in libraries. They provide a great space for people to meet and connect with others in their local community.

Linked strategies and plans

Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy Digital Strategy 2022-25

Leeds Culture Strategy 2017–2030

Safer, Stronger Communities - Leeds Plan (2021-2024)

Priority 3: Improving housing for better health

This is a priority because…

The quality, suitability and affordability of a person’s home can make a big difference to their health and wellbeing.

Poor quality homes that are cold can make cardiovascular illnesses worse, and lead to the onset of stroke and heart attacks. Damp, mouldy and poorly ventilated homes contribute to respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma.

With around one in five local people living with a disability or long-term physical health condition, ensuring they have a home suitable for their needs is essential. If people’s homes are designed and adapted to support their needs, it means they can remain independent, which in turn helps reduce pressure on public services and carers.

Advances in smart technology are providing new opportunities to help people stay healthy in their home. From fall detectors and voice-activated appliances through to smart monitors, technology will continue to develop, helping keep people safer and healthier.

Affordability of housing is another significant issue. Increasing costs, such as rent, mortgage payments and utility prices, are disproportionately affecting those who are already struggling.

People who are homeless or sleeping rough are at a higher risk of ill-health, especially risk of injury, pneumonia, tuberculosis, dental problems and hypothermia. This is on top of existing complex health needs, such as drug and alcohol addiction. Whilst Leeds is held as a national exemplar on preventing homelessness, we need to continue working on this important agenda.

For some people, their home is where they receive some of their health and care, meaning that professionals are a key part of their home life. As these are some of the most vulnerable people in Leeds, it is essential that professionals identify and respond to any safeguarding concerns.

The carbon emissions of our homes also affect the health of the population. With housing accounting for 27% of all CO2 emissions in Leeds, homes need to be made more energy efficient. This will also help the 60,000 households living in fuel poverty.

Leeds is already making good progress in improving housing for better health, and it forms a major part of both our Best City Ambition and our commitment to be a Marmot City. Through these programmes, we have an ambitious collaborative approach to improve housing.

To achieve this priority we will…

Ensure all people in Leeds can remain independent in their homes as much as it is safe to do so, including through adaptations.
Put ill-health prevention at the heart of the future of housing.
Develop housing options tailored to individual needs, especially for people with complex needs.
Make housing inclusive, sustainable, and safe, especially in the most deprived parts of the city. This will include tackling overcrowding, promoting low-carbon heating and addressing issues of damp and mould in properties.
Using innovative digital and technology solutions to enable people to be healthy and independent in their home, and to help create healthier living environments.
Minimise and address safeguarding risks to residents linked to health and housing, as part of a multi-agency partnership approach.

Spotlight

Leeds PIPES

The innovative Leeds PIPES District Heating Network is delivering low-carbon, sustainable energy to thousands of residents across the city, as well as to businesses and some civic buildings. The Network provides heat, created as a by-product from burning the city’s non-recyclable waste, to connected properties. Both heat and hot water are at an affordable price. The Network also contributes to the city’s climate change ambitions.

Leeds’ has a diverse housing stock, with:

Over 350,000 dwellings
19,500 pre-1919 back-to- back houses
20% of housing stock classed as private rented
60% of housing stock classed as owner-occupied

Linked strategies and plans

Age Friendly Leeds Strategy 2022-25

Best City Ambition Project – Health and Housing

Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy

Leeds Housing Strategy 2022-27

Marmot City Commitment

Priority 4: Safe and sustainable places that protect and promote health and wellbeing

This is a priority because…

Having safe communities and places for everyone to enjoy is a key part of the health and wellbeing of people in Leeds. It is important that everyone can enjoy relaxing and playing in their local parks and green spaces, without fear of crime and antisocial behaviour.

Green spaces have a significant positive impact on people’s mental and physical health, including reduced obesity, levels of depression, anxiety and fatigue. They also play a key role in mitigating climate change and protecting nature and biodiversity. It is vital that all communities in the city have access to quality local green spaces, given their importance to health and wellbeing.

Across sectors, we are working in partnership to support and change criminal and antisocial behaviour, helping people to turn their lives around and be more positively engaged in their communities. There are some groups, such as those experiencing domestic abuse and people with complex needs, who face increased challenges feeling safe in their homes and communities. All partners have a key role to play in supporting these groups with a range of issues that affect their own and their communities’ safety.

Safety in our city also depends on having a robust public health protection and promotion system. We saw this at work during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our health protection system responded rapidly and innovatively to an unprecedented and constantly shifting context. As we continue to learn the lessons from the pandemic, it is crucial that health protection and promotion continues to prioritise and work with communities most at risk of the ongoing impact of communicable diseases.

Climate change will also negatively affect health and wellbeing. Extreme heat poses an increased risk to older people, the very young, and people with pre-existing medical conditions. Colder weather also has an adverse impact on health and wellbeing, through poorer mental health, higher numbers of falls, and increased hospital admissions for viruses and respiratory conditions.

Creating safe and sustainable places also means improving air quality. Communities most affected by poor air quality are often the most deprived, further worsening health inequalities. Reducing air pollution levels will help decrease premature deaths and diseases from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases.

Eating healthy and nutritious food further helps to keep us well, as well as being significantly less carbon intensive. Malnutrition is a major driver of diet-related health conditions including type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Continuing to invest in programmes that reduce the impact of diet-related ill health in people most at risk will be vital. This will also mean creating healthy environments through planning, for example by limiting access to unhealthy food choices, and addressing the other major barriers to eating good food, such as affordability.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Create an accessible, welcoming city, where people of all ages, needs and communities feel safe and confident to access key services, accommodation and places to relax and play.
Create a greener city which promotes sustainable and quality green spaces, including those at health and care sites.
Provide and promote opportunities for people to spend time in quality green spaces.
Improve health and wellbeing outcomes associated with poor air quality and extreme temperatures.
Improve responses and increase support to survivors of crime - particularly those with complex needs.
Develop provision for people who have multiple and complex needs in housing, offending, addiction and mental health.
Expand the network of Safe Places across the city, where a person with a learning disability can go and ask for help if they are lost, frightened or in difficulty.
Work across sectors to support people around healthy food and reduce diet- related ill health.
Have a Leeds health protection system which encourages people and systems to adopt safer behaviours and to build community resilience to any future pandemic.

We have almost 6500 football pitches worth of green space in Leeds, including 70 public parks, but our more deprived communities have less of this space.

Spotlight

Stay Well This Winter

The Stay Well This Winter Grants Scheme has funded several projects aimed at protecting more vulnerable people, such as those who are older, or pregnant, from the effects of extreme cold weather. Projects have included providing clothing and bedding to low-income families, and hot meals to older people. Extreme weather occurrences can be hazardous to health, but by providing some of the essentials that help people stay warm, their risk of becoming ill is vastly reduced.

Linked strategies and plans

Domestic Violence and Abuse - Support in Safe Accommodation Commissioning Strategy

Leeds Food Strategy 2022-30

Zero Carbon Ambition

Parks and Green Spaces Strategy 2022-2032

Safer, Stronger Communities - Leeds Plan (2021-2024)

Priority 5: A city where everybody can be more active, more often

This is a priority because…

The more time people spend being physically active, the greater the positive impacts on their health and happiness. Physical activity helps reduce obesity, supports recovery from illnesses, and helps people to connect with others, and therefore, to protect and improve mental wellbeing. A more active city will also mean a greener city with a stronger local economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on physical activity, with more people spending less time being active, especially in groups who were already the least active, including women, young people, people with disabilities, those with long-term health conditions, and ethnically diverse communities.

Improving levels of physical activity in children and young people will have a positive impact on academic achievements, behaviour and mental health. Encouraging active play supports the healthy development of children, helping them to build and sustain relationships with others, and improve their happiness. We need to support families to make active play normal, helping them to create the time, space and opportunities to allow children’s play to flourish in homes, on doorsteps and residential streets, within local neighbourhoods and in community spaces.

For older people, remaining active helps to maintain strength, and to reduce the risks and impact of frailty. Doing more strength-based exercise can reduce the impact of muscle mass depletion, but it is important people do more of these exercises from 40 years old upwards, when muscle mass depletion naturally starts. Evidence also shows a positive relationship between increased physical activity and better immunity to viruses.

We need to make it easier for people to embed physical activity into their daily lives. We have been improving the city’s infrastructure to better enable people to cycle and walk about the city more safely. We are also providing training in schools on cycling, scooter and pedestrian safety, which is helping children and young people to be more confident in using active travel.

Enabling more active travel, and reducing dependency on cars, will also support cleaner air, and make roads and communities safer. Leeds is spearheading an exciting new programme on active travel social prescribing. As part of the programme, GPs prescribe walking, wheeling and cycling options to patients, which will help them improve their mental and physical health. The programme will also help reduce health inequalities.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Continue creating the right conditions that enable a radical shift towards increased physical activity.
Target improvements in addressing the inequality gaps of physical activity.
Create more opportunities for people to be more active closer to their home.
Work with people and communities to implement place-based approaches to improving opportunities for physical activity.
Continue to prioritise active travel through more cycling facilities, active travel neighbourhoods, and improving pedestrian safety.
Create more opportunities for active play.
Influence stakeholders, including businesses, to provide more opportunities for people to be active.

Spotlight

Social Prescribing Pilot

With funding from the Department for Transport, Leeds is trialling an innovative walking and cycling social prescribing programme. Targeted in the Burmantofts, Harehills and Richmond Hill areas of the city, the pilot programme aims to increase physical activity levels in the target areas through prescribing walking and cycling in primary and secondary care. The programme will also demonstrate the links between infrastructure development and increased physical activity.

1 in 4 adults in Leeds are inactive.
1 in 3 under-18s are inactive.
1 in 3 over-65s are inactive.
People living in deprived parts of Leeds are twice as likely to be inactive than those living in more affluent parts.

Linked strategies and plans

Connecting Leeds Transport Strategy

Leeds Vision Zero 2040 Strategy

Parks and Green Spaces Strategy 2022-2032

Physical Activity Ambition

Priority 6: A strong economy with good local jobs for all

This is a priority because…

A strong economy and a healthy population go hand in hand. Good jobs help people build connections and networks whilst also providing the financial security and independence they need to live a healthier life. Healthier people provide

the workforce required to fill jobs in a growing economy.

Leeds is a thriving city, with an economy worth an estimated £26.3bn. Many major organisations and fast-growing sectors call Leeds home, including in digital health, medical technology, and health data. However not everyone is benefitting from the economy, and the number of people living in poverty is rising, including people who are in work.

We need to support local people to access these jobs, giving them the right skills and experiences, through quality education and training. This is especially important for people who traditionally face barriers to accessing quality work, including refugees and asylum seekers, people experiencing mental health issues, learning disabilities and physical health problems, and carers.

We can build on the brilliant partnership work that is already happening. Developing You, Connecting Communities to Health and Care, and the Careers for All Project, are just some of the examples of successful programmes helping people get closer to the workplace.

Public sector organisations play a key role in strengthening the local economy and supporting inclusive growth. In 2017, Leeds City Council and local NHS organisations joined together with the universities and other partners to form the

Anchor Institutions Network. With a total spending power of £2 billion, and employing over 58,000 people, they are working together to support local businesses as much as possible, and to support local people into work. They have all also committed to developing healthy workplaces for their workforce.

Economic inactivity is on the rise, influenced by many factors, including long-term sickness. We need to respond to this with targeted interventions for people with conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health.

Growing the Healthy Workplace Pledge will help with this. All employers in the city can play an essential role in ensuring good jobs for everyone, not only by providing healthy and safe workplaces, but also by paying people fairly and supporting the skills development of their workforce.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Work in partnership to support the delivery of the Inclusive Growth Strategy and Future Talent Plan raising the bar on inclusive recruitment, better jobs, and healthy workplaces.
Ensure access to education, training, employment and volunteering opportunities is available to all, particularly communities who face existing barriers such as carers, care leavers, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Maximise employment and skills opportunities, and develop clear talent pipelines, particularly in health and care, supporting good quality careers education and training.
Create tailored employment support services for unpaid carers, to support them into work.
Deliver coordinated economic and health interventions in the most socially and economically challenged communities.
Support people who have been economically inactive back into the workplace.
Deliver work and health programmes to enable stable employment and support positive physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Promote healthier and inclusive workplaces for all, addressing growing economic inactivity in particular communities that face barriers to employment, such as people aged over 50 and people with long-term health conditions.
Improve recruitment practices to support an inclusive economy.
Promote and encourage organisations across sectors to pay their employees the real Living Wage.
Ensure future leaders reflect the diversity of the city, and close the diversity pay gap.
Support a just transition to Zero Carbon by helping to deliver more green jobs in the health and care sector.

12,000 people are on zero-hour contracts.
12.5% of all Leeds working residents earn less than the Real Living Wage.
74,000 working age adults are affected by in-work poverty.

Spotlight

Developing You

Developing You is a free training programme for adults with learning disabilities and autism. Targeted in parts of the city with the highest benefit claimant count, over 25% of participants have gone on to find work, whilst 3 in 4 report improvements in their skills.

Linked strategies and plans

Age Friendly Leeds Strategy 2022-25

Future Talent Plan

Leeds Corporate Parenting Strategy 2021-2024

Leeds Health and Care One Workforce Strategy

Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy 2023-30

Priority 7: Maximise benefits of world leading research, innovation and health and care technology

This is a priority because…

Leeds is an established a centre of excellence for health tech and digital, with communities and patients already benefitting from research, innovation and technology which can help us to better understand the causes of people’s ill health and enable more effective early diagnosis and treatment.

We will expand research capacity in Leeds and continue to be an exemplar for innovation and new technologies, including in health and care and the transition to Zero Carbon.

We will grow the health and care technology sector by developing our workforce, equipping people with the right digital skills to use technology that supports people and communities effectively. It will also be vital to encourage a culture of curiosity, where the city’s workforce feels empowered to be involved in research that seeks to understand health and care challenges, and is used to make a difference to improving health and wellbeing outcomes for people in Leeds.

From world-leading research and development, health innovators and tech unicorns, innovation is already thriving in Leeds. Grassroots community-led initiatives include the Leeds Digital Festival, the UK’s largest tech festival. Nexus, a state-of-the-art innovation hub, located at the heart of the University of Leeds, incubates and grows innovation start-up companies. The Innovation Arc will comprise a series of innovation neighbourhoods, formed around the city’s natural anchors of: our main universities, the proposed adult and children’s hospitals, and major private sector partners. The Leeds Care Record connects data from 750,000 patients’ health and care records and is part of the award-winning Yorkshire and Humber Care Record.

Better data leads to better health. Using health and care data we are learning more about treating and preventing ill health, and how to improve the planning of health and care services. We need to find ways to improve data links between people’s records and different care settings. However, this needs to be done in a responsible and safe way that always protects people’s data.

Growing the Office of Data Analytics (ODA) will help bring together data science expertise and technologies, enabling a better understanding of what is happening to people and communities across the city.

Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality are just some of the growing digital technologies that have the potential to transform health and care, and improve health outcomes. Leeds needs to be at the forefront of this technological revolution, whilst ensuring technologies are used in a responsible way.

Digital technologies are giving people more control over their own health and wellbeing, and helping them to live more independently. Digital advances also enable people to access services closer to home, which is vital in easing health and care system pressures.

We also need to be aware of digital exclusion, with not everyone having access to personal digital technologies. We need to find the right balance between yielding the benefits of technology in health and care services, whilst ensuring those who are digitally excluded still have the choice to access health and care in more traditional ways.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Harness the power of digital and data to better integrate healthcare and wider services in every community.
Deliver 21st century connectivity and infrastructure that provides the backbone for world-class service delivery, and better information flow between organisations.
Utilise data technologies and techniques to better understand what determines
a person’s health and life chances, and improve service delivery accordingly.
Support and empower people to access their online health records so that they can better manage their conditions in ways that suit them.
Use information and technology to develop person-centred health and wellbeing services tailored to the needs of individuals.
Create a thriving digital community, modern infrastructure and skilled workforce, which will attract new and established businesses to Leeds.
Build a coordinated and connected digital inclusion ecosystem across Leeds, which delivers strong digital inclusion
infrastructure and tackles barriers at scale by bringing together organisations in a place or serving a particular community.
Develop a stronger understanding through research of the positive impacts on communities’ health outcomes, derived from social value approaches.
Strengthen collaborative research and innovation to improve people’s health and wellbeing, in particular reducing health inequalities.

Spotlight:

Leeds Academic Health Partnership

The Leeds Academic Health Partnership, one of the largest of its kind in the UK, sees partners collaborating on solving some of the city’s hardest health challenges. The Partnership works towards this by:

Building a shared understanding of local needs so our health and care innovations are driven by evidence.
Using the collective strengths of Leeds to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem and drive economic growth for all.
Helping attract talent and investment to Leeds and position our city as a globally-leading health and care research and innovation ecosystem.

Linked strategies and plans

Better Lives Strategy 2022-27

Digital Strategy 2022-25

Leeds Academic Health Partnership Strategy

UK Innovation Strategy

The West Yorkshire Plan

Priority 8: Promoting prevention and improving health outcomes through an integrated health and care system

This is a priority because…

The health and care needs of local people are changing. Modern lifestyles are increasing our risk of preventable disease and affecting wellbeing.

Increasing life expectancy, whilst a positive development, also brings with it challenges. More people are living with multiple long-term conditions such as type II diabetes, hypertension and lung and kidney diseases, whilst avoidable and unfair differences in health between different groups of people are worsening.

This will mean we need to continue changing the way we work together to better respond to these needs. Leeds has a long history of collaborative working between health and care partners, which has enabled us to put people at the centre of our transformation and improvement.

As an integrated health and care system we are committed to giving everyone affected by cancer access to the same high-quality care, diagnosing more cancers earlier and tackling preventable conditions. We are also committed to preventing HIV, and have joined a global partnership to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030.

We will continue to scale up our integration efforts, focusing on intervention and prevention using asset-based approaches to build community capacity and transform services. To do this, we need to change the way we work with people, focusing on what matters to them and what they can do, not what they can’t. Transforming home care into an integrated community wellbeing service is an example of this approach, reducing the number of people entering residential care homes every year.

Another way we are tackling health inequalities is through our Population Health Boards. These bring together key partners to design new ways of working and ensure decisions are coordinated across the health and care system. The aim is to

improve people’s experiences of health and care, and their health and wellbeing.

Better use of data is at the heart of our prevention, early diagnosis, service integration and transformation work. Through data we can improve our understanding of the drivers of good health, tailor care and support, and ensure services are sustainable.

At the neighbourhood level, Local Care Partnerships (LCPs) are working to deliver better local care for people. There are 19 LCPs covering all of Leeds and, recognising the city’s diversity, each is tailored to the needs and features of particular communities. LCPs recognise that decisions made about people should involve local communities.

At the regional level, we have an essential role to play in transforming and integrating services across West Yorkshire, by working with our partners to support the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Strategy.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Create a stronger joined-up health and care system across Leeds, in individual communities, and across West Yorkshire, connecting with the Healthy Leeds Plan and the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Strategy.
Develop evidence-based prevention services aimed at improving health outcomes in the poorest parts of the city.
Invest in areas that deliver greater prevention across disease pathways and targeted prevention programmes. These will help to promote healthy ageing, supporting people known to be at high risk of developing long-term physical and mental health conditions.
Scale up further our asset-based approaches across the city in tackling health inequalities.
Strengthen the work of the Local Care Partnerships, so they are delivering clear improved health and care outcomes for people across all ages.
Transform health and care services to improve outcomes and reduce inequality in key areas like cancer, long term conditions and children’s health.
Make progress in preventing ill-health including a continued focus on healthy eating, stopping smoking and reducing substance use.
Deliver on our commitment as a Fast Track City to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Spotlight:

ABCD

Our Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach is a pioneering programme that has been rolled out across multiple communities, each with access to a Community Builder to identify people active in the community, and bring others together. A recent study showed that ABCD works in different communities and contexts, and that up to £14.02 of social value is returned for every £1 invested.

1 in 2 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime, with 4,100 diagnoses in Leeds each year.

Linked strategies and plans

The Healthy Leeds Plan 2023-28

West Yorkshire Integrated Care Strategy

Priority 9: An inclusive, valued and well-trained workforce

This is a priority because…

We have a workforce that is highly motivated, creative and caring, working together to deliver high-quality care and improve health outcomes in Leeds. Demand on health and care services and support is higher and more complex than ever, meaning an inclusive, valued and well-trained workforce is more important than ever.

We want people in health and care to have attractive career prospects and to make Leeds the place of choice for the most skilled and experienced workers. We will make Leeds the best place to train and work in at any age.

We established the first ever Health and Care Academy in the country, aimed at providing the right development opportunities for our workforce to best support and care for the people of Leeds. The Academy works with local schools, colleges, and universities to inspire the next generation of health and care professionals, and to make a job in the sector a realistic choice for people.

The Leeds Health and Care Academy also plays a crucial role in reducing health inequalities, delivering targeted recruitment pathways in some of the most deprived parts of the city, supporting people living in those areas into reliable jobs,

and ultimately creating new wealth in those communities. They also lead work to increase the diversity of our workforce, so that we can better meet the needs of local people.

Through our One Workforce programme we are shaping a shared culture of one health and care team for Leeds, based on common purpose and deep partnership working. Joint planning and connecting care closer to home in a stable way for the wider workforce will be key to driving this approach. So too will be addressing gaps in services through attracting, training, recruiting and removing barriers to enable new modes of service delivery. We remain committed to learning together to ensure our workforce is delivering 21st century care.

This must further focus on how the type of job roles and ways of working shift in focus to prevent ill-health, narrow inequalities in the workforce and improve health and wellbeing. Tools such as the Supporting Staff at Work Charter help to identify areas of work where health and age are most likely to affect staff, and help to consider employees’ future needs and career opportunities throughout their life.

We want a truly inclusive and diverse workforce that is safe and free from discrimination, where all our professions, services, leadership and workplaces reflect the communities of Leeds. Doing so means local people will benefit from different perspectives and skills in their care.

We are committed to eliminating unlawful discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity in respect of the way we commission healthcare services and in workforce development.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Develop the workforce so it is focused on delivering the long-term strategic needs of a changing health and care system.
Address urgent recruitment and retention pressures and develop a secure talent pipeline.
Create training and educational pathways to support entry into health and care careers.
Embed integrated working through the development of system leadership, culture and change.
Develop digital, data and technology capabilities to improve care.
Enhance collaborative knowledge and skills training across health and care, including with the third sector workforce.
Strengthen the capacity, capability and culture of the workforce, enabling people to work together in a truly person-centred way.
Deliver targeted recruitment campaigns in the most deprived parts of Leeds.
Be a leader in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplaces, and ensure our organisations are free from discrimination.
Support our workforce to access information and support that protects their mental wellbeing.

Around 60,000 people work in health and care in Leeds.

Spotlight:

Healthier Working Futures

The Healthier Working Futures project worked with young people aged 16-25 to consider careers in health and care, supporting them to gain the required experience, knowledge and role opportunities to kickstart their careers. 961 young people engaged with the project, with over 230 individuals going on to

a job, training, education access, or an accredited qualification.

Linked strategies and plans

Future Talent Plan

Leeds Health and Care One Workforce Strategy

Priority 10: Support carers and enable people to maintain independent lives

This is a priority because…

Carers come from all walks of life, all cultures, and can be of any age. Carers are more likely to have a long-term physical or mental health condition. Being a young carer can affect school attendance, educational achievement and future life chances. Carers over 65 are more than twice as likely to be caring for more than 50 hours per week compared to carers under 65.

There is a range of support already available for carers in Leeds. However, carers still face concerns such as their own wellbeing, the changing needs of the person they care for, and financial security. Sometimes carers cannot leave the home to attend health appointments or carry out other essential tasks, because of the need to provide care to the person they are looking after. We know a higher proportion of people in our ethnically diverse communities are unpaid carers. Raising awareness of the needs of carers is more important than ever, so that the city is better able to adapt to their needs.

Our older generation is growing and many people are enjoying being able to live independently for longer. However, more people are ageing with

multiple long-term health conditions, with older people living in poverty at higher risk of having more than one long-term condition. By supporting carers, we can help them better support others, whilst enabling people to better manage their own health conditions, and stay independent for longer. Providing home adaptations and helping prevent falls is key to supporting people to remain healthy and independent.

Leeds’s 37 Neighbourhood Networks help older people maintain independence, providing services such as wellbeing checks, social and emotional support, befriending, help with shopping and meals, and prescription collections, advice and advocacy. The Neighbourhood Networks have over 23,000 members across the city and have offered over 700 activities.

To make care more person-centred and coordinated to people’s needs, we need to continue building ‘networks of care’. We must also ensure people understand what support is available to them, by providing consistent and inclusive information.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Make Leeds a Carer Friendly City, which recognises the value and support of carers and puts them at the heart of decision making.
Improve how we identify carers when they access services.
Reduce the health inequalities that carers experience due to their caring role, such as long-term physical and mental health conditions.
Support carers’ own health and wellbeing, by providing options such as carer short breaks, and helping them to stay in work through supportive work environments.
Make it easier for carers to access the services they need.
Have greater availability of inclusive activities that an unpaid carer and cared for person can do together.
Support carers to use technology in their caring role.
Use evidence and research to respond to issues such as multigenerational caregiving.
Support independence in the home by commissioning evidence-based services and activities.
Develop a new way to provide care and support people to remain independent at home.
Promote digital solutions in areas like home care and telecare, whilst retaining face-to-face options and promoting digital inclusion for all ages.

Since 2019/20 over £27m has been spent on disabled facilities grants, which fund adaptations and initiatives to promote independent living.

Leeds has around 61,500 carers, which is around 8% of the population, providing 1.5 million hours of unpaid care per week - a cost equivalent to £1.4 billion a year.

Linked strategies and plans

Age Friendly Leeds Strategy 2022-25

Better Lives Strategy 2022-27

Carers Partnership Strategy 2020-25

Priority 11: The best care in the right place at the right time

This is a priority because…

People want and expect joined-up healthcare services that are local and accessible. Changing where, when and how people access healthcare enables people to better maintain independence and improves health outcomes overall.

Our Local Care Partnerships are leading the charge in transforming healthcare integration and services at a local level, built around the needs of the local communities they serve. However, we know there are still some disparities and inequalities between communities, and challenges accessing some key services, such as GPs and dentists.

Our early help services provide support to children, young people and their families as soon as problems emerge or re-emerge, enabling families to have the right conversations, with the right people and at the right time about their needs

or concerns. Intervening as early as possible, regardless of the age of the child or young person, can positively improve their outcomes. This includes proactive and planned support for those children and young people transitioning from social work interventions or specialist care.

We have developed the Families First programme, which brings together different services for children and families to take a holistic and integrated approach to improving outcomes for the whole family. Using a restorative approach, the programme works with families, rather than doing things ‘to’ or ‘for’ them.

We are also already delivering city-wide and system-wide change that will transform how people receive care at home, or closer to their home. The HomeFirst Programme, when fully implemented, will enable more people to be supported to live at home rather than go into care settings, and secure more services in communities. The programme will ultimately mean hundreds of patients each year will avoid having to go into hospital.

Dementia-friendly care and housing is a priority. 1000 extra units of specialist housing for people living with dementia will be delivered by 2028. Through specialist design, aimed at providing accessibility and flexibility, the new accommodation will support independence, and provide a space where people can receive personal social and health care support. We also know that many older people prefer to live as part of a mixed community among people of different ages. Therefore, we need to explore opportunities that enable intergenerational living, whilst supporting older people to remain independent.

By 2040, the number of annual deaths in Leeds is projected to rise by 25%, and with it the demand for palliative and end-of-life care. The main challenges will be caring for those with cancer, dementia, multiple long-term conditions, and frailty. We have made progress in supporting an increased amount of people dying in their preferred settings, such as hospices or care homes, instead of in hospitals. However, more needs to be done to ensure people can die in their preferred place of death.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Ensure population health management is driving proactive, data-driven approaches to providing services and tackling health priorities.
Deliver population-based, integrated models of care based around local needs.
Improve access to key services like GPs and dental care.
Ensure all care provided for children and adults is high quality, accessible, timely and person-centred.
Support people with ongoing health conditions through interventions that prevent ill-health.
Focus care in the most appropriate settings, freeing up capacity in hospitals to manage demand in urgent and emergency care.
Embed multidisciplinary teams in local communities to support more independent and safe living, and help people stay at home, or return home more quickly to recover.
Work in a more coordinated way across healthcare to help people get back home after a hospital stay.
Ensure the 3 Cs approach of Communication, Compassion and Coordination in connecting people to key healthcare services is embedded across the system.
Deliver system transformation aimed at moving care closer to home.
Implement reliable digital solutions in healthcare services, whilst ensuring people still have ways to access support through non-digital means.
Enable a culture where people talk more openly about dying, death and
bereavement, and support people to make plans for their end of life.
Increase the proportion of people experiencing a good death.

Spotlight:

St Gemma’s Hospice

Leeds is home to the world’s first University Teaching Hospice, St Gemma’s Hospice, an independent charity which has been providing expert care and support for local people with life-limiting and terminal illnesses for over 40 years. It is part of a range of organisations and partners helping to deliver our aspiration for Leeds to be a great place for people to live out the final years, months, and weeks of their lives, dying with dignity and peace.

By 2040, the number of annual deaths in Leeds is projected to rise by 25%, and with it the demand for palliative and end of life care

Linked strategies and plans

Leeds Adult Palliative and End of Life Care 2021-2026

Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan 2023-28

Priority 12: A mentally healthy city for everyone

This is a priority because…

The state of mental health in Leeds has worsened, especially during the pandemic, and now through the cost of living crisis. Demands on services are growing, and inequalities are getting worse. Some communities are at higher risk than others.

With increasing demands on mental health services, people of all ages are experiencing lengthy waiting times, prolonging their mental health issues, which then puts more pressures on mental health services.

Experience of trauma can be a leading cause of mental ill health, for people of all ages. For children, these include experiences of neglect, abuse or growing up in care. For adults it can include sexual, emotional and physical abuse. We need mental health services in Leeds to adopt trauma-informed and compassionate practice to help meet people’s needs.

For young people, transitioning between children’s mental health services and adult mental health services is a significant challenge, and an area that needs improvement.

People from ethnically diverse backgrounds are at higher risk of poor mental health. Our services need to be more culturally competent to better support people in these communities and better meet their needs.

Whilst improving treatment of poor mental health is a priority, we also need to do more to prevent people developing mental ill health in the first place, and to support people with low-level mental health issues from getting worse.

Supporting people into good employment, education, and training is one of the biggest ways we can make a difference to mental wellbeing.

Financial worries are also impacting on mental health, and the city provides a range of financial inclusion services to support people dealing with the stress of debt and money worries.

We have dedicated websites to help signpost people to the vast array of support available to help manage mental wellbeing. The MindMate website is specifically for children and their caregivers, whilst the MindWell website is for adults.

However, to make Leeds a mentally healthy city for everyone, we need everyone to play their part, including public sector, businesses and employers, third sector, education, and people.

To achieve this priority, we will…

Improve mental health outcomes across all ages.
Enable the city’s project on promoting mental health in the community.
Target mental health promotion and prevention within communities most at risk of poor mental health, suicide and self- harm.
Reduce over-representation of people from ethnically diverse communities admitted in crisis.
Reduce waiting times for access to children’s services, neurodiversity and adult services.
Ensure education, training and employment will be more accessible to people with mental health support needs.
Improve transition support, developing new mental health services for 14–25 year olds.
Promote and strengthen emotional and mental health and nurture resilient infants, children and young people, promote positive mental health and reduce stigma.
Embed ‘Think Family’ across all services, so they are equipped to respond to adverse childhood experiences.
Have services that recognise the impact that trauma or psychological and social adversity has on mental health.
Improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness.
Support older people to access information and appropriate treatment that meets their needs.
Improve employment outcomes for people with mental health conditions.
Improve timely access to mental health crisis services and ensure that people are supported and receive a compassionate response.

Spotlight:

Synergi-Leeds

The award-winning Synergi- Leeds Partnership signed the UK’s first national pledge to reduce ethnic inequalities in mental health. This pledge means the healthcare system in Leeds is committed to promoting good mental health, preventing mental illness and providing high quality care and treatment for people from ethnically diverse backgrounds. The Synergi-Leeds Partnership provides a forum in which to inspire and engage system and community leaders to address all forms of racism, further develop work within acute mental health settings and develop community responses to increased risk of mental ill health via a community grants programme.

Linked strategies and plans

Future in Mind Strategy (children and young people’s mental health) 2021-26

Leeds All Age Mental Health Strategy 2020-25

Leeds Children and Young People’s Plan 2023-28

How will we know we are making a difference?

This Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be focused on improving outcomes and reducing inequalities at each stage of a person’s life, to ensure everyone has the best start in life, can live well, work well, age well and be supported at the end of life.

We have identified five clear outcomes which will demonstrate the difference made in improving people’s health and wellbeing:

People will live longer and have happier, healthier lives.
People will live full, active and independent lives.
People’s quality of life will improve with access to quality services.
People will be actively involved in their health and care, supported by their communities.
People will live in healthy, safe and sustainable places.

Progress in delivering this strategy will be reported to the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board. A range of data sources will inform the 24 headline indicators and measures below, together with people’s voices from across all communities in Leeds.

Starting well

Infant mortality
Children’s healthy weight
Pupils achieving a good level of development
Children’s positive view of their wellbeing

Living well

Anti-social behaviour
Incidents of hate crime and domestic abuse
Extra care housing built
Households in fuel poverty
Air pollution levels across Leeds
Physical activity and inactivity of children and young people, and adults
Carers’ reported quality of life
Timely access to mental health support
Suicide rates
Adults who smoke

Working well

Young people in employment, education or training
Older people (over 50s) in employment, education or training
Adults with learning disabilities in employment
Health and care workforce reflective of diverse communities
People earning the real Living Wage

Ageing well and dying well

Preventable unplanned care use
Healthy life expectancy
Life expectancy for people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities
Premature mortality for major conditions
Supporting people in their last year and at the end of life

Health and wellbeing is everyone’s business

Everyone in Leeds can be involved in achieving the aims of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. While the work is led by the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, the people of Leeds, health and care organisations, the workforce, businesses, local communities and partners all have a vital role to play.

Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board

Provides leadership and direction to help and influence every partner
and stakeholder in Leeds to achieve the five outcomes for all people and communities in the city.
Further embeds the Board’s city-wide expectation to ensure the voices of everyone in Leeds are reflected in the design and delivery of strategies and services.
Provides a public forum for decision-making and engagement across health and wellbeing.
Continually asks what we are all doing to reduce health inequalities, create a sustainable system and improve health and wellbeing.

People of Leeds

Take ownership of personal health and wellbeing.
Be proactive and confident in accessing services.
Get involved in influencing and making change in Leeds.

Local communities

Support members of the community at increased risk to be healthy and have strong social connections.
Take ownership and responsibility for promoting community health and wellbeing.
Make best use of community assets and leadership to create local solutions.

Linked boards and groups

Work closely and jointly with partnership boards and groups across the system to support the priorities of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
Create clear action plans and strategies that help achieve priorities and outcomes of the Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
Promote partnerships wherever possible, working as one team for Leeds.

Health and care, third sector and community organisations

Provide and commission equitable services which support the priorities of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
Make plans with people, understanding their needs, and designing joined-up services around the needs of local populations.
Provide the best quality services possible, making most effective use of ‘the Leeds Pound’ - our collective resource in the city.

How to get involved

This Health and Wellbeing Strategy is a live document, shaped by what partners, people and communities are telling us. This ensures that we can respond to any new or emerging developments that will influence achieving our ambition and vision.

There are lots of ways to get involved with the work of the Health and Wellbeing Board and have your say on this strategy. Listening to the community and hearing about the experiences of people’s health and wellbeing is vital to the Board.

Here are some of the ways you can get involved:

Asking health and care leaders questions at Health and Wellbeing Board public meetings.

Telling us your views on X (formerly Twitter) @HWBBoardLeeds.

Having your say at public engagement events and programmes, such as the Big Leeds Chat and How Does it Feel for Me? Details of these can be found on the Healthwatch Leeds website.

Appendix: Delivering the strategy through collective action

Priority 1: A Child Friendly and Age Friendly City where people have the best start and age well

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Support the delivery of the city’s core strategies – Child Friendly, Age Friendly and the Best City Ambition – as well as the Marmot City Commitment.
Support the long-term vision to transform healthcare facilities for patients and staff, including high-quality hospital services.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Work with parents-to-be and new parents to create targeted pathways, which improve communication and support and care before, during and after pregnancy.
Deliver a strengths-based localised offer where community maternity services understand more about the locality they work in and the partners and people they work with.
Create opportunities for babies, toddlers and their caregivers to come together to play, and develop their own support networks.
Improve the mental health of children and young people and parents and carers, by taking a ‘whole family’ approach to mental health, helping build resilience and emotional intelligence.
Have joined-up practices which also deliver positive outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs, disabilities and additional needs.
Continue to have a relentless focus on reducing child obesity, building on the learning of pre-pandemic years.
Ensure people are equipped with the skills they need, both for children and young people embarking on their career, and older people wanting to renew and develop new skills.
Before and after birth, support parents and babies to create the conditions which reduce stress, promote positive bonds, and enable the development of language and communication skills.
Improve outcomes for older people in the key areas of: housing; being active, included and respected; healthy and independent ageing; public and civic spaces; travel and road safety; and employment and learning.
Involve and consult with people, of all ages, on the development, delivery, management and evaluation of services and projects that affect them.
Put in place interventions that remove barriers faced by older people who are already, or are at risk of becoming, vulnerable or disadvantaged, because of their protected characteristics.
Recognise the impact of climate change on people’s health, such as fuel poverty, and how this can inform our response to reducing excess winter deaths.
Address the link between frailty and deprivation, focusing on improving outcomes for people living with frailty - such as avoidable disruption to people’s lives as a result of contact with services.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Build on the outstanding social work and support journey in the city, ensuring consistent quality across all work with vulnerable children and young people.
Support Leeds to be a dementia-friendly place, where people can live well with their condition, be open about it, and stay well and active.
Reduce social isolation and loneliness, particularly where it is affecting groups at higher risk and people with high levels of need.
Have a consistently embedded healthy ageing approach, supporting people known to be at high risk of developing long-term physical and mental health conditions.
Make active and independent living the norm where possible.

Priority 2: Strong, engaged and well-connected communities

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Work with partners to ensure people are involved in conversations about their health and care.
Ensure the 3 Cs approach of Communication, Compassion and Coordination in connecting people to key healthcare services is embedded across the system.
Have health and care services in Leeds implementing the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) effectively.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Ensure the needs of specific communities and vulnerable groups, including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are met, particularly in relation to diverse community languages and interpreters.
Build further partnerships with trusted communities, improving people’s access to key services like GPs and dental care by addressing concerns such as booking appointments, and options of face-to-face appointments.
Further roll out and expand the strengths-based model of social work and the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approaches, building on key programmes such as the Leeds Neighbourhood Networks.
Continue to promote digital solutions and use our ‘digital first but not digital only’ approach to prioritise those who are digitally excluded.
Support the delivery of innovative ways to utilise digital to tackle loneliness and better connect people, including those living with dementia in Leeds.
Support a balanced approach to enabling new digital processes, freeing up capacity of traditional access to healthcare services through using digital methods.
Promote projects and work across sectors which have defined aims in improving people’s health and wellbeing with a focus on arts, creativity, culture and heritage.
Develop services that support people to access the right support when they need it, and to thrive using their individual and community assets.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Focus on improving the use of data and technology to improve community outcomes, e.g. linking air quality data with transport planning to promote clean air initiatives.
Support the approach to build on the 20-minute neighbourhood concept, and the city’s ambition to create healthier streets, spaces and communities focused on providing accessible, well-designed places no matter the location or the mobility needs of people across Leeds.

Priority 3: Improving housing for better health

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Work in partnership to help deliver significant progress in tackling health inequalities, particularly in areas of Leeds that are socially and economically challenged, through key programmes such as the Marmot City Commitment and Best City Ambition project on Health and Housing.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Develop a whole system approach to supporting independence of children and young people, adults and older people as part of an integrated system, achieving cost- effective solutions and positive outcomes for people.
Deliver and make further progress in developing diverse housing options tailored to individual needs for young and older people, such as extra care housing and enhanced provision for people who have multiple and complex needs.
Have proactive and preventative housing solutions in place to support people to live independently and minimise preventable health and social care interventions. This will include ensuring that adaptations are maximised to support people with mobility needs, sensory needs or cognitive impairments to live independently, minimising hospital admissions and streamlining hospital discharges and health and care pathways linked to housing needs. It will also include ensuring that key referral pathways linked to homelessness and mental health support are efficient and collaborative.
Deliver high quality, inclusive, sustainable and safe homes to tackle health inequalities, particularly in our most socially and economically challenged parts of the city.
This will include tackling overcrowded living conditions, especially in multi-generational households, promoting low carbon heating, and addressing issues of damp and mould in properties.
Utilise innovative digital and technology solutions in partnership, supporting people to be healthy and independent in their home and in creating healthier living environments.
Minimise and address safeguarding risks to residents linked to health and housing, as part of a multi-agency partnership approach.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Strengthen collaboration with housing partners including as part of the Integrated Care System, to improve housing standards and ensure that the housing impacts on health of individuals are effectively managed.
Embed further the ‘whole system approach’ to housing with health and care sectors, working together with individuals and families as part of an integrated system to achieve positive outcomes for residents, and cost-effective solutions for the health and social care system.

Priority 4: Safe and sustainable places that protect and promote health and wellbeing

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Work with partners to help create a welcoming city, accessible to all, where people of all ages, needs and communities feel safe and confident to access key services, accommodation and places to relax and play.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Contribute to creating a greener city that promotes sustainability and the quality of green spaces, including of health and care sites.
Provide and promote a wide range of opportunities for people to get the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in quality green spaces.
Improve health and wellbeing outcomes, addressing the impact of poor air quality (indoor and outdoor) and the adverse effect on people’s health and wellbeing of cold and hot weather, including risks associated with overheating.
Improve responses and increase support to victims and survivors of crime, particularly those with complex needs, and further develop provision for people who have multiple and complex needs in relation to housing, offending, addiction and mental health.
Expand the network of Safe Places across the city, where a person with a learning disability can go and ask for help if they are lost, frightened or in difficulty.
Work across sectors to support people about how to access, prepare, and eat food that supports health and wellbeing, and develop programmes that reduce the impact of diet- related ill health in the people most at risk.
Have a trauma-informed approach embedded across partnership work, recognising the impact of adversity on people’s mental health, and understanding trauma to deliver the best possible care.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Have a Leeds health protection system which encourages people and systems to adopt safer behaviours and to build community resilience to any future pandemic. This will be by following public health advice, in common with longstanding ways of managing other infectious respiratory illnesses such as flu or the common cold.

Priority 5: A city where everybody can be more active, more often

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Contribute to ensuring significant progress is made in the delivery of our city’s physical activity ambition. This means focusing our efforts to address the impact of physical inactivity and driving a radical cultural shift to increase physical activity over the long term.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Work in partnership to address the inequality gap of physical activity between groups and places across Leeds.
Work with partners and local people to create more opportunities, where people can be more active closer to their homes.
Take a place-based approach supporting people and improving their environment so that they feel and are part of a city where physical activity is the easiest choice to make every day.
Explore and deliver innovative solutions to active travel to bring about health and wellbeing improvements for people and
tackle health inequalities. This means further delivery of dedicated cycle facilities, active travel neighbourhoods and improved crossing facilities.
Use learning and promote success through an innovative Play Sufficiency approach, securing sufficient opportunities for play.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Help to drive a whole-system approach to ensure Leeds is a place where everyone moves more every day. Work together with all partners and people focusing on collective actions which tackle the individual and external factors that affects people’s physical activity levels.

Priority 6: A strong economy with good local jobs for all

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Work in partnership to support the delivery of the Inclusive Growth Strategy and Future Talent Plan, raising the bar on inclusive recruitment, better jobs, and healthy workplaces.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Maximise employment and skills opportunities and develop clear talent pipelines, particularly in health and care, supporting good quality careers education and training.
Promote initiatives and programmes that deliver healthier and inclusive workplaces for all, including the Age Friendly Employer Pledge, which will help improve recruiting and developing staff of all ages, support flexible working, and address barriers older workers can face in finding jobs and managing their health at work.
Identify opportunities and deliver projects focused on addressing growing economic inactivity of some groups, such as people over 50 and those with long-term health conditions.
Ensure access to education, training, employment and volunteering opportunities are available to all, particularly communities who face existing barriers such as carers, care leavers, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Help deliver tailored employment support services which support unpaid carers to return to work and have information, advice and support for employers to help keep unpaid carers in work.
Build on our thriving partnerships in the city, supporting the joined-up work with a targeted approach to economic and health interventions in the most socially and economically challenged communities.
Build on successful projects, such as the Lincoln Green and Red Kite View projects (which linked employment opportunities to people living in their local areas), the One Workforce programme, and the Leeds Health and Care Talent Hub, to deliver an economy accessible for all.
Support the delivery of specific transformative work and health programmes that address existing gaps in provision and enable stable employment, empowering people to support their physical and mental health and wellbeing.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Follow the emerging evidence and identify and promote opportunities that encourage people who have been economically inactive back into the workplace, particularly linked to health issues such as ill health and long-term sickness.
Promote and encourage organisations across sectors to pay their employees the real Living Wage, recognising the health and wellbeing benefits of greater financial security.
Support a just transition to Zero Carbon by helping to deliver more green jobs in the health and care sector.
Support the role of sectors, including the third sector, private sector, health and
creative organisations to work in collaboration delivering projects focused on marginalised communities.

Priority 7: Maximise benefits of world-leading research, innovation and health and care technology

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Support and work collaboratively with the Leeds Integrated Digital Service to deliver the priorities of the Leeds Digital Strategy, enabling a more joined up digital offer for the people of Leeds.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Make further progress in delivering our place- based and person-centred approach. This will be focused on harnessing digital and data to better integrate healthcare and wider services in every community across the city, supported by key organisations across sectors.
Deliver 21st century connectivity and infrastructure that provides the backbone for world-class service delivery. We will achieve this by building on existing collaborative work and improving information flow between organisations. This will create a thriving digital community, modern infrastructure and skilled workforce which will attract new and established businesses to Leeds.
Utilise modern data technologies and techniques to understand what determines a person’s health and life chances from birth through to old age, and improve service delivery.
Support and empower people to effectively manage their own conditions in ways that suit them. This means continuing to support digital inclusion and enabling people to be
more confident to access their information and contribute to their records in a safe and secure way.
Deliver health and wellbeing services tailored for individuals and ensure that people’s information follows them through their journey, regardless of the organisation they are interacting with.
Work collaboratively through partnerships to build a coordinated and connected digital inclusion ecosystem across Leeds, which delivers strong digital inclusion infrastructure and tackles barriers at scale, by bringing together organisations in a place or serving a particular community.
Work together to develop a stronger understanding, through research, of the positive impacts on communities’ health outcomes, derived from social value approaches.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Support organisations across sectors and key partnerships, such as the Leeds Academic Health Partnership, to drive personalisation in health and care, transform the use of information and analytics, and create a culture of innovation in the city, which will improve people’s health and wellbeing outcomes.
Have people in Leeds using digital tools, technology, and services in the right way for them to live as independently as possible.
Help build a strong research culture in the city, which empowers our workforce to use evidence to make a difference to tackling health inequalities and improving health and wellbeing outcomes across all ages.

Priority 8: Promoting prevention and improving health outcomes through integrated health and care

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Help create a stronger joined-up health and care system at all levels, including in neighbourhoods, delivering the key priorities of this Health and Wellbeing Strategy, and connecting plans such as the Healthy Leeds Plan and West Yorkshire Integrated Care Strategy.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Work together to deliver on our commitment as a Fast Track City to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Make significant progress in preventing ill- health including a continued focus on healthy eating, stopping smoking and substance use.
Scale up our asset-based approaches across the city in tackling health inequalities.
Deliver a range of key service transformations in health and care that aim to improve outcomes and reduce inequality in key areas such as cancer, long-term conditions and children’s health.
Support investment in evidence-based prevention services where we know this will improve health outcomes, particularly in the most socially and economically challenged parts of the city.
Invest in areas that deliver greater prevention across disease pathways and targeted prevention programmes. These will help to promote healthy ageing, supporting people known to be at high risk of developing long- term physical and mental health conditions.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Have a more consistent delivery of joined up working across all 19 Local Care Partnerships in the city, delivering clear improved health and care outcomes for people across all ages.
Work with partners to ensure that Leeds is best prepared to deliver the long-term strategic needs of a changing health and care system through effective city-wide workforce and planning.

Priority 9: An inclusive, valued and well-trained workforce

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Address urgent recruitment and retention pressures by developing a secure talent pipeline and supporting existing staff through improved terms and conditions, for example improving access to the real Living Wage and flexible working.
Deliver collaborative programmes that continually evolve to support entry and progression into our diverse health and care careers, through a variety of training and educational pathways.
Deliver system leadership, culture and change focused on developing skills and behaviours underpinning integrated care.
Utilise and develop digital, data and technology capabilities and competencies across our shared workforce in order to progress innovative approaches effectively as a joined-up system.
Provide core knowledge and skills training for the Leeds health and care workforce, which is recognised and transferrable across organisational boundaries, working collaboratively with the third sector and providers.
Engage and recruit those in our communities facing the most social and economic challenges and inspire the next generation of the health and care workforce.
Deliver our equality, diversity and inclusion objectives across the health and care workforce, going further in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplaces beyond compliance.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Continue to work closely with the Leeds Health and Care Academy partners and through city-wide programmes to strengthen the capacity, capability and culture that enables people to work together with a truly person-centred approach.
Ensure that our system and partnership works collaboratively to fully utilise the digital opportunities available to the health and care sector, delivering access to training for the whole workforce.
Create a health and care workforce in Leeds that feels supported with their own health and wellbeing and works in organisations free from discrimination.

Priority 10: Support carers and enable people to maintain independent lives

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Help create a Carer Friendly City – recognising the value and support of carers, putting them at the centre of everything we do and having carers’ voices at the heart of decision making.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Improve the way we identify carers, including unpaid carers and ethnically diverse carers via public awareness, when accessing services, and proactive approaches in the workforce.
Reduce the health inequalities that carers experience due to their caring role, such as long-term physical and mental health conditions.
Support carers’ own health and wellbeing, through the provision of options such as carer short breaks and help to stay in work.
Have greater availability of inclusive activities that an unpaid carer and cared for person can do together.
Deliver effective support of young carers and parent carers including via Early Help and at key transition points such as into adulthood.
Promote supportive work environments for carers.
Support carers to use technology to support with their caring role.
Use evidence and research to understand and respond to issues such as multigenerational caregiving.
Support independence in the home by commissioning evidence-based services and activity.
Make it easier for people to access the services they need, when they need them, with a focus on maintaining independence where possible.
Develop a new way to provide care and support to people at home, and support people and their carers to stay healthy by giving people greater choice, control, and independence.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Promote key programmes that go further in supporting carers, and enabling people to be independent, specifically targeting groups experiencing poverty across all ages.
Promote new and innovative digital solutions in areas such as home care and telecare, whilst retaining face-to-face options and promoting digital inclusion for all ages.

Priority 11: The best care in the right place at the right time

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Ensure all care provided for children and adults is high quality, accessible, timely and person-centred.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Further deliver population–based, integrated models of care with services that meet local needs. These services will be supported by multidisciplinary teams, which help to achieve more independent and safe outcomes and help more people stay at home, whilst improving the experience for people, carers, and staff.
Provide care in the most appropriate setting, ensuring our health and social care system can cope with surges in demand, with effective urgent and emergency care provision.
Ensure people can talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and make plans for their end of life.
Increase the proportion of people who experience a good death in Leeds, supported by person-centred, holistic and accessible palliative and end-of-life care with personalised support for carers, families and friends.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Have better, integrated and coordinated partnerships and approaches supported with cooperation, communication and coordination, helping to get people back home after a hospital stay.
Ensure population health management is driving proactive, data-driven approaches. This will help inform the way we provide health and care support for local people, whilst also tackling some of the biggest health priorities.
Improve care and support for people with ongoing health conditions through targeted interventions to prevent ill-health.
See the benefits of key system transformation programmes, where more people will be supported to receive their care close to their home rather than go into care settings.

Priority 12: A mentally healthy city for everyone

What the Health and Wellbeing Board members will do…

Work in partnership to realise significant progress in delivering positive outcomes in people’s mental health across all ages, including through the work in promoting mental health in the community, and building on the Leeds Mental Health Framework.

Our ask of the health and care system and wider partners…

Target mental health promotion and prevention within communities most at risk of poor mental health, suicide and self-harm.
Reduce over-representation of people from ethnically diverse communities admitted in crisis.
Ensure education, training and employment will be more accessible to people with mental health support needs.
Reduce waiting times for access to all aspects of provision including children’s services, neurodiversity and adults.
Improve transition support, developing new mental health services for 14-25 year olds.
Through effective partnership working, support children and young people, and their families, communities and schools to promote and strengthen emotional and mental health, nurturing resilient infants, children and young people, promoting positive mental health and reducing stigma.
Embed a ‘Think Family’ approach in all service models, understanding how to respond to adverse childhood experiences.
Recognise the impact that trauma or psychological and social adversity has on mental health.
Improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness.
Support older people to access information and appropriate treatment that meets their needs.
Improve employment outcomes for people with mental health conditions.

The Health and Wellbeing Board will use its influencing role to…

Improve timely access to mental health crisis services and ensure that people are supported and receive a compassionate response.

Printable version

Leeds Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023 to 2030 (PDF, 3.7MB)

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