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Southampton’s Director of Public Health calls for community-centred approach

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In her latest annual report, Dr Debbie Chase lays out plan to protect and improve residents’ health and well-being without burdening public purse

The Director of Public Health for Southampton has used her annual report to make a series of recommendations on how the city can achieve wide-ranging health benefits through the use of existing communities and community assets.

Her report draws on insights from other parts of the UK, where long-term strategic commitments have been made to support a community-centred approach. As she says, this can significantly improve life chances for residents, while also promoting efficient use of limited public sector funding.   

Dr Chase makes four key recommendations on the way this approach can be achieved in practice, with case studies detailing work already in progress or being developed in Southampton. 

First, she cites the need to identify strengths and enable communities to take control themselves. Next, she underlines the importance of building support around families, communities and neighbourhoods rather than professions, with the focus on prevention and early intervention. 

Thirdly, there is the need to prioritise communities with poorer health outcomes so as to reduce health inequalities; at the same time, there is a vital need to assess the impact of any such community-centred approach. Finally, she stresses the importance of shifting mindsets with the aim of embedding a new and better relationship between communities and organisations. 

Dr Debbie Chase, Director of Public Health at Southampton City Council, says: ‘Communities have a shared identity and can be strong influencers of health and well-being through achieving social connectedness, in different activities such as physical activity and most importantly through building confidence and self-esteem. This in turn can build capability and independence. 

‘We have some wonderful community assets, be they community groups, voluntary sector organisations, parks, cultural opportunities and buildings and there are examples of harnessing these and the vibrancy and opportunity that has come with them. What I am seeking to achieve with this report is identifying more of these assets and further developing those community strengths.’ 

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Simon Guerrier
Writer and journalist for Infotec, Social Care Today and Air Quality News
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