Healthy Ireland

Working in Partnership to

improve Health and Wellbeing

HSE LCDC Network Event May 2015

Kate O’Flaherty Director, Health and Wellbeing Programme

Department of Health

Healthy Ireland Implementation

• New opportunity to:

Shape the national discourse on health and wellbeing

Re-focus efforts on prevention and ‘keeping people well’

Empower people to look after own health and make the

‘healthier choice the easier choice’

Connect and mobilise existing and new initiatives and

partnerships around a shared agenda and aims

Address priority issues in a collaborative approach

Build a new culture and philosophy around health and

wellbeing

3 3

Healthy Ireland Governance Structures

Health and Wellbeing

Programme, Department of

Health

Cabinet Committee on Social Policy

‘Whole of Government’

Cross-Sectoral Group

(DECLG & CCMA reps)

Health System,

HSE (Health

and Wellbeing Division)

‘Whole of Society’

Healthy Ireland Council

many members with local network or community

connections

Cabinet Committee

on Social Policy &

Public Sector Reform

Senior Officials

Group

Implementation Progress

• Much progress in building relationships and links cross-

sectorally to develop enabling environment for

collaborative implementation and progress on key cross-

sectoral issues

• 2015 focus on key deliverables such as Physical Activity

Plan, Healthy Ireland Survey, Obesity Policy as well as

progressing public health legislative agenda

• Progressing public and ‘whole of society’ communication

and engagement with support of Healthy Ireland Council

Minister and Department priorities 2015

• January 2015: Ministers Varadkar & Lynch announce Departmental priorities for 2015 - 2017

• Five Priority Areas/Themes: #1 Driving the Healthy Ireland Agenda

Priority deliverables for 2015

o Introduce major Public Health Bills (Alcohol, Standardised Packaging of Tobacco, Licensing of Sale of Tobacco)

o Publish the findings from the first Healthy Ireland survey, giving an overview of the health of the nation for the first time since 2007

Minister and Department priorities 2015 Profile Table of Priority Areas, Actions and Deliverables for the Period 2015- 2017

Priority area: Drive the Healthy Ireland agenda

Deliverables

• Introduce Public Health legislation (Alcohol, Standardised Packaging of Tobacco, Licensing of Sale of Tobacco)

• Commence development of a national ‘Healthy Workplace’ framework across both public and private sector

• Publish Oral Health Strategy

• Publish and implement the National Physical Activity Plan under Healthy Ireland

• Publish first Healthy Ireland survey

• Publish Obesity Policy • Publish Sexual Health

Policy.

• Implement National Positive Ageing Strategy

• Commence work on new National Drugs Strategy

• Drive cross-sectoral implementation of Healthy Ireland

• Lead implementation of health commitments in Better Outcomes Brighter Futures – The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People

Cross-Departmental Work

• DCYA on alignment with implementation of Better Outcomes,

Brighter Futures (BOBF) policy framework

• DES on embedding and integrating health and wellbeing into the

educational sector across primary, post-primary, higher and further

education

Ongoing work on strengthening DH (+HSE) – DES collaboration on

supporting health and wellbeing in education sector

Discussions with DES, HEA and some HEIs to progress Healthy

Campus initiative.

Cross-Departmental Work

• DECLG on embedding health and wellbeing into new

structures and arrangements in local government

Working with HSE to develop network to support health

input to LCDCs

Linking with CCMA and individual CEOs

• DTTS on National Physical Activity Plan as well as

exploring alignment with transport and tourism policy

developments

Cross-Departmental Work

• DJEI on alignment with the national Corporate Social

Responsibility Plan Good for Business, Good for the

Community, specifically on ‘healthy workplaces’ agenda

• DSP (&DECLG) on the development of social impact

assessment (pilot on an integrated health and social

assessment on introduction of housing assistance payment)

• DJE on integrating health and wellbeing into relevant policy

developments, eg Immigrant Integration Strategy, Traveller

and Roma Integration Strategy

Priority Projects

• National Physical Activity Plan

Discussion at Cabinet Committee recently with a view to

circulating a Memo for Govt and launch in near future

Wide range of stakeholders (including LSPs) committed

to partnership on implementation, including public

awareness and communication

Exemplar/flagship project for Healthy Ireland ‘approach’

Will dovetail with other strategic policy areas e.g. mental

health, healthy workplaces, sports policy, children and

young people, environment, use of public spaces

Priority Projects

• Obesity Policy and Action Plan

Consultation underway

5 Key Themes – prevention, food supply, physical

activity, clinical care, information/research

4 levels of action – governance, action across sectors,

supporting families and communities, data and research

Cross-sectoral approach and actions, e.g. Local

Government – local planning measures (food premises,

cycling, walking, traffic calming), Healthy Cities

Priority Projects • Outcomes Framework

Work ongoing to agree

cross-sectoral ‘dashboard’ of indicators to ensure appropriate

focus on wellbeing and determinants of health

develop accessible presentation/communication format

ensure alignment with work in related policy areas such as

ageing, children

• Healthy Ireland Survey

Ipsos MRBI conducting fieldwork

Will give robust population health data across a range of issues for

first time since 2007

Priority Projects

• Healthy Workplace Framework

Steering sub-group established under Cross-Sectoral

Group

Discussion with DJEI how to align with relevant policy

agenda and utilise existing stakeholder networks

Liaising with World Health Organisation on how can

utilise their model to inform this work

Priority Projects

• Communications

Working to develop updated strategy and action plan with

key outputs:

Healthy Ireland ‘microsite’, stakeholder newsletter and

social media network to improve infrastructure and

capacity to provide information and link with cross-

sectoral communication activities in a more coordinated

way

Develop Communications Plan for HI Council

Develop communications planning for key

events/launches in 2015, eg Physical Activity Plan

In Conclusion

• Progress made (and ongoing) in relation to cross-sectoral ‘joining the dots’ at national/interdepartmental level and agreeing collaborative approach to implementation

• This needs to be translated and supported in a coherent way at local level that facilitates sharing of best practice

• How can Healthy Ireland team support work and strategic aims of LAs & CCMA to achieve outcomes at local level for citizens?

• One new aspect in 2014 was HI support for ‘health and wellbeing’ at Chambers Ireland Excellence Awards

Thank You!

• Health and Wellbeing Programme in Dept. of Health

• www.health.gov.ie

• Follow us on Twitter @hi_HealthyIre