20th December 2007

LIVING WELL IN WIGAN BOROUGH

The first Joint Public Health Strategy for Wigan Borough is being launched today.

Working in partnership, top local leaders from Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust and Wigan Council are meeting with 100 key stakeholders, partners and staff at The Investment Centre, Wigan, to share the headline news from “Living Well in Wigan Borough”. They will also be signing up to a “Statement of Commitment” to pledge both organisations to the implementation of the Joint Strategy.

Led by Rona Cruickshank, Acting Director of Public Health, and Bernard Walker, Director of Adult Services, the Strategy shows how we can tackle the key issues that add to the poor health of our communities, and identifies the way forward and what can be done.

Development of the Strategy began in May 2007, with group discussions organised by consultants from Durham University. The task was to find out  “How can people live well in Wigan Borough?” Taking part were people from all levels including front-line workers to senior managers, non-executive directors and councillors, and from all stakeholders and partners, including members of community and voluntary groups.

This work showed that Wigan Borough is a great place for people to live and work, with lots of green space, parks, a decent housing stock, a new Shopping Arcade, a new Sports Village and business expansion. We have excellent high performing public sector organisations – the Council is a 4 Star Council, the PCT is a 3 Star Trust and we have many services to be proud of.

In spite of all this, our risk of becoming ill at an earlier age is greater in the Borough than elsewhere, impacting on our quality of life. Our life expectancy is on average two years less than the rest of England, plus inequalities persist within the Borough. For example, men and women in Standish live around seven years longer than those in Newtown.

The Strategy sets out a vision for the future and highlights that by working and doing more together will mean that we can share resources, work on the same priorities, and be much more effective in improving health and well-being in all our communities.

By working together, key aims will include:

• Creating healthy workplaces as employers, purchasers, and to sustain a healthy workforce
• Introducing a Healthy Business Award Scheme – this will assist food outlets to provide healthier products, give the businesses competitive advantage and present a marketing approach to offer more nutritious food for their customers
• Engaging with neighbourhoods, listening to good ideas, and where people want things to change and how to make this happen
• Spending resources together on shared health priorities – tackling overweight and obesity, increasing physical activity, helping people to stop smoking and cutting down on alcohol.

Commenting on the Strategy launch, Rona Cruickshank, Acting Director of Public Health said: “Promoting health and preventing illness really is everybody's business, and by changing behaviour and encouraging a healthy lifestyle we can improve the health of the Borough."

Bernard Walker, Wigan Council’s Director of Adult Services added: “Being and staying healthy affects every aspect of our lives. We know that there are still too many pockets of poor health across the Borough and with our partners we are determined to tackle the causes. Both in our role as a community leader and the Borough’s biggest employer we have a duty to promote healthier lifestyles.”

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Editors Notes

Photograph Opportunity: following the official launch, the “Statement of Commitment” will be signed by Leaders of the PCT and Council at 12.30pm, to pledge both organisations commitment to the implementation of the Joint Strategy.

Statement of Commitment: “Living Well in Wigan Borough”
We know Wigan Borough is not as healthy as it could be – or should be. Despite significant effort and some improvement in life expectancy the burden of ill health and premature death suffered by the people of the Borough in comparison with the English average is unacceptable. Even within Wigan there are some communities that suffer ill health more than others.
We will support the population of Wigan Borough in improving their own health and in holding to account the range of statutory, voluntary and commercial partners that serve Wigan for their contribution to improving life expectancy and reducing health inequalities.
We believe it is about all of us working to create a culture of promoting health – through improved health services but also through improvements in the environment, crime, housing, open spaces, our schools, our transport system, in our communities, and through employment.
We commit to redoubling our efforts to work more closely together and through our individual efforts, the application of our shared assets, resources, expertise and commitment, and with the genuine commitment and engagement of the people of Wigan Borough, we will together create a Borough that is not only vibrant and prosperous but also healthy. Improving the health of the population in Wigan Borough is everybody’s business - wherever they live, whatever their age, gender, ability, ethnicity or sexuality, everybody should be able to live well in Wigan Borough.

Lord Peter Smith
Leader of Wigan Council

Joyce Redfearn    
Chief Executive, Wigan Council   

 Alan Stephenson  
Chairperson, Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT

   Peter Rowe  
Chief Executive, Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT   

For further information on this press release please contact John Parkinson, Communications Manager, Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT, tel:
01942-482728, e-mail: john.parkinson@alwpct.nhs.uk