Informing local understanding of health and wellbeing - Philippa Lynch

Through the Health and Wellbeing System Improvement Programme we are bringing together key comparative information on health and wellbeing, and the wider issues that affect it. This is to support health and wellbeing boards, public health professionals, councils, local people and voluntary organisations in their assessment of local needs and priorities, through benchmarking and monitoring trends.

Using LG Inform and LG Inform Plus we will provide reports and easy access to information across a range of health and wellbeing themes.

• LG Inform is a free online service that provides access to a wide range of published data about local services and areas. Users can create their own reports, or view a range of interactive reports about local authorities and their services. Information in LG Inform is centred on local authority areas.
• LG Inform Plus is currently being developed to provide complementary reports and data that allow users to look at smaller areas such as wards. This enables comparison within local areas to identify communities at risk.

Not only will health data be brought together, but information across wider determinants of health and wellbeing, such as employment, crime, community safety, education, transport, planning and housing will be readily available.  This will enable councils to examine the role of all their services in promoting health and wellbeing.

Working with Public Health England and others who provide information relevant to local health and wellbeing, we will:

• develop a range of theme-based data reports that pull together information on health and wellbeing, the local area and relevant wider services across local government
• increase the range of data sources and indicators relevant to health and wellbeing that are accessible through LG Inform and LG Inform Plus, and
• signpost other sources of information that provide local data and guidance on health and wellbeing.

Please help us in shaping the content and focus of the reports and data available through LG Inform by telling us

• what information you would find useful in assessing local health and wellbeing needs and progress;
• any issues accessing data that the LGA and other partners may be able to help address; and
• if you have developed any local health and wellbeing related reports and datasets that you are willing to share with others.

Please send your thoughts to research@local.gov.uk or visit the forum on Health and wellbeing data and information on the Knowledge Hub. If you would like to be kept informed of the wider Health and Wellbeing System Improvement Programme, you can join our Twitter community by following @LGAwellbeing or searching using the hashtag #hwblearn.