'Quality of life' health services could be brought together

Shropshire Council is asking residents for their views on the plans to bring health services designed to improve quality of life together under the Help2Change banner, within council-owned organisation ip&e Limited - which provides public services on the authority's behalf.

The proposals are for Help2Change to be structured so any profit made is reinvested directly into public health and, in turn, the council claims it will help people lead healthier lives.

Help2Change would then work closely with partner organisations, including GPs, pharmacists, ShropDoc, community and voluntary groups, businesses, hospitals and NHS community trusts, to deliver services designed to meet the needs of local people.

Services initially transferred to Help2Change would be NHS health check, Help2Quit, Help2Slim, Active4Health - which helps people become more physically active and DrinkSafe which provides alcohol advice.

Karen Calder, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for health, said: "Shropshire Council is committed in its aim to prevent long-term illness, improve quality of life and reduce inequalities in health. From quitting smoking to getting active, we want to ensure people have the support they need to live a healthy life. Not only will this new and innovative approach offer residents a more holistic and joined up service but it will also make for a more efficient use of public funds.

"For this new way of working to be successful, however, we really need the views of our partners and residents. I would encourage anyone with a commitment to improve the health of Shropshire residents to take part in this consultation."

Dr Kevin Lewis, director of preventive health programmes, added: "This new structure will allow us to work more closely with local residents, businesses and partners to develop services focused on keeping people well. We have a wealth of preventive health expertise to build on in Shropshire and ambitious plans to improve services for the public.

"This is a chance to think differently, work more effectively with partners, bring in more funds for the people of Shropshire and be more responsive to their needs."

It is proposed Help2Change would provide a single point of access to a suite of services that help people to improve their health and well-being. These services would be flexible, including out-of-hours, accessible and delivered in a number of different venues and locations. These would be services aimed at keeping people well, improving their well-being a preventing illness.

The would also be designed to help people manage any long-standing illnesses they suffer from, so as to minimise the extent to which their quality of life is affective.

To have a say, visit www.shropshire.gov.uk by August 15.