Coventry Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-2026

The Health and Wellbeing Strategy is one of the vehicles for determining that the health needs of the local population are being identified and agreed. It is a statutory requirement of the Health and Wellbeing Board and should set out the priorities for improving the health and wellbeing of the local population, reflecting the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.  The Strategy should inform any joint commissioning arrangements with the NHS and local authority, including the Better Care Fund Plans.

Both the local authority and the Integrated Care Board must have regard to the relevant Health and Wellbeing Strategy. In addition to the development of a strategy, the Health and Wellbeing Board needs to develop and Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment and this is published separately.

This refresh of the Coventry Health and Wellbeing Strategy draws on significant engagement with communities and sets out the council’s ambition to ensure more residents of Coventry are fulfilling their ambitions, living healthier lives for longer and living in safer, connected and sustainable communities.  It builds on the continued lessons from being a Marmot City and embeds The King’s Fund population health approach. There is also a recognition that, along with partners, this strategy must address the wider determinants of health and reduce health inequalities in Coventry.

Since the launch of this strategy, the world has seen unprecedented change due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both in the context of health security and the economic landscape.  One of the biggest lessons learnt from the pandemic response has been the ability to capitalise on strengthened partnerships to deliver outcomes.  With the advent of Integrated Care Systems as a result of the legislative changes within the Health & Care Act (2022) there are greater opportunities to build on collaborations to improve population health & integrate care.

To ensure the Health & Wellbeing Strategy remains relevant and focused, this refresh was developed to review the progress of the strategic ambitions, short term priorities and to align with the One Coventry approach which aims to continue to improve the city of Coventry and the lives of those who live, work and study here.   The performance measures, key facts and opportunities and challenges will also be reviewed as part of the review and refresh.

A wide range of factors shape individual behaviours and influence health outcomes, including biological, social and community influences, individual lifestyle factors, living and working conditions, and socioeconomic, cultural, structural, and environmental influences. The Dahlgren & Whitehead diagram below displays these relationships:

Figure 1: Dahlgren & Whitehead diagram of the wider determinants of health

Residents’ health may be influenced differently by these determinants depending on where they live in Coventry, as shown below in the ward diagrams of Figure 2.

Figure 2: Levels of deprivation in Coventry

The Kings Fund model of population health aims to improve the health of a population through improving the physical and mental health outcomes and wellbeing of people within and across a defined local, regional or national population, while reducing health inequalities.  [1]  This model has been adopted across Coventry and is very much embedded in the One Coventry approach and is aligned with the policy objectives which have shaped Coventry as a Marmot City.  Taking action on the four key pillars of this framework continues to guide our approach to achieving our long-term vision for change (see Fig 3). 

Figure 3:  The Kings Fund model of population health & Coventry Health & Wellbeing strategic ambitions