Healthy Ambitions

Healthy Ambitions Suffolk is a 20-year, county-wide, multi-partner initiative to make Suffolk the healthiest county in the UK by 2028. It is under the umbrella of the Suffolk Strategic Partnership and is part of the community strategy, Transforming Suffolk.

All of the leading public services and many from private and independent sectors in Suffolk came together at the launch of Healthy Ambitions Suffolk in Nov 2008 and pledged to make it work.

Healthy Ambitions Suffolk means people in Suffolk living longer and with fewer health problems. It means putting an end to increasing rates of illnesses, such as diabetes, heart and chest problems and other diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

The challenge

Suffolk’s health is in many ways better than the health status of other parts of the UK, but some of our population still suffer from persistent, avoidable health problems, and health in some parts of Suffolk shows similar statistics to the most deprived areas in the country.

Action is needed now to reverse the adverse consequences of lifestyle choices or the burden will be too great for our health and social care services in the future.

Making it work in practice

Healthy Ambitions Suffolk taps into the intrinsic motivation to affiliate with others, together with a growing trend towards improving health. It offers membership of a network with shared values, vision, ideas, plus the real benefits of better health.

The "Hub" of Healthy Ambitions Suffolk is a dedicated website.

Early priorities

Consultation has identified ten priority areas for action. In the short-term, Healthy Ambitions Suffolkis focusing upon three themes around the following target groups:

• Employers and businesses in Suffolk
• Children and young people, in partnership with schools and colleges
• Older people, in partnership with the voluntary sector

What Healthy Ambitions Suffolk offers

In addition to actual health improvement, Healthy Ambitions Suffolk unites people in its aims through:

Accreditation. Organisations and individuals who “pledge” support will be awarded a certificate confirming their accreditation under Healthy Ambitions Suffolk. This is valid for two years.

Financial support. The Healthy Ambitions Suffolk campaign includes investment in schemes, where these are likely to have a measurable impact and will monitor outcomes.

Free training and support. Professional health improvement training will be rolled out across the county for both individuals and organisations.

Free publicity. With permission, organisations and individuals will be listed on the Healthy Ambitions Suffolkwebsite and in other promotional materials.

Connections to like-minded people and organisations. The strategy is creating a Healthy Ambitions Suffolk network of members, with a range of benefits:

• Useful information and tools to support health improvement
• Shared good practice and experiences
• Network events and meetings, including an annual awards ceremony, with access to more information and publicity

How this will be kept going?

The mechanism for ensuring progress is summarised as follows:

A Healthy Ambitions Suffolk champions' advisory board will act as an executive group and advise the SSP board. They will also act to raise the profile of health and life quality in Suffolk.

A public panel will be established, so that the Suffolk community can be consulted on evolving policy.

A series of events is planned with the public and joint partners.

Interaction through a lively and informative website

Healthy Ambitions Action Plan

• Draft Action Plan (40.50 KB)

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