The Barking and Dagenham Partnership has released its annual assessment of the state of health of local people.
Formally known as the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), it helps the council and NHS Barking and Dagenham plan for the future. The JSNA identifies what health needs will be the greatest and how the local population will change, so shows where to locate health and council services, such as GP surgeries, nurseries and social care services.
The JSNA found that the population of Barking and Dagenham is rapidly changing. The borough’s population is growing by at least 2,500 people a year (mainly babies, children and young adults). The ethnic diversity is also increasing, with white residents making up a predicted 67% of the population in 2012, down from 85% in 2001. Over 50% of the pupils in local schools are from minority ethnic backgrounds, speaking over 100 different languages, and one third of pupils speak English as a second language.
The population increases in Barking and Dagenham are putting great pressure on maternity services, early education, school places, and other services, but overall, health outcomes are improving.
The JSNA found that:
Life expectancy has improved.
- The number of people in the borough who smoke has decreased from 32% the highest rate in London, to 28%, the third highest rate in London.
- Childhood obesity in reception class (aged 4-5) has reduced, while rates in London have increased.
- The council’s homelessness strategy has helped reduce number of homeless households by 30% from 2008-9.
- The teenage pregnancy rate is falling.
- 30% of 15-24 year olds, above the national target, have been tested by the Chlamydia screening service.
But there is still plenty of work to do:
- Life expectancy has increased in the borough for both men and women but is still worse than the national average, with local people dying 1½ years earlier than they should.
- Barking and Dagenham has one of the highest rates of smoking in London and is beginning to show very high rates of diseases related to smoking: heart disease, lung disease and lung cancer.
- Lung cancer deaths in women are rising, probably because of our high rate of smoking in women. This is against the national trend where rates are falling.
- Local people have some of the highest figures in London for obesity, low rates of physical activity and unhealthy diets.
- Childhood immunisation rates have improved but rates for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunisation are still below the World Health Organisation recommended levels.
The council and NHS Barking and Dagenham are working to address issues raised in the JSNA. Joint director of health improvement Matthew Cole said:
“The JSNA helps us to understand why local people don’t live as long as the national average, and what we need to do change this. There are lots of different issues that contribute to this– high levels of smoking, high blood pressure, and poor health in early years, and we need to address these. We must make sure that our work to improve local health outcomes is focused on the areas of greatest need, where we can make the greatest difference.”
The JSNA can be found at: http://www.barkinganddagenhamjsna.org.uk/
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Notes for editors:
If you would like a hard copy of the JSNA, contact Lisa Wright on 020 8532 6244.
For further information, contact Communications and Media Manager Zoë Anderson on 020 8532 6220.