Local Joint Needs Assessments

In 2009, a detailed Joint Needs Assessment of health and wellbeing was carried out for Glastonbury and Street, adjoining towns in the Mendip district of Somerset with a combined urban population of around 20,000 and a further 6,000 in the hinterland. The information below was correct at the time of publication. 

Key Issues:

• Although neither town experience notably high or low levels of multiple deprivation, there are pockets of deprivation, especially in Glastonbury St Benedict's ward.
• The population in the towns is slightly younger than the county average but the number of people aged 65 or more is projected to grow faster than is the case for Somerset as a whole. 
• Street is home to Millfield, a major private residential school, and the area features a signoificant gypsy and traveller community.
• Road casualties,deaths in hospice care, child obesity and teenage pregnancy rates are generally below the county norm, and school attainment is higher
• Take-up of immunisation is relatively low while, in Glastonbury, rates of clients in residential and nursing care and GP patients with a mental health diagnosis are above the Somerset average.
• Low-lying areas around the towns, especially Glastonbury, are particularly prone to flooding.

Recommendations:

• Increase the number of affordable homes
• Increase employment opportuities
• Improve access to public transport
• Ensure tried and tested multi-agency plans are in place to tackle flooding
• Increase child immunisation take-up in Glastonbury
• Reduce teenage pregnancy in local hotspots
• Improve access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Improve mental health through targeted provision of community-based services
• Improve detection and management of dementia and diabetes
• Increase the number of people dying in their chosen place for end of life care
• Ensure travelling community have fair access to health and social care
• Address variation in screening uptake and smoking cessation service provision by GP practices
• Halt the rise in obesity

For the full report, please click here

In 2010, a detailed Joint Needs Assessment of health and wellbeing was carried out for West Somerset, a predominantly rural district and one of the most sparsely populated districts in England. A third of Its population of around 35,600 live in Minehead, a town which also accommodates thousands of tourists in the summer months .

The report includes recommendations and comments from consultations undertaken by Somerset Local Involvement Network (LINk), Somerset Youth Volunteering Network and with members of two patient participation groups. The information below was correct at the time of publication. 

Key Issues:

• One in three people are aged 65 or more, projected to rise within twenty years to one in two.
• Median house prices are 10% higher than the county average but average earnings are relatively low, making housing less affordable than elsewhere in Somerset, especially for young people.
• Based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation, West Somerset is more deprived than the county generally, largely the result of barriers to housing and services
• Quick access to hospitals by public transport is difficult for many
• Prevalence of depression and learning difficulties is notably high
• Rates of dangerous daily alcohol consumption are above the national average, and alcohol-related hospital admissions are above the Somerset norm.

Recommendations:

• Increase the number of affordable homes and improve the quality of housing stock
• Continue to improve training and employment opportunities for young people
• Review measures to tackle anti-social behaviour involving local community groups
• Improve leisure facilities and activities for young people
• Undertake a review of alcohol-related hospital admissions and continue to develop initiatives to respond to response to alcohol misuse.
• Continue ongoing work on smoking, obesity and diabetes
• Continue the review of out-of-hours health services and access to local hospitals
• Undertake to review and address barriers to dementia service access
• Continue work on addresing variations in screening and immunisation uptake

For the full report, please click here