Calderdale Needs Assessment

The Calderdale Needs Assessment (or Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, JSNA) is the means by which NHS Calderdale and Calderdale MBC work together to understand the future health, care and well-being needs of their community.  

The Needs Assessment aims to improve local people's well-being by ensuring that services meet their needs.  It is designed to inform and drive future investment priorities and help to plan services more effectively.  It will only succeed if the knowledge that the data yields is acted upon.

This is the first time such a wealth of data from a number of different sources that cover social care, health, housing, income, behaviour and services has been brought together into a single product shared between both NHS Calderdale and Calderdale MBC.  Having a common and consistent evidence-base means that when gaps in provision are identified agencies can work together on tackling them.  This is an essential step towards putting local people and their needs at the centre of planning.

The main findings from this JSNA highlight some important local strategic priorities for improving well-being and health, preventing illness and reducing inequalities:

  • reducing premature mortality and improving life expectancy
  • meeting the needs of those with long-term conditions
  • responding to an ageing society and the needs of older people
  • improving children and young people's life chances
  • increasing healthy lifestyles and breaking the cycle of deprivation
  • responding to local economic vulnerability

Key Messages

  • The population of Calderdale is set to increase, and this increase will be greatest in the over 65+ age group (8000 people).  See demographics section
  • The population of children and young people is set to rise, with the greatest increase in the 0 to 15 year-old age group (3600).  See demograhics section 
  • The proportion of children from South Asian origin will rise from 10% to 15%.  See children and young peoples demographics
  • There is projected to be fall in the working age population in Calderdale
  • Calderdale’s economy is performing well however there is a high level of vulnerability due to its dependence on the manufacturing and financial services sectors.  More knowledge intensive businesses, especially Creative and Digital Industries, need to be encouraged into the area.  See local economic assessment
  • Economic growth is constrained by a lack of viable developable land and a highway network that is close to capacity .  See local economic assessment
  • Life expectancy in Calderdale has improved for men in line with the rate for England.  See the all age all cause mortality section
  • Life expectancy improvement for women has levelled off and is below the national and regional average.  See the all age all cause mortality section
  • There is a growing health gap between the average and most deprived areas
  • Those living in Calderdale’s most disadvantaged communities experience greater ill-health than elsewhere in the district. There are differences in life expectancy between wards within Calderdale of up to 7 years.  See the all age all cause mortality section
  • By Index of multiple deprivation decile (most affluent 10% as compared to bottom 10% )the gap is 10.9 years for men and 8.5 years for women.  See the all age all cause mortality section
  • Overall education standards are improving in line with England. However there is still a gap between the most and least deprived areas of Calderdale.  See education section
  • Calderdale has a lower percentage of its population with NVQ4 and NVQ3 than the UK
  • Fuel poverty is estimated to affect a quarter of all households in Calderdale
  • In 2010, 22.5% of 0-4 year olds were living in workless households in Calderdale (2,940 children ).  See children and young people's demographics section
  • Rising obesity levels and poor oral health are key health priorities for children and young people. Childhood obesity increases between the ages of 5 and 11.  See health issues in children and child obesity sections
  • Behavioural factors which relate to health are not improving. Smoking prevalence and the harm caused by alcohol and obesity is increasing.  See lifestyles section
  • Predominant health beliefs are challenging to influence

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