Efforts to promote the public’s health and wellbeing are being coordinated in a more effective way through a countywide approach that has evolved following the councils launch and major incidents such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
The overhaul of local government in the county has presented a host of opportunities to develop even closer working relationships with partners ranging from the NHS and the voluntary sector to North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The approach is reaping dividends through projects including the use of libraries as hubs for promoting wellbeing as well as carrying out health checks to establish the risk of heart disease in the county’s workforce.
Having one council to cover the vast area of England’s largest county has also given the opportunity for a more coordinated approach for services such as housing and planning to education and environmental health, after the previous eight authorities merged to create the new local government structure in April 2023.
In her annual report, our director of public health, Louise Wallace, pointed towards the firm foundations that were built during the Covid-19 pandemic which have helped develop the work of the council.
She said: “The power of partnerships was particularly evident during the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic when all agencies and communities had to work together to support each other during a very difficult time.
“The phrase ‘Team North Yorkshire’ was often used to sum up the collective effort to mitigate against the worst consequences of the pandemic. The Team North Yorkshire spirit has continued and is at the centre of North Yorkshire Council’s ethos.”
Work that has been highlighted in the annual public health report includes efforts to tackle cardiovascular disease, with heart health checks for the council’s staff and other employees around the county.
Funding has been secured from the Department of Health and Social Care to pilot workplace-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) checks. These checks assess a person’s 10-year risk of having a heart attack or a stroke and provide advice on seeking support.
Of the 904 checks that have been delivered, including 664 for our own workforce, 123 people, or 13.8 per cent, had a one in 10 chance of developing CVD during the next decade. This means that the risk is significant enough to warrant preventive action such as lifestyle changes or medication.
Early feedback from participants has been promising. For example, one employer reported that staff referred to their GP for high blood pressure are now receiving treatment - interventions that may not have occurred without the check.
We are now planning to continue to work with local businesses, the voluntary sector and regional organisations to reach those most at risk, embedding health checks into routine practice for employees.
Our library service is also being used creatively to support the health and wellbeing of communities across North Yorkshire, in partnership with the public health team and a wide range of local organisations.
In 2024/25, libraries hosted 8,884 health and wellbeing events, with Self-Care Week providing a focus for this activity and more than 700 people attending activities during this week alone.
The launch of the council has created opportunities for transforming sport and leisure. Following a strategic review, the new Active North Yorkshire service was launched in September last year and is focused on improving the opportunities for people to become and stay active at every stage of their life.
A £40 million investment has been committed to transform leisure and wellbeing hubs across North Yorkshire and upgrade facilities including gyms and swimming pools.
Our public health team is working closely with colleagues in the housing service to retrofit homes and continues to liaise with police and the NHS to tackle issues such as street drinking in Scarborough and hidden deprivation in places such as Harrogate, which are often thought of as affluent but still have significant public health issues.
Executive member for health and adult services, Cllr Michael Harrison, said: “Our work in public health is paying real dividends and helping to improve the lives of people across the county.
“There is more work that needs to be done in conjunction with our partners to deliver real benefits for public health. Working even closer with local communities, the voluntary and community sector, the NHS and other public sector organisations, there needs to be a shift of resources to increase the focus on prevention.
“We are committed to ensuring every child gets the best start in life and that North Yorkshire is a great place to live well and age well with the public’s health at the forefront of that agenda.”