First Healthy Life Expectancy Strategy launched to set out our ambitious vision for improving people's health outcomes

Last week, our Public Health team launched our first-ever Healthy Life Expectancy Strategy, setting out our ambitions for the next five years to improve health outcomes for Barnsley people.

Building on our Healthy Barnsley ambitions, this strategy explores the factors currently shaping health in Barnsley and how we can increase the number of years residents live in good health.

Calculated using mortality data and how people report feeling about their health, healthy life expectancy estimates the average number of years someone can expect to live in good health.

Published annually by the Office of National Statistics, the average healthy life expectancy in Barnsley currently sits at 52.6 years for women and 52.8 years for men.

There are lots of different factors that shape our health, including our education, employment, housing and social connections. That’s why we’ve created our Healthy Life Expectancy Strategy, looking at the bigger picture to consider how we work together to change this picture locally.

The report looks at the main drivers behind healthy life expectancy and the current initiatives that are helping us to tackle health inequalities, including the wider, social factors.

The strategy also highlights three key priority areas to help us continue improving the lives of residents and inform where we should focus next:

• Placing a rigorous focus on the first 1001 days of a child’s life to give our young people the best possible start in life.
• Doing more for those who need it most, using data to help us target our interventions and ensure they’re working effectively for our communities.
• Thinking about how we develop our neighbourhood approaches to health and make sure they’re built around the communities people live in.

A series of recommendations will be at the heart of our approach to working with our partners, including the NHS and community and voluntary sector, to improve healthy life expectancy:

• Adopting a system-wide approach to tackling health inequalities, focusing on the wider factors affecting people’s health, such as education, employment and housing.
• Continuing to promote healthy behaviours, such as reducing smoking, increasing physical activity and promoting healthy eating.
• Embedding preventative approaches, looking at reducing the risk factors causing diseases and working with the NHS to slow down their impacts.
• Strengthening community connection and promoting social inclusion as key pillars of improving physical health and mental wellbeing.

Anna Hartley, Director of Public Health, said: “We’re committed to taking innovative approaches to improving people’s health in Barnsley, making sure they can get the right support at the right time and place.

“We know that our residents are estimated to live fewer years in good health than the national averages, which is why we’re excited to introduce our Healthy Life Expectancy Strategy, setting out how we will work together with our partners to continue improving local health outcomes.

“By placing our focus on tackling health inequalities and the wider factors impacting how long you can live in good health, we hope our support can reach people where they need it most and promote positive health and wellbeing at every age.”

Councillor Wendy Cain, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities, said: “We want to make sure everyone in our communities can live happier, longer lives in good physical and mental health. We want to be ambitious in our plans to create a Healthy Barnsley, so it’s great to see our Healthy Life Expectancy Strategy launched as a next step in that journey.

“The strategy highlights some of the great initiatives already supporting the health and wellbeing of our communities, such as our Love Where You Live programme, our growing network of Good Food Pantries and More Money in Your Pocket, and what we want to tackle together next.

“We know the vital role our communities play in our borough, and I’m excited to see how local groups will continue to support families to give children the best possible start in life, promote healthier choices and foster social connection as part of this new strategy.”

You can read our Healthy Life Expectancy Strategy 2025-2030 by visiting our website.