Community Planning Partnership Host Successful follow up Health and Wellbeing Conference

Newry, Mourne and Down Community Planning Partnership was delighted to host the follow up Living Well Together: Health and Wellbeing Thematic Summit on Thursday 7 November in the Millbrook Hotel.

The Summit brought together key stakeholders from across the Council’s Community Planning Partnership, Statutory bodies, members of the Community and Voluntary Sector Strategic Stakeholder Forum and local elected representatives, who share a passion for improving health and wellbeing across Newry, Mourne and Down.

The event focused on Health inequalities and how we can work together to alleviate some of the issues faced by the most vulnerable in our communities. Attendees shared insights from the 2023 Thematic Health and Wellbeing Summit, discussing both our progress and future efforts toward collective health and wellbeing goals. Presentations included topics such as ‘Health and Wellbeing in a Changing Environment’ and tools like MyCare to empower personal health management.

Host for the summit was freelance broadcaster and champion of local voices and stories, Lynette Faye, who facilitated a series of round table discussions with a panel of experts from across the Health and Wellbeing sector, including representatives from the Public Health Agency, the Department of Health, Department of Education and the Southern and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trusts.  Workshop sessions invited guests to reflect on current efforts, evaluate impacts and brainstorm new ideas for future partnership initiatives.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Pete Byrne said, “I particularly enjoyed hearing about Encompass, a health and social care programme that will create a single digital care record for every citizen who receives health care in Northern Ireland and MyCare, which gives people direct access to their medical records. This means that we can review our details and appointments, test results and care plans and won’t have to repeat our medical history to every professional. I encourage everyone to visit NI Direct and download the MyChart app.

“We heard about loneliness and how it affects everyone, not just the older generation. We also discussed how we can share assets for physical activity and the importance of the Community and Voluntary Sector Strategic Stakeholder Forum in creating good health and wellbeing in our district.

“Continuing to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in the district and reduce health inequalities is listed as one of the Council’s eight strategic objectives. The Community Plan touches on every aspect of the Council’s Corporate Plan, which outlines how the Council will further develop our area and enhance the reputation of our district as a great place to live, work and visit.”

Newry, Mourne and Down Community Planning Partnership Chairperson, Nicholas McCrickard said, “Last year, we developed an action plan that prioritised a number of health and wellbeing initiatives for the district and today we have shown that we have made significant progress in delivering those projects. However, there are many areas which can be improved with the active involvement of the community and voluntary sectors.

“Guests discussed key themes and heard from some of the successful multi- agency partnerships that already exist and are delivering on health inequalities in our district. We envisage that the conversations started, and the insights shared today will inform both the development and implementation of key regional and local strategies and projects for many years to come.”