South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) has been named the winner of the first Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Public Health Award sponsored by NICE.
The award seeks to recognise the achievements local government has made in meeting new challenges following its recently devolved responsibilities for public health.
Representatives from South Tyneside MBC were presented with the award at the Local Government Chronicle Awards ceremony, where the council was recognised for its efforts to make ‘Every Contact a Health Improvement Contact'.
Prior to gaining its new public health responsibilities, South Tyneside Council recognised that it faced significant challenges when it comes to health inequalities. Around a fifth of children in its borough are obese, and the gap in life expectancy between certain wards ranges from 7 to 12 years.
The council saw its newly given public health responsibilities as an opportunity to address these issues in an innovative way - by placing health improvement at the heart of everything it does.
It consequently redesigned its services to ensure that staff at every level are trained in providing brief advice to the public to encourage healthy behaviour change. Brief advice can involve verbal advice, discussion, negotiation or encouragement to change behaviour.
Topics covered by the brief advice include smoking, healthy eating, physical exercise, NHS Health Checks, and wider issues such as debt advice and housing.
The council felt that providing this would empower the public to feel involved making decisions about changing their own behaviour.
As the council employs 3,500 people, it estimated that if every member of staff delivered brief advice to just to 10 people a year, up to 35,000 people could potentially be reached, who could then be followed up with appropriate services.
The project has already had an impact on council staff, with four employees from its street cleansing team having lost 15 stone in weight as a direct result of the training.
The council is currently evaluating the process together with the help of Sunderland University.
Amanda Healy, Director of Public Health at South Tyneside MBC said: "We are honoured to be recognised by NICE for the work we have done to make 'Every Contact a Health Improvement Contact'.
"With 70 per cent of the council's workforce living locally, this work is central to making South Tyneside an outstanding place to live, invest and bring up families.
She added: "We firmly believe that focussing on health promotion on preventing ill health will help improve the wellbeing of our community and save resources in the long-term."
Professor Mike Kelly, Director of Public at NICE and part of the judging panel, said: "South Tyneside MBC are worthy winners of this, the first NICE Local Government Chronicle Public Health Award.
"Their commitment to improving health is truly ground-breaking and inspiring, especially in the way they managed to galvanise staff at every level from senior corporate officers to elected members and those working on the frontline.
"All entrants impressed with the innovation in which they are taking on their new responsibilities, with Buckinghamshire County Council also worthy of note for making steps towards improving health through joint working."
For more information on how local government can improve the health of its communities, read NICE's public health briefings.