Hastings and St Leonards Men’s Health
and Wellbeing Project
Co-Production in the Real World
Hastings and St Leonards Men’s Health and Wellbeing Project has been funded by East Sussex County Council for three years and is hosted by Hastings Voluntary Action.
This project is based on the belief that men in Hastings and St Leonards will live happier, healthier, and longer lives if they are at the heart of decision making and live in strong, supportive, and well-connected communities, where they can fulfil their potential.
This project has been developed because we know that:
Life expectancy for men in Hastings and St Leonards is significantly lower than the national average.
Many initiatives have been delivered across the borough with the intention of improving health outcomes for those most in need.
Individually, these have made a big difference to people who have had first-hand experience of them. However, this has not led to improved health across the wider population. This suggests that no single action, or organisation, can solve this complex issue on its own.
The Project Team, Teresa Flower (Project Manager) and Jacy Kilvert (Community Development Worker), were appointed autumn 2022 to mobilise, and encourage collaboration between:
Male residents who have lived experience of needing and / or accessing support around the wider determinants of their health and want to be involved in improving outcomes for men in their communities; and
Services and community groups which either seek to support men around the wider determinants of their health or have responsibility for other health assets (physical and environmental), that impact on health and wellbeing for men
This project is taking a whole systems approach which:
“ … responds to complexity through an ongoing, dynamic and flexible way of working. It enables local stakeholders, including communities, to come together, share an understanding of the reality of the challenge, consider how the local system is operating and where there are the greatest opportunities for change. Stakeholders agree actions and decide as a network how to work together in an integrated way to bring about sustainable, long-term systems change” (Public Health England 2019)
You can download the full report HERE
For more information, please contact the project team: Teresa Flower, Project Manager (HVA) Email: teresa@hastingsvoluntaryaction.org.uk Tel: 07531 827784 Jacy Kilvert, Community Development Worker (HVA) Email: jacy@hastingsvoluntaryaction.org.uk Tel: 07513 827779 You can read about how the project is going here: Hastings and St Leonards Men’s Health and Wellbeing Project | Hastings Voluntary Action
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