Ms Marie Killeen, Programme Manager of the Health and Wellbeing Programme at the Department of Health, spoke about the Government's objectives and aspirations to promote health and wellbeing in Ireland.

1. 1
1
Marie Killeen
Programme Manager
Health and Wellbeing Programme
Department of Health

2. Healthy Ireland
A Framework for Improved
Health and Wellbeing
2013-2025

4. 4
4
Healthy Ireland Vision:
……. where everyone can enjoy physical
and mental health and wellbeing to their
full potential, where wellbeing is valued
and supported at every level of society
and is everyone’s responsibility.

5. 5
5
Healthy Ireland Goals
• Goal 1: Increase the proportion of people who
are healthy at all stages of life
• Goal 2: Reduce health inequalities
• Goal 3: Protect the public from threats to health
and wellbeing
• Goal 4: Create an environment where every
individual and sector of society can play their
part in achieving a healthy Ireland

6. 6
6
Framework of Actions
•Governance and Policy
•Partnerships and Cross-Sectoral Working
•Empowering People and Communities
•Health and Health Reform
•Research and Evidence
•Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation

7. 7
7
Health Check
• Life expectancy has improved but predicted
increases in chronic diseases and cancers
are alarming.
• Obesity:
– Two out of three adults are overweight or obese
– 25% of pregnant women are overweight or obese
– Almost one in ten three year-olds in lower socio-economic groups
are obese compared to one in 20 in higher socio-economic groups
– 20% of all children are overweight

8. 8
8
• Alcohol:
– Ireland's rate of alcohol consumption is one of the highest in
Europe at 11.9 litres per head of population
– Alcohol is responsible for approximately 90 deaths per month
and is a factor in half of all suicides
• Tobacco:
– 5,500 deaths per annum
– Around one million people in Ireland smoke tobacco products;
– 12% of children between the ages of 11 and 17 years are
current smokers
– Smoking rates are highest amongst women aged 18-29 from
poor communities – 56% of that cohort – compared to 28% of
their peers from higher social classes

9. 9
9
Major Modifiable Risk Factors
• Tobacco use – approx. 33%
• Unhealthy diet & obesity – approx. 30%
– Incl. Alcohol approx. 4%

10. 10
10
Governance and Policy
• Cabinet Committee on Social Policy, chaired by An
Taoiseach, will oversee the implementation of Healthy
Ireland.
• Health and Wellbeing Programme in the Department of
Health will spearhead the co-ordination and monitoring
of the implementation plan.
• A multi-stakeholder Healthy Ireland Council will create a
network of advocates to support implementation.
• The Health and Wellbeing Programme will work with the
Social Inclusion Unit in the Department of Social
Protection to facilitate the development of integrated
Social Impact Assessment (SIA) as a feature of policy
development and policy impact analysis

11. 11
11
Partnerships and
Cross-sectoral Working
• Local health partners will engage with local authorities in
their work to address local and community development,
with the aim of co-ordinating actions and improving
information-sharing for improved health and wellbeing.
• Agree a method and timeline to explore the potential
contribution of interagency Children’s Services
Committees to improve the health and wellbeing of
families and communities.
• Health and social policy planners, commissioners and
funding programmes will prioritise community-based
programmes for those most at risk, experiencing the
greatest disparities and with the greatest opportunity for
impact and mainstreaming.

12. 12
12
Empowering People and Communities
• Support and link existing partnerships, strategies and
initiatives that aim:
– To improve the decision-making capacity of children
and young people through strengthening self-esteem,
resilience, responses to social and interpersonal
pressure, health and media literacy (including social
media literacy).
– To improve the capacity of parents, carers and
families to support healthier choices for their children
and themselves.
• Develop strategies to enhance social connectedness
across the life course and to connect people most in
need to resources, services, education and healthcare.

13. 13
13
Health and Health Reform
• All new governance arrangements for reformed health
structures articulated in ‘Future Health’ will address
health and wellbeing strategic goals and principles.
• Integrate health and wellbeing goals and actions into
cross-directorate and cross-functional working
arrangements as part of the reform programme.
• Further support the roles of local health and social care
staff who work in community settings, such as public
health nurses; devise ways to leverage their expertise in
improving the health of local communities and develop
supports for this.

14. 14
14
Research and Evidence
• Healthy Ireland research plan to develop specific
measurement strategies to address knowledge gaps and
capture data across the life course and identify actions for
improved knowledge dissemination and implementation.
• With the Department of Social Protection, develop a
research project on health inequalities and poverty as part
of its research on monitoring poverty trends.
• Work with the Health Research Board to implement a
plan designed to build research capacity and develop
specific strategies and platforms for dissemination,
knowledge transfer and implementation of research
informed policy, practice and service development.

15. 15
15
Research and Evidence
• Work with the Institute of Public Health and the Health
Research Board to implement a plan designed to build
research capacity in the area of health and wellbeing
and develop specific strategies and platforms for
dissemination, knowledge transfer and implementation of
research informed policy, practice and service
development

16. 16
16
Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation
• Develop an Outcomes Framework that will specify
baseline indicators and targets.
• Establish baseline indicators measuring the level, range
and effectiveness of cross-government collaboration
across health priority areas.

17. 17
17
Priority Areas for Implementation
• High level implementation plan
• Research Plan
• Outcomes Framework
• Plan to promote physical activity
• Plan for Positive Ageing Strategy
• Healthy Ireland Council
• Communications Plan for HI

18. 18
18
Implementation Framework
• Cross departmental Steering Group
• Department of Health – cross-divisional group
• Multi-stakeholder working groups for specific actions
• HSE Directorates
• Community engagement
• Internal capacity
• Partnerships

19. 19
19
• Get involved!
• Healthyireland@health.gov.ie

20. Healthyireland@health.gov.ie