Population-based approaches
In this section you will find information on the population-based approaches which support the delivery of Keep Well and Well North and how each approach is being implemented.
The Keep Well and Well North programmes target the 15% most deprived areas within the Health Board area using data from the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) (external website) . In addition it has also been necessary to target specific high risk populations irrespective of location. Across local NHS Health Boards services have been designed around the needs of specific populations including;
- those with long term conditions
- mental health issues
- learning disabilities
- populations of specific ethnicity, travelling and homeless populations
Long Term Conditions
People at risk of and those with, long term conditions are on a common pathway which encompasses their physical, psychological, spiritual, social, emotional and financial health and well being.
This common pathway needs a continuum of interventions to support people at all stages, including those at high risk. The Anticipatory Care Programme works in partnership to strengthen the linkages along this pathway involving the Anticipatory Care Programme, Long term Conditions Collaborative (external website) and the Scottish Community Development Centre (external website).
Stress and Wellbeing
Improving physical health can help to improve mental health and wellbeing and vice versa. Mental health improvement is an essential part of achieving the government’s social, health, economic and cultural objectives and for addressing health and social inequalities.
This commitment to improving mental health and wellbeing is clearly apparent in Equally Well (external website). Equally Well makes a recommendation that ‘Keep Well health checks in deprived areas should identify people with depression and anxiety and make sure that they get treatment and support’.
This recommendation provides an opportunity to cover mental health and wellbeing as part of the Keep Well health check. Resources developed from the Living Better initiative will provide those being offered cardiovascular health checks the opportunity to identify areas of need and the steps they can take to meet those needs.
Learning Disabilities & Moderate to Severe Mentally Ill
In response to the Equally Well (external website) recommendation 53 and Mental Health in Scotland: Improving the Physical Health and Well Being of those experiencing Mental Illness (2008) (external website) respectively, these marginalised populations are being targeted as part of the wider anticipatory care agenda. Links are being made with Keep Well programmes, Long Term Conditions partners, mental health colleagues in NHS Health Scotland and other partners.
A scoping exercise to collate evidence with regards health checks is being carried out on those that fall into these populations.
Gypsy travelers and homeless populations
Within the Anticipatory Care programme we recognise the diverse population groups that fall within the 40-64 age group and that programmes need to be flexible to allow certain groups to come forward for a health check. As part of that approach, NHS locality areas across Scotland have established specific methodologies to help engage with both the travelling community and homeless populations to ensure they are given support and assistance in getting to a health check.
This can include nurses carrying these out at more convenient locations e.g. local community centre or buddying patients to appointments. Some locality areas are also piloting a Patient Handheld Information record that is given out to these groups to enable them to take it with them whenever they access NHS services. This allows the practitioners to see at a glance their recent medical history.
Reviewed 4 November 2011