The Director of Public Health has a statutory duty to write an annual report on the health of the local population on a topic of their choice.
This year’s independent annual report focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Director of Public Health Annual Report 2021 (PDF, 2.68MB)
The NHS Sussex Public Health Outcomes (POF) indicators data tool is an interactive report showing the latest outcomes framework indicators for NHS and local authority organisations across Sussex across 12 domains. Some indicators have demographic breakdowns by age or sex; for example, life expectancy at birth is reported for males and females separately).
The rise of childhood obesity in England and the implications of obesity persisting into adulthood is a public health concern. Obesity in childhood can have a significant negative impact on the health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. Obesity in adults is a risk factor for other health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer and may also impact on mental health.
The rise of childhood obesity in England and the implications of obesity persisting into adulthood is a public health concern. Obesity in childhood can have a significant negative impact on the health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. Obesity in adults is a risk factor for other health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer and may also impact on mental health.
In 2024, a Framework for Action to Reduce Health Inequalities in Coastal West Sussex was developed.
Thorney Island is a peninsula in Chichester which contains the only regular armed forces base in West Sussex.
Thorney Island is a peninsula in Chichester which contains the only regular armed forces base in West Sussex.
The JSNA supports the Health and Wellbeing Board in its statutory duties and the development of the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy. This support includes the JSNA Summary, the Community Health survey and various needs assessments.
The West Sussex Sexual Health Needs Assessment 2025 aims to assess how the needs of the population in relation to sexual and reproductive health are being met in order to help plan services and inform wider actions to improve sexual health and wellbeing of the West Sussex population. This needs assessment forms part of the West Sussex Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).
ONS uses a range of data collected in the 2021 Census to determine whether a household includes characteristics that indicate deprivation. The dimensions of deprivation used to classify households are based on four household characteristics:
Homelessness and insecure housing is an increasingly pressing issue across the West Sussex Health and Care system. A range of forums and partnership groups in West Sussex are leading work in this area, with many of these including health and wellbeing in temporary accommodation as a priority area.
A new postcode look-up tool has been created to allow users to match a set of inputted postcodes to a range of geographies (e.g. LSOA, electoral ward, district/borough). This file contains approximately 61,000 postcodes in the West Sussex area and was last updated in April 2025.
The Your Health Matters Survey sought to understand health behaviours at a local level following the pandemic.
Around three million people in England and Wales report using drugs each year, putting themselves at risk and driving a violent and exploitative supply chain including through so-called ‘recreational’ drug use. Most ‘recreational’ users are sheltered from the social consequences of the drugs trade – the serious violence, human exploitation, severe addiction and crime – which are often felt by those living in more deprived parts of our country or overseas. This is part of a harmful cycle where drug use is normalised; adults using drugs socially often live relatively typical and otherwise healthy lives and may not recognise their role in fuelling the drugs trade or influencing and damaging the behaviour of others, including children.
People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face significant inequalities in health outcomes and in access to healthcare services. Co-occurring needs and health conditions are common amongst this group and often overlap with additional risk factors which act to compound disadvantage and inequalities in outcomes. As one of society’s most vulnerable and socially excluded groups, significant attention is needed to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities amongst PEH.
The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Summary - which provides a brief run through of the health and wellbeing issues at county level, highlighting the various reports we’ve produced over the year, such as detailed needs assessments relating to specific subjects or communities, evaluations of new local programmes or activities, local surveys, a range of briefings and other ad hoc analyses - can be downloaded below. We’re currently working on this year’s JSNA Summary, ready for publishing later in the year.
Homelessness is an experience that drives social exclusion and inequalities in outcomes. Amongst people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, co-occurring health and care needs are common, as are overlapping or prior experiences of social exclusion and disadvantage, such as substance misuse, mental ill-health, time spent in prison, domestic abuse, poverty and adverse childhood experiences.
This all-age public mental health needs assessment is part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The JSNA is a statutory requirement for the Health and Wellbeing Board that looks at the current and future health, wellbeing and care needs of local populations to inform and guide the planning and commissioning services, this may include strategies, action plans and frameworks for delivery. This needs assessment is designed to be used as a commissioning tool to inform mental health and wellbeing services and support, this is not a strategy, action plan or framework for delivery. This report informs and guides future work and is intended to support health and care partners across West Sussex on this important agenda.
Alcohol misuse is a major risk factor for early death in England and contributes to many health conditions that can lead to illness and disability. However, the prevalence of risky drinking and the harms connected with alcohol consumption are not spread evenly across society. A Health Equity Audit (HEA) is an approach to exploring how fairly resources, opportunities and access are distributed according to the needs of different groups of people.
The West Sussex Suicide Prevention Framework and Action Plan for 2023-27 sets out how key partners in West Sussex will work together to reduce the risk of suicides.
This report forecasts future co-morbidity prevalence and dependency of older people from 2022 to 2035 by applying findings from a UK study (the Population Ageing and Care Simulation study, Kingston, A. Comas-Herrera and C. Jagger, “Forecasting the care needs of the older population in England over the next 20 years: estimates from the Population Ageing and Care Simulation (PACSim) modelling study,” The Lancet Public Health, 2018. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30118-X/. [Accessed 12 February 2024]) to the local population.