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.
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.
Recent pieces of work put onto the JSNA site in October include:
This young people’s health needs assessment focusses specifically on recreational and educational leisure-time activities, is part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), and is in response to the statutory guidance for local authorities on services to improve young people’s wellbeing.
Children and young people’s health and wellbeing are key public health priorities. Up-to-date data and information on the lives of children and young people is integral to WSCC and their ability to work with partner organisations to improve children and young people’s lives.
The 2025 West Sussex Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) has now been published.
The Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI), in collaboration with the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) developed a ‘Hyper-local Need Index’ which assesses socio-economic challenges across small areas in England.
Recent pieces of work put onto the JSNA site in September include:
This briefing summarises levels of physical activity and inactivity across adults in West Sussex and how this has changed overtime, using data from Sport England’s Active Lives Adults Survey.
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.
Income-based free school meals (FSM) aim to ensure disadvantaged school children have access to at least one healthy meal each day. Healthy, free meals at school help enable all children to have the same opportunities to learn and thrive, no matter where they grow up.
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.