It is a statutory responsibility of councils and CCGs now ICBs to jointly produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) of local health and wellbeing needs (Health and Social Care Act 2012). Responsibility for the JSNA rests with the Health and Wellbeing Board, and the results of the JSNA inform the joint health and wellbeing strategy when setting out their priorities for collective action.

The JSNA seeks to identify current and future health and wellbeing needs in the local population. The results help identify strategic priorities which inform the commissioning of services and activities based on these key areas of need.

Our JSNA recognises that only 10% of our health and wellbeing is affected by healthcare and that being healthy and well starts before we might need help from doctors or other caregivers. It starts at home, school, and in the community. It even includes the streets and parks where we play. The conditions of these things can affect our ability to make healthy choices and live healthy lives.

For example, having a safe and nice home can make us feel secure and in control. This helps us sleep better and reduces stress and feel happier and more stable. Being connected to family, friends, and our community is really important too. It makes us happier and helps us live longer. When we feel connected, we have fewer problems with our physical and mental health.

Therefore, our place-based survey has a strong focus on what makes somewhere a good place to live, what are the biggest concerns and what can be most improved.

The term JSNA can be broken down as follows:

Joint – carried out in partnership by health, local authorities and community and voluntary organisations working together to find information on areas of need and concerns and the solutions for these.

Strategic – identify the ‘big picture’ of the health and wellbeing needs and differences across Shropshire. They do not try to find out the needs of individual people.

Needs – set out to find what people need to help improve their health and wellbeing and identify where these needs are not being met or are unsatisfactory.

Assessment – people’s knowledge, experience, and opinions together with a wide range of data are used to find out what their current and future needs are. Data sources include the Census, GPs, voluntary and community organisations, hospital admissions, social services, housing, education, leisure, and police.

The JSNA is for everyone but will primarily be used by health and social care commissioners and service providers. It is also very useful for voluntary and community organisations, educational organisations, and members of the public, as a source of evidence to support funding bids and business cases.