The Leicester JSNA Programme

Overview

The preparation and production of  joint need assessments to inform prioritisation and commissioning  is currently a statutory responsibility for Directors of Public Health, Children’s and Adult Services through the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.  This responsibility is likely to shift to the new Health and Wellbeing Board, likely to be established in shadow form later in 2011, as a result of the white paper, Equity and Excellence (2010).

 In Leicester plans are underway for a JSNA programme which will inform:

• the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy of the Health and Wellbeing Board which will lay out the key strategic priorities to improve health and well-being in the city

• detailed commissioning plans in specific prioritised areas to be approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board

Approach

The JSNA programme consists of two types of need assessment:

• Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) - which integrates a range of data and information and identifies needs of broad strategic importance to the health and well-being of the city. The purpose of this is to inform and underpin the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Currently there is this type of JSNA for Adults (2008) and for  Children and Young People (2011). The development of a new high level Adults JSNA is underway.

• Joint Specific Need Assessment (JSpNA) - detailed assessments of need, trends, current performance against evidence of effectiveness, models and other factors, to inform detailed commissioning for addressing specific elements of the health and well-being of the population, e.g. dementia,  smoking, cardiovascular disease, end of life care.  Two such needs assessments are underway, one on Dementia and one on Alcohol and Drugs. 

A JSNA Project Board has been established to agree and deliver a programme of prioritised needs assessments which will inform policy development and commissioning activities in the city.  The Board will also ensure that needs assessments are accessible and useful to those who need them, principally commissioners, and updated on a regular basis. Currently the remit embraces health, social care and children’s needs assessments.

To read about the JSNA Programme in Leicester, please download the progress report .

Please Note

The Coalition Government proposals referred to in the progress report are still subject to change, with the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 still going through parliament (17 January 2012).   

^{Last updated: or checked: 17 January 2012}