Looking back over the original papers that set out Thrive Plymouth in the first instance, there is much that has remained the same – our strong focus on the four factors that lead to premature deaths, namely smoking, eating unhealthy diets, drinking too much alcohol and not being physically active, and the recognition that all of us can benefit from making small changes, wherever our starting point.
Thrive Plymouth always recognised the impact of the wider determinants of health; where you live, the relationships that you have with others, your work and your income, and the wider societal issues around you. But our understanding of these wider determinants has strengthened.
Some of the key areas where Thrive Plymouth has evolved includes;
- We have consciously moved away from the language of behaviours and lifestyles unless recognising the context.
- This means a move away from the word ‘choice’; language is important, and use of the word ‘choice’ is really only appropriate when comparing like with like. Some people have almost unlimited choice; some have barely any. Some people are forced to make choices to prioritise their children going to bed without hunger over long term health goals.
- Mental health and wellbeing has become a central pillar of Thrive Plymouth
- Understanding and appreciating the role that mental health and wellbeing plays on our resilience to the challenges that life throws at us, and ability to lead healthier lives.
- Trauma informed – as a city, we have recognised the impact of trauma; the way in which experiences in our past, especially our childhood, can change the way in which our brain chemistry works.
- Using appreciative enquiry to understand more about what is important to people
- Developed the community support – each year of Thrive Plymouth has grown partners, wellbeing hubs, community empowerment, Covid response
In widening out to the context we have also involved more of our directorate and our partners
In October 2023, we will enter the tenth year of Thrive Plymouth. We are working on a more in depth review of the outcomes from Thrive Plymouth; clearly, there are multiple factors which influence our lifestyle and our health, which cannot be cancelled out by a programme such as this and so it is not as simple as comparing these factors before Thrive Plymouth and now. The impact of national policies on health and life expectancy, a global pandemic and an economic downturn have all played a very significant role. However, there are a number of factors that we can surmise about Thrive Plymouth;
- Many organisations across the city have come together around this clear ambition, producing a diverse and strong partnership. There is a shared ownership of the problem, and a willingness for diverse organisations to work together and to give of their time freely towards this aim
- Our partners are all aware of the importance of tackling inequalities, of some of the barriers and difficulties faced by some of our communities, and also of many of the interventions that can and do help
- Programmes such as our Wellbeing Hubs, Social Prescribing, Community Builders and Volunteering have been developed using Thrive Plymouth to focus our attention on the factors that influence health
- Plymouth has a coherence to the work being carried out to achieve its ambition, through Thrive Plymouth. This sense of a coherent programme has supported us in seeking funding from various sources
- The funding for Thrive Plymouth is negligible, at around £5k per year. No one is employed specifically to run Thrive Plymouth, we see it as a part of all of the roles within the Public Health team.
I will therefore be recommending formally in the near future that Thrive Plymouth is continued for the foreseeable future.