Key organisations join forces for launch of new Director of Public Health annual report
Organisations across Cardiff and Vale came together for the formal launch of the new Director of Public Health annual report.
Held at the Cardiff City Stadium on April 28, the event was a chance to share the findings and recommendations from the DPH report - and accompanying Early Years Health Needs Assessment - and explore how partners could collaborate to improve outcomes for our youngest population.
Entitled ‘Prioritising the Early Years - Investing for the Future’, the report underscores the critical impact of early childhood (0 to five years) on lifelong health and community prosperity. It also highlights the widening gap in health outcomes between the most and least affluent areas of Cardiff and Vale.
The report outlines actionable recommendations, from strengthening childhood vaccination programmes, to enhancing support for breastfeeding, to investing in physical activity and nutrition programmes. You can read the report in full here.
Speakers on the day included colleagues from Play Wales, Cardiff and Vale UHB and its Youth Board, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff Council and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
They shared their knowledge and experience from their roles and inspired those in attendance to discuss ideas to take forward as actions for the Regional Partnership Board’s Starting Well Programme for oversight.
In the afternoon, the 75 attendees enjoyed a seated dance session with Rubicon Dance, which works locally with all ages in settings such as schools, health and social care.
Claire Beynon, Cardiff and Vale UHB’s Executive Director of Public Health, said: “I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who attended the event, especially the speakers for giving their time to share their expertise and knowledge to help guide our conversations.
“Every child deserves to thrive, which is why my report sets out how investing in the early years creates a foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing. The gap in health outcomes between our most and least deprived communities continues to grow and requires sustained attention and action.
"Health inequalities impact families across generations, affecting individual wellbeing and community prosperity.
“Focusing efforts on parents, babies and young children gives us the chance to provide the conditions which can promote good mental and physical wellbeing with the benefits experienced into adulthood.”
You can access the full Director of Public Health report via this link.