Unit seeks to ‘mainstream’ prevention across services

As part of a change in policy, a Health and Wellbeing Division was established last year as part of a shift from simply treating sick people to keeping them healthy in the first place.

Stephanie O’Keeffe, the division’s national director, stressed the costs of alcohol misuse, tobacco-related illnesses and obesity and the need to tackle those problems. She said the aim was to “mainstream” prevention and health improvement throughout healthcare and social care services.

“We have a health promotion and improvement service which is really aiming to embed preventative health measures in our services. We need to be as preoccupied about health as we are about hospitals.”