Working together for a healthier, fairer Devon

Our priorities are:

• Creating positive futures for our young people.
• Supporting good health and reducing inequalities.
• Building stronger communities and safer places.

Alongside these three priorities, we have 12 objectives:

• Deliver Best Start in Life and Family Hub offer.
• Promote healthy,  inclusive education settings (schools, FE, universities).
• Improve babies, children’s and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
• Deliver the Healthy Child Programme.
• Deliver the National Smoke Free Programme.
• Promote healthy relationships and positive sexual health.
• Improve physical health and promote healthy food environments.
• Improve emotional health and well-being and prevent suicides.
• Work with communities to create the conditions for people to live well.
• Prevent and reduce harm from alcohol, drugs and other addictions.
• Protect and reduce risk from infectious diseases and environmental hazards.
• Advocate for the inclusion of equity and health in all policies.

Informed by evidence, intelligence and insight.

Commissioning support and quality improvement.

Reducing health inequalities by place and population.

Devon’s health and wellbeing challenges

There are 12 key challenges facing Devon, some of which are common across other areas of the country, but others that reflect the unique make up of our county.

• An ageing and growing population, with increasing long term conditions, co-morbidity and frailty.
• Climate change.
• Complex patterns of urban and rural deprivation.
• Housing quality and affordability.
• Economic resilience.
• Access to services including socio-economic and cultural barriers.
• Poor health caused by modifiable behaviours and earlier onset of health problems in more deprived areas.
• Varied education, training and employment opportunities, workforce availability and wellbeing.
• Unpaid care and associated health outcomes.
• Changing patterns of infectious diseases.
• Poor mental health and wellbeing, social isolation and loneliness.
• Pressure on services (especially unplanned care).

Life expectancy (at birth)

Life expectancy is not uniform across Devon.

Male life expectancy

Female life expectancy

The Devon inequalities gap

Life expectancy: 15 year difference

• Central Ilfracombe: 75 years
• Exmouth (Liverton): 90 years

Healthy life expectancy: 20 year difference

• Devonport: 52 years
• Exe Estuary: 72 years

Fuel poverty: nine-fold difference

• Penrose Street, Plymouth: 27.1% of households
• Ivybridge, Langham area: 3.0% of households

LTCs working age: 13-fold difference

• Stonehouse, Union Street, Plymouth: 10.8% of population
• Widecombe: 0.8% of population

Alcohol admissions: 14-fold difference

• North Hill, Plymouth: 2,915 per 100,000
• Chardstock: 202 per 100,000

Child poverty: Massive variations

• Union Street, Plymouth: 85.9% of children
• Wembury: 3.3% of children

Public health outcomes: Devon

Public health outcomes framework – Department of Health and Social Care

Overall outcomes for Devon are generally better than the national average. Several areas are, however, worse, especially for mental health, and children and young people.

The following indicators are significantly worse:

• School readiness (good level of development at end of reception).
• Pupil absence.
• First time offenders.
• Social isolation in carers.
• New birth visit completion.
• Hospital admissions for injuries.
• Self-harm admissions.
• Alcohol-related admissions.
• Health checks offered or received.
• Diabetes diagnosis rate.
• Chlamydia detection rate.
• HPV vaccination uptake.
• HIV late diagnosis.
• Mortality rate communicable diseases.
• Mortality rate SMI cohort.
• Suicide rate.
• Preventable sight loss.

Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan 2025 to 2029

The vision:

Building a positive future for Devon where everyone thrives.

We want every child, every person, every family, and every community in Devon to live well – with access to opportunity, services that improve, and a future shaped by aspiration, fairness, and resilience.

Read Devon Council’s Strategic Plan

Devon Public Health vision and mission

Working together for a healthier, fairer Devon.

We work with our communities and partners to help people live well.

We use evidence, insight and coproduction to design services.

We champion prevention, reduce unfair differences in health, and strengthen the conditions that enable all residents to thrive – now and for future generations.

Our three priorities and 12 objectives

Priority: Positive futures for our young people

Objective 1: Deliver Best Start in Life and Best Start Family Hubs across Devon

Actions:

• Undertake an early years health, development and inclusion needs assessment or review.
• Support healthy babies via infant feeding, perinatal mental health and infant relationships programmes.
• Implement the delivery plan for Best Start Family Hubs including outreach and parent or carer participation.
• Design targeted support for improved home learning environments and provision for children with additional support needs.
• Commission evidence-based parenting support.

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C33: Support young people to feel safe, included, and able to access local opportunities.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• Ensures services are coproduced with children, families and young people.
• Embed high standards, led by children, families and young people.
• Deliver inclusive compassionate services that meet needs early, reduce risk and improve outcomes.
• Ensure children grow up in stable homes built on love.

Objective 2: Promote healthy, inclusive education settings and communities (schools, further education, universities)

Actions:

• Produce range of insight and intelligence on children, young people and adolescent health and wellbeing.
• Undertake a school food health needs assessment (link to Food Strategy and school food environments grants).
• Design and deliver health and wellbeing guidance, support and training for Schools.
• Test and evaluate School Togetherness pilots.
• Links: Reduce health inequalities by working with communities (P3/Ob1).

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C33: Support young people to feel safe, included, and able to access local opportunities.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• Ensures services are coproduced with children, families and young people.
• Embed high standards, led by children, families and young people.
• Deliver inclusive compassionate services that meet needs early, reduce risk and improve outcomes.
• Ensure children grow up in stable homes built on love.

Objective 3: Improve babies, children’s and young people’s mental health and wellbeing

Actions:

• Produce range of insight and intelligence on young people and adolescent health and wellbeing for the Public Health Annual Report.
• Commission the Oral Health Improvement and supervised toothbrushing programmes.
• Work in partnership to support young people to feel safe, included, and able to access local opportunities.
• Review and evaluate the Youth Service Public Health offer and grants
• Links: Support healthy babies (P1/Ob1).

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C33: Support young people to feel safe, included, and able to access local opportunities.
• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• Ensures services are coproduced with children, families and young people.
• Embed high standards, led by children, families and young people.
• Deliver inclusive compassionate services that meet needs early, reduce risk and improve outcomes.
• Ensure children grow up in stable homes built on love.

Objective 4: Deliver the Healthy Child Programme

Actions:

• Delivery and quality improvement of universal and targeted health visiting and school nursing services (PHN).
• Review school nursing provision in line with updated Healthy Child Guidance and school/pupil insight.
• Delivery and evaluation of the Trauma Informed and Responsive Care project.
• Implement the new Clinical Management System and review business support for Public Health Nursing.
• Links: Best Start Family Hub (P1/Ob1).

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C33: Support young people to feel safe, included, and able to access local opportunities.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion (Stronger communities).
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• Ensures services are coproduced with children, families and young people.
• Embed high standards, led by children, families and young people.
• Deliver inclusive compassionate services that meet needs early, reduce risk and improve outcomes.
• Ensure children grow up in stable homes built on love.

Priority: Supporting good health and reducing inequalities

Objective 5: Deliver the National Smoke Free Programme

Actions:

• Ensure equitable access and a focus on priority groups across stop smoking services and activity.
• Develop a communication strategy and commission advertising and marketing activity.
• Coordinate and evaluate Smoke Free grants.
• Coordinate the Smoke Free Devon Alliance and support associated activity.

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion.

Objective 6: Promote healthy relationships, positive sexual health and wellbeing

Actions:

• Produce insight from young people on sexual health and wellbeing (including engagement/reach, at risk groups, attitudes to hormonal contraception).
• Undertake an HIV needs assessment and develop an HIV action plan.
• Commission test and learn workshops to support RSE/healthy relationships support.
• Support the development of the Sexual Health Partnership Board.
• Review and improve access to long-acting reversible contraception.
• Links: Healthy babies, children and young people (P1/Ob3).

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• Ensures services are coproduced with children, families and young people.
• Embed high standards, led by children, families and young people.

Objective 7: Improve population physical health and promote healthy food environments

Actions:

• Support the Devon Food Partnership and deliver food insecurity grants.
• Improve uptake of NCMP programme via targeted outreach and quality improvement.
• Development of an alcohol harm reduction programme.
• Lead system collaboration on cardiovascular disease prevention.
• Work with the Active Devon partnership to increase physical activity in the least active.
• Deliver training in behaviour change and nutrition (MECC/HENRY/alcohol/early years/schools).

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion.

Objective 8: Improve population emotional health and wellbeing and prevent suicides

Actions:

• Improve the Real Time Suicide Surveillance System.
• Deliver mental health awareness campaigns and training offer.
• Coordinate the CLASP suicide prevention community grants programme.
• Deliver year one of the Devon Suicide Prevention Strategy/delivery plan.
• Undertake an evidence review/evaluation of Men’s mental health.
• Links: Babies, Children and Young People mental health (P1/Ob3)

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion.
• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• C14: Building community capacity, empowerment and participation.

Priority: Stronger communities and safer places

Objective 9: Reduce health inequalities by working with communities to create the conditions for people to live well

Actions:

• Develop local areas profiles and insight tools to support targeted place-based working (coastal rural and urban clusters and neighbourhoods).
• Design integrated asset-based approaches to priority places (across public health, communities, libraries and family hubs).
• Support continuous learning via Test, Learn and Grow approaches in priority places.
• Support an ‘inclusion health’ and ‘building blocks of health’ approach in integrated neighbourhood health teams.
• Links: Reduce Health inequalities (across all objectives).

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• C14: Building community capacity, empowerment and participation.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C33: Support young people to feel safe, included, and able to access local opportunities.

Objective 10: Prevent and reduce harm from alcohol, drugs and other addiction-related drivers of harm

Actions:

• Lead implementation of the Devon Drug and Alcohol Strategic Partnership Delivery Plan.
• Lead the system response to drug and alcohol related deaths.
• Work with people with lived experience to inform services and our response to drug related harm.
• Develop a Devon and Peninsula wide Gambling Harm reduction programme funded by the Statutory Gambling Levy.
• Prepare for new drug and alcohol service contracts from April 2027 .
• Links: Alcohol harm (See P2/O3)

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C33: Enhance community safety and reduce harm through partnership working.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C14: Building community capacity, empowerment and participation.
• Ensures services are coproduced with children, families and young people.

Objective 11: Protect and reduce risk from infectious diseases and environmental hazards

Actions:

• Work with partners to ensure Devon has a safe and safe and resilient health protection system.
• Provide local public health advice and communications to prevent and reduce health protection risks in targeted settings and population groups (working with system partners).
• Maintain health protection capacity and expertise across the team.
• Contribute to climate adaptation, emergency preparedness and exercises to keep Devon safe.
• Support an inclusive system delivery of immunisation and screening programmes.

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion.
• C33: Enhance community safety and reduce harm through partnership working.

Objective 12: Advocate for the inclusion of health and equity in all policies and decision making (to improve the conditions in which people live)

Actions:

• Embed the Health in All Policies ‘Building Blocks of Health’ approach across Anchor institutions and the Combined County Authority (CCA).
• Provide system leadership that highlights the health impacts of housing quality, availability and affordability.
• Influence transport policy to maximise health, equity and climate co-benefits.
• Work in partnership to maximise the opportunities of ‘Good Work’ for health, and health for inclusive growth.
• Links: Reduce health inequalities (across all objectives).

Links to Devon County Council’s Strategic Plan (Commitments):

• C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.
• C32: Support voluntary and community organisations to build local resilience and inclusion.
• C14: Building community capacity, empowerment and participation.
• C34: Improve access to local health, wellbeing, and support services and infrastructure, especially in rural and coastal areas.

How we measure our impact

	Objectives (overarching)	PH Business Plan Outcome (PHOF) Measure Public Health Outcomes Framework | Fingertips | Department of Health and Social Care	PHOF FingerTips (FT)
LE	(Life expectancy Gap)	A02a Inequality in life expectancy at birth	Y
HLE	(Healthy Life Expectancy Gap)	A02b Inequality in health life expectancy at birth	Y
1.	Best Start in Life	B02a Children reaching Good level of development	Y
2.	Healthy education settings	Admissions for self harm (10-24 years) per 100k	FT
3.	CYP wellbeing	Hospital admission for dental caries (0-5 years)	FT
4	Healthy Child Programme	Proportion of 2-2.5 years receiving a developmental review %	FT/local
5.	Smoke Free	Proportion of local smoking population who set a quit date %	FT
6.	Physical health and Food	C26c eligible who received an NHS health check %	Y
7.	Positive sexual health	D07 HIV late diagnosis	Y
8.	Emotional mental health	E10 Suicide rate per 100k	Y
9.	Communities to live well	B19 – Loneliness: Percentage of adults who feel lonely often or always	Y
10	Alcohol/drug/addictions	Deaths from drug misuse (Persons) per 100k	FT
11.	Infectious disease/hazards	Emergency admissions for gastrointestinal infections (all age) per 100k population	FT
12.	Reduce poverty/inclusion	B01b Children in relative low income families	Y

Measures

Positive futures for our young people

C33: Support young people to feel safe, included, and able to access local opportunities.

• Children reaching Good level of development.
• Admissions for self harm (10-24 years) per 100k.
• Hospital admission for dental caries (0-5 years).
• Proportion of 2-2.5 years receiving a developmental review %.

Supporting good health and reducing health inequalities

C32: Improve access to local health and wellbeing services.
C26: Address poverty and health inequality through joint action.

• Proportion of local smoking population who set a quit date %.
• Eligible who received an NHS health check %.
• HIV late diagnosis.
• Suicide rate per 100k.

Building stronger communities and safer places

C34: Strengthen community cohesion and belonging.
C14: Build community capacity, empowerment and participation.

• Proportion of adults who feel lonely often or always %.
• Deaths from drug misuse (Persons) per 100k.
• Emergency admissions for gastrointestinal infections per 100k.
• Children in relative low income families.

Devon’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The Strategy sets out how Devon will work together to improve people’s health and wellbeing. Public Health in Devon support this system wide partnership, focussing on four key priorities from 2026/27.

Priorities

• Mental health and wellbeing.
• Start well, live well.
• Housing.
• Rural areas and access to services.

Core principles

Caring for people and places

Protecting health, places and access to nature. We are committed to ensuring everyone in Devon has clean air, safe water and access to green and blue spaces. This is about creating a healthier, more resilient future for all.

Opportunities for all

We want to make life fair for all. That means removing barriers and opening doors, so everyone has the same chances, no matter who they are, where they live or their background.

Roots for life

Support people to grow and thrive at every stage of life, developing strong roots in childhood that support all routes of life throughout adulthood and older age.

Engage and empower

We will work closely with people, listen well and act together. We will share ideas and build trust to ensure people in Devon have their voice shape decisions.

Read Devon’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2026 to 2035