East Sussex Whole-system Healthy Weight Plan: Detailed action plan

Physical activity

Action area	Event level actions	System structures level actions	System goals level action	System beliefs level action
Developing and supporting the sport and physical activity workforce.	Deliver training and networking to help support the development of the sport and physical activity workforce to enable them to provide an enhanced, tailored and supportive offer to inactive individuals.	Sustain the active partnerships networks in Hastings and Rother and develop similar partnerships in other areas of East Sussex where they currently do not exist and where there is an identified need.	Increase the proportion of the professional workforce across East Sussex who have participated in professional development that will enhance their delivery of physical activity opportunities or the importance of physical activity.	The sport and physical activity workforce recognised the importance of professional development to support the ethos that ‘physical activity is for all’ allowing them to deliver a wide range of participation opportunities, allowing the population of East Sussex to find an option which best suits their personal preference and needs.
Supporting inactive people to become more active.	Providers offer affordable physical activity opportunities to encourage and support participation from those least likely to be active (e.g. disabled, LTC’s, older people, ethnically diverse people, women & girls) using local/national data and insight to target resources.	Utilise the development of leisure centres and other key community facilities across East Sussex to ensure that new and existing facilities are welcoming and appropriate for inactive individuals	Where appropriate, include measures to support inactive people to become more active within service level agreements /contracts.	Providers understand and embrace the benefits of delivering an offer which supports inactive individuals to become for active.
Increasing the number of people who walk or cycle for travel.	Deliver behaviour change programmes which support individuals across East Sussex to increase their knowledge, ability, and confidence to travel in an active and sustainable way using local/national data and insight to target resources.	Deliver the East Sussex Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan to improve and increase cycling and walking infrastructure networks, subject to available funding.	Develop and implement a Walking and Cycling Strategy for East Sussex which will support a range of national and local strategy documents related to transport, environment, economy & planning and social & health.	Walking and Cycling are the first choice for short journeys or as part of longer journeys for East Sussex residents.
Improving access to physical activity.	Provide easily accessible information to health care professionals on the range of local physical activity opportunities available to their clients.	Work with health and social care organisations across the system to embed physical activity into policies and processes.	Integrate physical activity into all relevant health and social care referral pathways.	The importance of physical activity is recognised across the health and social care system, at all levels (e.g. ICS, H&SC, NHS Trusts, CCG, PCN’s) , as a key part of a holistic approach to prevention and improving people’s physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.

Action area

Event level actions

System structures level actions

System goals level action

System beliefs level action

Developing and supporting the sport and physical activity workforce.

Deliver training and networking to help support the development of the sport and physical activity workforce to enable them to provide an enhanced, tailored and supportive offer to inactive individuals.

Sustain the active partnerships networks in Hastings and Rother and develop similar partnerships in other areas of East Sussex where they currently do not exist and where there is an identified need.

Increase the proportion of the professional workforce across East Sussex who have participated in professional development that will enhance their delivery of physical activity opportunities or the importance of physical activity.

The sport and physical activity workforce recognised the importance of professional development to support the ethos that ‘physical activity is for all’ allowing them to deliver a wide range of participation opportunities, allowing the population of East Sussex to find an option which best suits their personal preference and needs.

Supporting inactive people to become more active.

Providers offer affordable physical activity opportunities to encourage and support participation from those least likely to be active (e.g. disabled, LTC’s, older people, ethnically diverse people, women & girls) using local/national data and insight to target resources.

Utilise the development of leisure centres and other key community facilities across East Sussex to ensure that new and existing facilities are welcoming and appropriate for inactive individuals

Where appropriate, include measures to support inactive people to become more active within service level agreements /contracts.

Providers understand and embrace the benefits of delivering an offer which supports inactive individuals to become for active.

Increasing the number of people who walk or cycle for travel.

Deliver behaviour change programmes which support individuals across East Sussex to increase their knowledge, ability, and confidence to travel in an active and sustainable way using local/national data and insight to target resources.

Deliver the East Sussex Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan to improve and increase cycling and walking infrastructure networks, subject to available funding.

Develop and implement a Walking and Cycling Strategy for East Sussex which will support a range of national and local strategy documents related to transport, environment, economy & planning and social & health.

Walking and Cycling are the first choice for short journeys or as part of longer journeys for East Sussex residents.

Improving access to physical activity.

Provide easily accessible information to health care professionals on the range of local physical activity opportunities available to their clients.

Work with health and social care organisations across the system to embed physical activity into policies and processes.

Integrate physical activity into all relevant health and social care referral pathways.

The importance of physical activity is recognised across the health and social care system, at all levels (e.g. ICS, H&SC, NHS Trusts, CCG, PCN’s) , as a key part of a holistic approach to prevention and improving people’s physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.

Food

Action area	Event level actions	System structures level actions	System goals level action	System beliefs level action
Improving diet and nutrition in new-born and young children.	Provide accessible information to parents and carers of new-born and young children on the importance of early years nutrition /infant feeding.	Support front line early years practitioners (across a range of settings) to consistently provide advice and resources on early years nutrition/infant feeding (to include training, development of policies, etc) as part of their role.	ESHT Maternity Services achieve Level 3 Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) accreditation by December 2023. Health Visiting and Children Centres (Early Help Service 0-19) maintain Level 3 BFI accreditation. As part of the Healthy Active Little Ones (HALO) programme: 60% of early years settings achieve the HALO Award or HALO Excellence Award (or improvement in line with specified award criteria) by July 2024.	Parents see human milk as the norm for babies. Nutrition is fundamental for good health and development during the early years of life.
Creating a healthy eating environment.	Promote the benefits of cooking and/or eating healthier food and harm caused by unhealthy food.	Work with local food outlets and food banks to improve access to healthier food.	Develop and roll out a healthy food charter which recognises achievements made by food outlets to improve access to healthier food.	Healthy food is the preferred choice, whether eating in or out of the home.
Tackling food poverty and building food security .	Provide a wide range of opportunities for individuals and families living in food poverty to learn about nutrition, growing your own, food shopping, healthier cooking on a budget and reducing food waste.	Establish local food partnerships across East Sussex, which focus on all elements of food security, including food poverty, food waste and local / community food production and distribution.	Develop and implement food security action plans within each district and borough of East Sussex, which reflect local need and context, and are co-produced with members of the local community.	People recognise that everyone should always have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Healthy eating with a Long-Term Condition (LTC).	Provide a range of educational opportunities for people newly diagnosed with an LTC. Promote the education using a variety of mediums and imaginative approaches to reach underrepresented groups, such as developing links to faith and community groups.	Offer digital structured education to people with an LTC within one month of diagnosis and invite them to register for Patients Know Best, the Sussex patient portal which provides supplementary information to compliment the education related to local services and support.	20-40% of people diagnosed with an LTC, attend structured education, with PCNs with the highest level of deprivation and communities of ethnically diverse people to achieve a target of >=20%.	People feel knowledgeable about their condition and want to make informed choices about their diet and take control of their own health.

Environment

Action area	Event level actions	System structures level actions	System goals level action	System beliefs level action
Embedding healthy weight activity within education settings.	Create and share resources through education settings which provide information on local physical activity opportunities and support parents/carers to be active with their children at home. Deliver cookery programmes within education settings (as stand-alone or as part of broader weight management programmes). Promote healthy weight messages as part of the curriculum.	Support education settings to adopt a ‘whole school’ approach to healthy weight, to include the development of relevant policies, incorporating healthy eating and physical activity across the curriculum, provision of professional development opportunities, facilitating pupil voice, and effective partnerships with external agencies.	Education settings engage in established programmes /accreditation schemes which recognise their commitment to adopting and embedding a ‘whole school’ approach to healthy weight. As part of the East Sussex Healthy Schools Programme, 75% of schools achieve self-validated Healthy Schools status by July 2024. As part of the Healthy Active Little Ones (HALO) programme: 60% of early years settings achieve the HALO Award or HALO Excellence Award (or improvement in line with specified award criteria) by July 2024.	Supporting children and young people to develop a healthy and active lifestyle is fundamental to their future life chances (e.g. child development, attainment, future health and wellbeing outcomes, employment, etc).
Creating a healthier weight environment.	Support partners to implement improvements to local areas which promote a ‘healthier weight’ environment.	Work with the local planning authorities to embed a ‘health in all policies’ approach into their planning processes e.g. health impact assessments, design guides, supplementary planning documents, etc. which support a ‘healthier weight’ environment.	Develop and implement a ‘creating healthy places’ strategic framework for the county which supports a health into place approach.	All organisations with responsibility for planning in East Sussex recognise and prioritise getting ‘health into place’ in their local areas.
Utilising outdoor space for exercising and health reasons.	Encourage usage of East Sussex’s natural green and blue environment’s, both urban and rural, through the delivery of targeted activities and appropriate and effective promotion.	Organisations with responsibility for managing outdoor spaces include health-related activities within plans, policies and strategies which help to support a healthy weight.	Organisations with responsibility for outdoor spaces sign up to a Quality Charter that includes access, promotion, and safety.	People see public spaces as their space and a place where they can achieve positive health outcomes.
Healthier weight in the workplace.	Promote and provide opportunities to employees (and volunteers) to support maintenance or achievement of a healthy weight.	Employers develop and implement policies that support employees to support maintenance or achievement of a healthy weight as part of their working day.	Employers sign up to the East Sussex Workplace Accreditation Scheme.	Employees and employers believe that the workplace environment has a role in supporting health and wellbeing.