Bristol's Changing Health Landscape. Part I.

Bristol’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Does anyone understand the changes to the current health sector? I come into contact with it through work every day, and still have a hard time understanding what is happening. I know some processes are only being established, but I think it will be useful to go over the likes of CCGs and Healthwatch and various strategies to understand where that leaves me and you as service users.

This post will be the first of a series of posts on the changing health landscape in Bristol, in particular when it concerns women.

Bristol’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2013-2018 is not only “fit for the future”, but also available in the future, because right now only a draft for consultation is available. The consultation ended on May 10 of 2013. To me, the strategy reads a bit weak, with broad goals and objectives, and very little clarity of how we are going to get there. How are we going to “become a city where health inequalities are reducing”? I think those who drafted it should look a bit more into developing SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) priorities.


Overall, I’m struggling to find a single reference to women in this document. The only time gender is mentioned is when discussing domestic abuse and other gender based violence. Sexual exploitation of young people is left genderless. There is reference to inequality and child poverty, which could be interpreted as including women’s issues, but it’s not explicit enough. Most inequalities mentioned are postcode inequalities and child poverty. These are rightly mentioned because we are a city with the highest child poverty in the region and a 9 year difference in life expectancy in different regional of the city.

But at the same time a strategy on health and wellbeing should spell out (loud and clear) such priorities as women only services – because we know they work, FGM – because we know how bad it is when midwifes do not know about the practice, trafficking – because we know it is happening in the city.

When these concepts become embedded in our local strategy,  they can become a solid foundation for women cantered health and wellbeing services in the city. That’s when I can be confident that it will shape the way the GP or the health visitor or the midwife support you, me, and my daughters.