Findings from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and public consultation are used to produce a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy through Worcestershire's Health and Wellbeing Board.

Directors of Public Health in England have a statutory requirement to write an Annual Public Health Report on the health of their population.

The Director of Public Health Annual Report (PDF) is a vehicle for informing local people about the health of their community, as well as providing necessary information for decision makers in local health services and authorities on health gaps and priorities that need to be addressed.

A Health Impact Assessment is an assessment which ensures that the effect of development on both health and health inequalities of the local population are considered and responded to during the planning process. 

In March 2015, the Worcestershire Health Improvement Group, a sub-group of the Health and Well-being Board, adopted the development of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) as a tool for use in influencing the planning process across Worcestershire. Since then, the Public Health team is supporting Worcestershire County Council (WCC) to enable Local Planning Authorities to take this approach forward through policy and delivery routes.

A Health Impact Assessment in Planning Toolkit has been developed to enable planners to embed health impact considerations in their practice.  

The Toolkit aims to aid the preparation of HIAs in planning related projects, including the development of planning policy and planning applications. It provides guidance on the HIA process and demonstrates how it can be used. It also helps to identify aspects of the built environment which impact the health of Worcestershire's residents. 

• Health Impact Assessment in Planning Toolkit
• Health Impact Assessment Checklist for Planning Applications

The following external websites contain useful information relating to health and wellbeing:

• Department of Health
• Health and Social Care Information Centre
• Health Knowledge
• Healthwatch Worcestershire
• Healthwatch England
• National Child and Maternal Health Intelligence Network (CHIMAT)
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
• NHS England
• Public Health England
• Public Health England Local Health
• Public Health England Data and Knowledge Gateway
• Public Health Glossary
• The Kings Fund

Public Health Evidence websites

• NICE Evidence Search - provides access to selected and authoritative evidence in health, social care and public health.
• Cochrane Library - is a collection of six databases that contain different types of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making.  Cochrane systematic reviews are considered “gold standard” evidence. 
• Social Care Online- is the UK's largest online database of information on all aspects of social work and social care. It includes legislation, government documents, practice and guidance, systematic reviews, research briefings, UK grey (informally-published) literature, books, text books and journal articles.
• Campbell Collaboration - is an international research network that produces systematic reviews of the effects of social interventions in Crime & Justice, Education, International Development, and Social Welfare
• Health Systems Evidence - is a repository of syntheses of research evidence about governance, financial and delivery arrangements within health systems, and about implementation strategies that can support change in health systems. 
• Worcestershire County Council Search Strategy - This search strategy can be used to help guide and document data and evidence searches for specific projects. It is not intended to be over-prescriptive or to be worked through systematically if some sections are not relevant.