Prevention is key to a healthy East Midlands

The future of healthcare across the East Midlands has come under the spotlight at a special conference which was held recently.

More than 70 policy-makers, leaders and professionals from across the region were encouraged to explore and co-create a vision for a preventative health system across the region.

Delegates at Healthy East Midlands – shifting the system towards prevention at all levels attended a series of workshops, looking at what future success meant to them and how they could achieve it, including tackling the barriers and obstacles in the way.

Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, was among the speakers at the event, co-hosted by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) and NHS Confederation at Derby’s Reach Conference Centre which was held on 22nd October.

Emphasising the need for a system focused on prevention rather than crisis care, the Mayor told delegates: “We can’t sustain a system which sees hospitals as the only priority when it comes to care.

“Years of cuts to local government under previous administrations have left our communities threadbare – not just when it comes to care packages, but in the fabric of communities that allows for people to congregate, connect, and look after one another. If we really want to prevent people living lives of isolation, ill health, and fragility, it is there we must start.

“We are talking about a locally led and accountable system where individuals, communities, and regions can use their connections and assets to nurture good health for all. The East Midlands deserves nothing less.”

Attendees, representing a range of institutions including councils and universities, as well as health trusts and boards, heard from speakers who highlighted both the current state of health in the region and community-led initiatives already making a difference.

Mayor Claire, who has a background in health leadership, said: “Health remains a top priority for me. I’ve always intended to take a more active role in the health system, because I see the potential to bring together leadership across health, care, and wellbeing, and connect it with the wider building blocks of health.

“Prevention is fundamental. It affects every part of our lives and every part of our region, and it demands that we work together in new ways to solve old problems. A joined-up health system allows us to intervene earlier, support people better, and reduce the strain on crisis services. It’s about improving lives, not just treating illness.

“It was wonderful to bring people together to co-design the future of care - to listen, learn, and build something better together. I want us to begin shaping EMCCA’s offer to support the delivery of an integrated health system which builds on the work already being delivered and I’m committed to acting on what people tell us.”