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Our responsibility for public health

The council is responsible for promoting and protecting the health and wellbeing of people in St Helens.

Public health is about helping people to stay healthy and avoid getting ill. This includes work on a whole range of areas such as physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing, sexual health, preventing infections, drugs and alcohol, tobacco smoking and more. 

Public health produces a number of reports and needs assessments:

Public Health Annual Report

Every year, the Director of Public Health publishes an annual report sharing some of the work the department has undertaken to help improve the health and wellbeing of people in St Helens. The theme of the latest report is 'Bridging the Inequalities Divide':

The theme of the report for 2020-21 was perspectives of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)

The JSNA shows the current and future health needs of people in St Helens. Recent reports have focused on mortality and inequalities:

Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA)

The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) presents a local picture of community pharmacies and pharmaceutical services in St Helens, how these services are currently delivered and what the current and potential need is for pharmacy services in St Helens.

The PNA is a statutory document and is used by NHS England when they are reviewing any applications for new pharmacy provision or approving any changes to existing pharmacies e.g. if they want to move premises or provide more pharmacy services.

Active Lives Strategy

The St Helens Active Lives Strategy 2022-2027 sets out to achieve the vision "To work in partnership to increase levels of physical activity across the whole population of St Helens Borough, whilst maximising opportunities for people experiencing inequality to participate in activities". The Active Lives Strategy focuses on the following seven themes:

  • Active leadership
  • Active communities
  • Active health and social care
  • Active environments and facilities
  • Active young people
  • Actively inclusive
  • Actively demonstrating success

View the  St Helens Active Lives Strategy 2022-2027 (PDF) [8MB] (opens new window)

    Please read the St Helens Public Health Privacy Notice, which explains how we use health data in St Helens Borough Council.