In early 2013, the government launched a nationwide framework for action, ‘Healthy Ireland’, to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Ireland. This was a direct response to increasing levels of chronic illness, lifestyle behaviours that negatively impact health, and persistent health inequalities.
Healthy Ireland is a broad framework of actions being undertaken by government departments, public sector organisations, businesses, communities and individuals to improve health and wellbeing and reduce the risks posed to future generations.
The Vision for Healthy Ireland is: ‘A Healthy Ireland, where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and wellbeing to their full potential, where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society and is everyone’s responsibility’.
Healthy Ireland identified four central goals for improved health and wellbeing:
• Increase the proportion of people who are healthy at all stages of life
• Reduce health inequalities
• Protect the public from threats to health and wellbeing
• Create an environment where every individual and sector can play their part in achieving a healthy Ireland
In 2016, the Ireland East Hospital Group (IEHG) launched its Healthy Ireland Implementation Plan with a view to empowering patients and staff to take the positive actions necessary to improve their health and wellbeing and to reduce the burden of chronic disease in Ireland.
The IEHG Healthy Ireland Implementation Plan can be viewed here:
The aim of the IEHG Healthy Ireland Implementation Plan is to create an environment where patients, staff and the wider community will be supported to live healthy and active lifestyles and to reach their health potential.
The priorities identified by IEHG include:
• Physical Environment: Provide the facilities and a supportive environment to enable staff and patients to make healthier choices
• Staff Health and Wellbeing: Promoting staff wellness and resilience
• Partnership: With community and other relevant organisations
• Patient Health and Wellbeing: Reduce the rate of growth in chronic illness
In order to deliver on these priorities, IEHG established a dedicated Healthy Ireland Steering Committee. Each hospital has also put in place local Healthy Ireland committees which link in with the IEHG committee.
These local committees have been working diligently to develop and champion Healthy Ireland initiatives within their hospitals.
Some of the successful initiatives to date include:
Healthy Ireland provides a wide range of publications, resources and links for those looking to develop positive health-related change in their workplace, community or personal lives.
Visit the Healthy Ireland website for more information: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/healthy-ireland/
Key areas include:
Information can also be found via the Healthy Ireland pages on the HSE website: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/healthwellbeing/healthy-ireland/
If you would like more information on Healthy Ireland initiatives within the Ireland East Hospital Group (IEHG) and its individual hospitals, please contact: [email protected]