|
North Down and Ards Locality
North Down & Ards Locality covers the geographic
area of the two Borough Councils of Ards and North Down.
Ards
Ards, situated on the shores of Strangford Lough and the
Irish Sea is an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is
one of the fastest growing local government districts in Northern
Ireland with a population of 73,244 (Census, 2001). The area
has a higher than Northern Ireland average population of older
people (65+) eg Ards 14%, NI 13.26%. The NI Measures of Deprivation
ranks Ards as 22 out of the 26 District Councils (where 1
is most deprived).
North Down
North Down sits on the southern shores of Belfast Lough,
combining attractive coast and countryside with many natural
assets. The population is 76,323 (Census, 2001) and similar
to Ards has a higher than Northern Ireland average number
of older people (65+) of 16.4%. The NI Measures of Deprivation
ranks North Down as 26, the least deprived District Council
area in Northern Ireland.
The local Partnership operates on three key levels:
- “Wellnet” web site virtual network (enabling
any organisation within the area to register their work
in health & wellbeing and view the work of others).
It also provides information on activities and resources
available.
- “Communities of Interest” (individuals and
organisations who come together around a specific issue)
are based around the seven objectives of the IfH Strategy.
- “Integrated Planning” for health and wellbeing
with a number of statutory, voluntary, community and private
agencies within North Down & Ards.
The main thrust of the strategy is to influence the existing
resources within the area (both financial and human) to achieve
improvements in the health & wellbeing of the local population.
However, since 2003 there has been £192,000 additional
resources invested from DHSSPS in the locality to support
the implementation of the strategy and a further £50,000
will be placed recurrently from April 2006-March 2008.
Meetings
The Health Improvement Plan Partnership meets 2-3 times
per year. The partnership consists of members from community,
voluntary and statutory organisations.
Purpose
The purpose of North Down & Ards Investing for Health
Partnership is to drive the implementation of the Investing
for Health Strategy through integrated planning and sharing
of information, resources and learning.
Vision
To significantly improve the health & well-being of
the communities of North Down and Ards and to reduce inequalities
in health.
Lorraine Lindsay
Investing for Health Manager
(North Down & Ards)
Investing for Health Department,
c/o Ards Hospital,
Church Street,
Newtownards
BT23 7ZJ
Tel. No. 028 9151 0199
Fax: 028 9182 0140
|
