December 2021 highlight report

Contents

• Priority 1 – supporting people live healthy lives
• Priority 2 - supporting mental health and emotional wellbeing
• Priority 3 - supporting people to reach their potential
• Communications update

Priority 1 – supporting people live healthy lives

Impact summary

Improved physical health through the prevention of physical ill-health and the promotion of physical well-being

Outcomes by 2030:

• People have a healthy weight and are active
• Substance misuse is low (drugs/alcohol & smoking)
• The needs of those experiencing multiple disadvantages are met
• Serious conditions and diseases are prevented
• People are supported to live well independently for as long as possible

Who is leading this?

Priority sponsor (interim) - Ruth Hutchinson, Director of Public Health, Surrey County Council (SCC)

Programme manager - Helen Tindall, Policy and Programme Manager, Surrey County Council

For more information on the performance of individual programmes and projects within this priority such as progress against key milestones please contact the relevant programme manager via healthandwellbeing@surreycc.gov.uk

What will be different for people in Surrey?

The Community Vision for Surrey describes what residents and partners think Surrey should look like by 2030: By 2030 we want Surrey to be a uniquely special place where everyone has a great start to life, people live healthy and fulfilling lives, are enabled to achieve their full potential and contribute to their community, and no one is left behind.

In light of the community vision and the vital role, communities and staff/ organisations in the health and care system play in its delivery, the strategy sets out Surrey's priorities for improving health and wellbeing across the population and with targets for the next 10 years. It identifies specific groups of people who suffer higher health inequalities and who may therefore need more help.
It also outlines how we need to collaborate so we can drive these improvements at the pace and scale required.

Priority 1 currently focuses on enabling and empowering residents to lead physically healthier lives. This priority area is entirely focused on prevention, removing barriers and supporting people to become proactive in improving their physical health. Priority 1 programmes include those which are:

• Working to reduce obesity, excess weight rates and physical inactivity
• Supporting prevention and treatment of substance misuse, including alcohol
• Ensuring that everybody lives in good and appropriate specialist housing
• Promoting prevention to decrease incidence of harm due to the experience of multiple disadvantage, serious conditions and diseases
• Improving environmental factors that impact people's health and wellbeing
• Living independently and dying well

How has collaborative working between Health & Well-Being (HWB) Board organisations added value and contributed to the achievement of the outcomes?

There has been significant success in sharing drug alert and awareness information through the 'Drug Related Harm Prevention Forum'. This group has grown to over one-hundred front line workers and partners in the county who are now subscribed. Alerts and information sharing regarding risk and harm are reaching far and wide across the system. This has led to a significant improvement in prompt communications with partners, principally police partners and drug liaison officers so that shared intelligence is escalated and distributed rapidly when required.

A North-West Surrey Community Practice pilot is currently working well to bring together staff in North-West Surrey working in a wellbeing role. The pilot has brought together Social Prescribing Link Workers, Care Coordinators, Health and Wellbeing Coaches, Hospital Discharge Officers, Social Care Development Coordinators and many more. Staff are from various organisations, including the Voluntary Sector, Districts & Boroughs and the Frailty Hub. Meetings take place for two hours every quarter and enable staff to
understand each other's roles and create a shared narrative. The pilot is also enabling the sharing of learning and the creation of a Social Prescribing eco-system.

New strategies

The Physical Activity Strategy, Movement for Change, has been signed off. A virtual launch event for the Physical Activity Strategy launch took place on 22 September with just over 100 people in attendance. Work is ongoing with resident panels to ensure we have community engagement for the Physical Activity Strategy and to check and challenge our progress with residents.

• The Commissioning Strategy for Older People 2021-2030 has been drafted and is pending final sign-off at Cabinet on 30 November.
• Colleagues in Children's Services are in the process of drafting the Young Carers Strategy.

What has been achieved this quarter under refreshed priority 1 outcomes?

People have a healthy weight and are active

• Surrey Heath's Whole System Approach (WSA) to Obesity continues to progress. A survey has been circulated to Surrey Heath residents and around 400 replies were received. Analysis will be completed by University of Surrey final year students. We are on track with the local mapping of obesity data, identifying key groups and localities and are aiming for a finish date of December.
• One You Surrey adult weight management programme was launched on the 13 September. One You Surrey are now delivering an integrated health behaviour service consisting of stop smoking, weight management and NHS health check services.
• Adult weight management pilot has been launched with One You Surrey and Surrey and Borders Partnership (SABP) for people engaged with mental health services.

Substance misuse is low (drugs/alcohol/smoking)

The first formalised 'Overdose Awareness' campaign was rolled out to align with International Overdose Awareness Day on the 31
August. The campaign has been incredibly successful in raising general awareness of our harm reduction services.

• In conjunction with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), and using funding received through Public Health England's (PHE's) universal grant, we have secured designated substance misuse workers to work alongside police and probation colleagues in supporting those at risk of re-offending. This provides targeted interventions to those entrenched in the criminal justice system and offers diversionary opportunities to those engaged in the Police's Checkpoint Plus
  Programme.
• The South-East E-cigarette position statement was announced in July 2021 and shared across Surrey.

The needs of those experiencing multiple disadvantage are met

• Surrey has a capital allocation grant of £2.9M of Local Authority Delivery (LAD2) funding to improve the energy efficiency rating of a range of properties. Delivery plans for this money are currently being determined.
• Further development of the Crisis Fund is taking place with the enhancement of the Debit Card Scheme and other offers to help people in need this winter.
• The self-contained cabins in Surrey Heath have provided crisis accommodation for 14 individuals including individuals known to Surrey Adults Matter. Trauma-informed, person-centred care and support are being provided.
• Nine new Housing First units were opened in Surrey, offering intensive trauma -informed care and support to those with multiple disadvantage.

Serious conditions and diseases are prevented

• Since changes have been made to payments, uptake of cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening in priority groups has increased.
• One You Surrey are launching a remote carers health check, components of which will focus on CVD. Carers will be invited to book a face-to-face health check if they would like one. The health check is designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. It will also look at the wider health concerns faced by carers such as sleep deprivation.

Living and dying well

• The Carers Service launched a Staff Carers Passport on the 24 September 2021. The passport is a way to support working carers.
• According to Carers UK, Surrey are the best performers in the country for the Carers Covid Vaccination Programme. Around 89% of our carers are fully vaccinated.
• The Learning Disability and Autism Reablement Service went live at the beginning of August.
• The Reablement Service is currently recruiting a Mental Health Occupation Therapist and Mental Health Reablement Workers.
• The Collaborative Reablement Service went live on the 1 October. The service will help to build capacity and to ensure an equal offer between community and hospital referrals.

In the spotlight: Changing Futures

Surrey has been awarded £2.8m as one of the fifteen partners for the national Changing Futures Programme which looks to "improve systems and services in order to achieve better outcomes for people with multiple disadvantage plus their families and support groups." A person with multiple disadvantage will have three of more of the following issues:

• Mental health
• Substance misuse
• Contact with criminal justice system
• Victim/perpetrator of domestic abuse
• Homeless or at risk of homelessness

350 participants across Surrey, including those with lived experience and stakeholders across the system, were engaged with to create a 'Theory of Change' that informed the Changing Futures bid. Feedback showed that: the voice of the service user is not always heard; unrealistic expectations are made of service users; the systems into mental health and substance misuse are complex; the timelines to receive support are too long; people are often sent up blind alleys and professionals do not always understand what is available.

One of the aims of the Changing Futures Programme is that the culture of the whole system, including all work practices and settings, reflect a trauma-informed approach. Our goal is that all services will understand trauma, its effects and survivor adaptations. Surrey has received money for trauma-informed, person-centred outreach services for the most complex clients
(utilising community assets). Money has also been allocated for clinical psychological consultant support for homeless and domestic abuse charity outreach workers.

In Surrey, we will look at technology-enabled solutions for those experiencing multiple disadvantage, including integrated case management and therapeutic robotics. We will also be developing lived experience and peer mentoring networks.

Changing Futures hopes to provide assistance for 300 beneficiaries per year. This would include pre-SAM and SAM clients and those who have experienced domestic abuse. Changing Futures will work closely with Surrey Adults Matter (SAM) and the multi-agency group to tackle multiple disadvantage (MAG). SAM arranges bespoke, person-centred support for complex clients as part of the national Making Every Adult Matter programme (MEAM) and aims to reduce re-offending. The estimated average cost to the system of one SAM client is £1m in adult life.

For more information, please contact Collette Le Van Gilroy at Collette.leVanGilroy@surreycc.gov.uk.

Priority 2 – supporting mental health and emotional wellbeing

Impact summary

Improved mental health through prevention of mental ill-health and the promotion of emotional well-being.

Outcomes by 2030

• People with depression, anxiety and mental health issues have access the right early help and resources
• The emotional wellbeing of parents and caregivers, babies and children is supported
• Isolation is prevented and those that feel isolated are supported

Who is leading this?

• Priority co-sponsors - Professor Helen Rostill, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Therapies, Surrey and Borders Partnership ​
• Programme manager - Kirsty Slack, Policy and Programme Manager, Surrey County Council

For more information on the performance of individual programmes and projects within this priority such as progress against key milestones please contact the relevant programme manager via healthandwellbeing@surreycc.gov.uk

What will be different for people in Surrey?

The community vision for Surrey describes what residents and partners think Surrey should look like by 2030: By 2030 we want Surrey to be a uniquely special place where everyone has a great start to life, people live healthy and fulfilling lives, are enabled to achieve their full potential and contribute to their community, and no one is left behind.

In light of the community vision and the vital role, communities and staff/ organisations in the health and care system play in its delivery, the strategy sets out Surrey's priorities for improving health and wellbeing across the population and with targets for the next 10 years. It identifies specific groups of people who experience greater inequalities in health and who may therefore need more help and outlines how we need to collaborate so we can drive these improvements at the pace and scale required.

Priority two of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy focuses on enabling and empowering our citizens to lead emotionally healthier lives. This priority area is focused on prevention, removing barriers, and supporting people to become proactive in improving their emotional health and wellbeing.

Priority two aims to impact upon the three following outcomes:

• People with depression, anxiety and mental health issues have access the right early help and resources
• The emotional wellbeing of parents and caregivers, babies and children is supported
• Isolation is prevented and those that feel isolated are supported

How has collaborative working between HWB Board organisations added value and contributed to the achievement of the Outcomes?

The Men's Suicide Prevention Pilot Project in Elmbridge is being run in partnership between Catalyst, Public Health and Surrey Police. The initial pilot will run until March 2022.

Real time surveillance system and suicide audit data was reviewed to identify the target area for the pilot.

Three key occupational groups were identified for the pilot (with an increased risk themselves and with a lot of contact with male clients): taxi drivers, builder's merchants and barbers. A database has been created compiled of these occupational groups and companies in Elmbridge

Staff have been recruited for the project and are attending suicide prevention and first aid for mental health training.

A charity that has successfully engaged with and trained taxi drivers in Ireland have been commissioned to engage with and deliver training to taxi drivers in Elmbridge. Training scheduled for late February 2022.

Target for this pilot project: mental health and suicide prevention training for approximately: 100 taxi drivers, 15 builders' merchants, 15 barbers.

For more information please contact Maya Twardzicki maya.twardzicki@surreycc.gov.uk

Strategy update

Dementia Strategy

In August, the Mental Health Delivery Board supported the development of One Surrey joint health and social care strategy for
dementia. The dementia strategy action board is now working to co-produce the strategy, which focuses on reducing inequalities that people face throughout all strands of the dementia care pathway, including: prevention; diagnosing well; living well; supporting well and dying well. The strategy will be centred on individuals, their carers and families' experiences of living with dementia, based on recent local research conducted by HealthWatch Surrey and national research conducted by the Alzheimer's Society. The aim is to launch the strategy consultation late 2021 to enable a broad reach and to secure further insights on people's experiences. The
consultation will be available via the Surrey Says website. For more information please contact jane.bremner@surreycc.gov.uk

What has been achieved this quarter under refreshed priority 2 outcomes?

People with depression, anxiety and mental health issues have access the right early help and resources

• Young Person's Safe Haven
  • Following feedback from the Young Adults reference group, a Young Person's Safe Haven Pilot is running in the Guildford Safe Haven. This is due to commence in November 2021 for 6 months in partnership with Catalyst/Oakleaf.
• Time to Change
  • A new website launched in October www.timetochangesurrey.org.uk Time for change social media content over this last quarter included special messages for suicide prevention, World Mental Health Day.
  • A short drama has been created about stigma within the Gypsy Roma Traveller (GRT) community (script written & will be acted by GRT community members)
  • 10 new Champions recruited. Champion training being co-designed and delivered by Jo Loughran – ex national Time to Change Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Arranging and recording of Champions' stories is underway.
• Suicide Prevention
  • A Surrey suicide audit for 2017- 2020 has been completed led by Public Health. Plans are in place to hold local workshops with partners to share the learning and identify possible actions.
  • A children and young people suicide prevention working group has been set up. We are working with children safeguarding, representatives from education on a suicide prevention checklist for schools.
  • A pilot project has been established with SABP, A&E and Samaritans, as a third party referral process for people discharged from A&E. The pilot will start off delivery at Ashford and St Peters for 4 weeks before being rolled out across the remaining four sites (five in total) for 6 months
• Face of Support Communication Campaign
  • Commenced System Wide Mental Health Communication campaign
  • World Mental Health Day – 4 posts including videos from faces of support, links to national campaign
  • External communications in Surrey Matters E-Newsletter October edition – circulated to 180k
  • Surrey wide leaflet/door drop – 22 and 27 November
  • Radio Advertising – launch 22 November

The emotional wellbeing of parents and caregivers, babies and children is supported

• First 1000 Days strategy implementation
  • Providing a common language/framework for practitioners to support relationship development between parents and babies
  • Psychotherapist support in place for families with babies in Surrey Heartlands Neonatal Units
  • Embedding the Baby Buddy App to improve access to info – formal launch Jan 2022
  • Birth to School Partnership (due April 2022) to support family engagement

Isolation is prevented and those that feel isolated are supported

• Surrey joint health and social care strategy for dementia
  • Strategy will identify where there is still work to be done on establishing dementia friendly communities. The accompanying strategy delivery plan will seek to identify resources to address this inequality.
  • Improving access to Dementia Navigator support services. There have been a total 904 referrals made to Dementia Connect Service in Surrey in the second quarter, exceeding previous referrals by 35%.

In the spotlight: Green Social Prescribing

Surrey Heartlands has been awarded £500K to be one of the seven national 'test & learn' sites for green social prescribing in England.
The project will focus on the health benefits of nature and green space for mental health and wellbeing.

The Surrey Heartlands green social prescribing test and learn site will focus on communities hardest hit by coronavirus. This includes areas around Spelthorne, Woking, Guildford and Reigate & Banstead, as well as people across Surrey who have mental health conditions, are living with dementia or who are caring for someone, who have a learning disability, or are from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds.

The Surrey Heartlands green social prescribing project will deliver:

• new community-led nature-based health initiatives to improve mental health and emotional wellbeing.
• new strategic partnerships between green sector providers, health, and environment.
• a Green Health and Wellbeing Network for stakeholders and partners to share learning and influence policy across sectors.

Impact of the pilot is expected to:

• Make it easier for people to find nature-based opportunities
• Lead to the development of new nature-based health and wellbeing initiatives
• Ensuring nature-based interventions are of high quality
• Provide an evidence base for health & wellbeing benefits of nature
• Explore new commissioning and sustainable funding models for green health
• Create and sustain cross-sector strategic partnerships for systems-change

A national team led by the University of Exeter will be evaluating the green social prescribing 'test and learn' site in Surrey Heartlands. A local evaluation plan, co-led by colleagues from Public Health and the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and supported by the green social prescribing project team, will feed into this national review. For more information please contact Jane Soothill Jane.soothill@surreycc.gov.uk

Priority 3 – supporting people to reach their potential

Impact summary

People and adults reach their potential

Outcomes by 2030

• People's basic needs are met (food security, poverty, housing strategy)​
• Children, young people and adults are empowered in their communities​
• People access training and employment opportunities within a sustainable economy​
• People are safe and feel safe (community safety including domestic abuse, safeguarding)​
• The benefits of healthy environments for people are valued and maximised (including through transport/land use planning)​

Who is leading this?

• Priority sponsor - Rob Moran, Chief Executive, Elmbridge Borough Council
• Programme Manager - Helen Johnson, Senior Policy and Programme Manager, Surrey County Council

For more information on the performance of individual programmes and projects within this priority such as progress against key milestones please contact the relevant programme manager via healthandwellbeing@surreycc.gov.uk

What will be different for people in Surrey?

The Community Vision for Surrey describes what residents and partners think Surrey should look like by 2030: By 2030 we want Surrey to be a uniquely special place where everyone has a great start to life, people live healthy and fulfilling lives, are enabled to achieve their full potential and contribute to their community, and no one is left behind.

In light of the community vision and the vital role communities and staff/organisations in the health and care system play in its delivery, the strategy sets out Surrey's priorities for improving health and wellbeing across the population and with targets for the next 10 years. It identifies specific groups of people who suffer higher health inequalities and who may therefore need more help and outlines how we need to collaborate so we can drive these improvements at the pace and scale required.

Priority 3 of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy focuses on enabling and empowering our citizens to lead healthier lives. This priority area is focused on primary prevention and addressing the wider determinants of health. Priority 3 cuts across five outcomes and
programmes currently include:

• Ensuring that everybody has enough income to live on and lives in good and appropriate specialist housing
• Building social capital in communities
• Improving access to training and jobs
• Preventing crime and supporting the victims of crime including domestic abuse -supporting and empowering survivors
• Improving environmental factors that have an impact people's health and wellbeing

How has collaborative working between the HWB Board organisations added value and contributed to the Outcomes?

A bid to National Institute for Health Research is being put together by partners in collaboration with University Surrey to build
research capacity and translation of research into policy development around the wider determinants of health.

Surrey Police, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and SCC officers have met to discuss consistent approaches across the
system to working with communities, to effectively support community-led problem solving in the future.

On the back of the informal HWB Board in November, member organisations will begin to converse with the Local Government
Association (LGA) to build consensus around a bespoke LGA support package to enable partners in Surrey to implement a Health in All
Policies approach.

New strategies

SCC's public consultation on the draft new Surrey Local Transport Plan ran from 5 July to 1 November 2021. Proposals within the plan to improve walking and cycling were well received and respondents suggested a number of changes that would encourage them to walk and cycle more. SCC will review these suggestions as the Plan is revised. Proposals included policies to reduce carbon emissions and 75% of respondents supported the ambitions of the Plan and the measures proposed to shift to more sustainable forms of travel. All responses are now being reviewed to help revise the Local Transport Plan and ensure it works for
everyone in the county.

What has been achieved this quarter under refreshed priority 3 outcomes

• People's basic needs are met
  • Contain Outbreak Management Fund - £200k to Community Foundation for Surrey that will be matched by public donations –creating an open grant programme for the third sector for poverty mitigation initiatives.
  • Household Support Fund (new £5M Surrey allocation) will continue food vouchers for children on free school meals (FSM) for holiday periods up to Easter 2022. A proportion to be distributed to Borough and District councils to link up with local agents/existing activities and deliver to households in need with a proportion to be used to top up foodbanks to help with food and fuel vouchers. A proportion also to be used for countywide bodies to distribute as far and wide as possible and increase reach.
  • Crisis Fund will receive a £364k top up from Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) and another £150k from Household Support Grant – this will not only ensure service is maintained at the current level/offer until the end of the financial year, but enhanced in line with inflationary rises.
  • An SCC poverty officer working group will be convened before end 2021, with PH looking at the framing for a system wide response.
• Children, young people and adults are empowered in their communities
  • Time for Kids – has refreshed its website. This approach will re-focus the system to put children and young people at the heart of everything we do – to listen to them and, together, to consider the best outcomes for them, to build a social movement across Surrey public sector and third sector organisations to drive up awareness, enthusiasm and adoption of the Time for Kids 5 keys principles .
• People access training and employment opportunities within a sustainable economy
  • The Surrey Skills Leadership Forum will have its inaugural meeting on the 2 December 2021. Members represent the Surrey employment, skills, and inclusion voice, holding a whole-Surrey perspective, vision and set of ambitions. It brings together key players who can support Surrey's skills needs – both the immediate needs and those which we know our businesses will need to drive
    economic success in the future. The Skills Forum links directly into the One Surrey Growth Board which, in turn links into other strategic boards, including the HWB, thereby providing strong, interconnected local governance. It will oversee research to evidence and better understand workforce skills demand such as green skills (for the short, medium, and long term), review workforce skills
    provision and focus on access to the skills systems for those who face barriers and provide support for progression through system.
• People are safe and feel safe
  • The County Lines intensification week 11-17 October saw Surrey Police coordinate a range of actions, including communications activity across the week via a variety of Police & partner channels, hotspot patrols, warrants and stop-checks, over 70 safeguarding and prevention visits to vulnerable individuals, and the use of property Closure Orders. Results from the week's activity included 11 arrests, multiple seizures of drugs, phones, cash, jewellery & clothing, and the disruption of at least 8 county lines.
  • OPCC now has confirmed 3yr funding for the Cuckoo Outreach Service with a SCC Public Health and PHE amalgamated contribution to ensure continued delivery of this service and the ability to meet the demand from the increasing complexity of cases.
  • A clear success this quarter has been the incidence of domestic abuse being identified through hospitals with Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) now embedded within hospitals.
  • Surrey Police have launched a new child exploitation video. Partners are asked to send the link out via parent mail, community newsletters, or incorporated into any staff training sessions; Share/retweet social media posts which will be regularly promoted on the Surrey Police Facebook, Instagram and Twitter account using the #SeeTheBiggerPicture; create your own social media content using the video – Include a link to our video on your websites and in any of your e-newsletters.

The benefits of healthy environments for people are valued and maximised

• Drivers and operators have been invited to attend webinars and test drives of Electric Vehicles (EVs). The educational element will include publicity material (a short animation video) to promote the uptake of further EVs as Taxis/Public Hire Vehicles. Runs for 12 months.
• Surrey has reached the second round of applications for an Active Travel social prescribing multiagency bid. The bid focuses on our two most deprived areas in Surrey Merstham and Maybury/Sheerwater. The result of this application should be known by end 2021.

In the spotlight: empowered and thriving communities in Surrey

Partners from across health, local government and wider have started to develop a different approach to empowering communities based on building strong community networks in several areas across Surrey. Beginning with engaging local communities to start conversations, involve communities in the decisions about their communities and encourage community led projects that help connect people and develop healthier empowered communities. Evidence of this type of working has been demonstrated in Stoke (Guildford) and Horley during the last 6 months. Trialling different ways of engaging that are more joined up, bring together a richer understanding and build the next steps to open conversations and action.

How partners are working together on the Community Network Approach in Horley

Growing Health Together (GHT): Growing Health Together invites people living and working in communities across East Surrey to collaborate, in order to co-create conditions in which everyone's health and wellbeing can flourish. The initiative led by a local GP in Horley which aims to support and enable communities in East Surrey to lead change for a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future; with a strong current focus on COVID-19 recovery. The community are a key driver and have expressed interest in projects around growing food, community kitchens, avoiding food waste, improved cycle / footpaths, School Streets schemes, improving signposting for local patients and nature-based health interventions. Due to the success of the model this is now being replicated in
other areas of East Surrey.

Community Health and Wellbeing Projects in Horley

• Riverside wellbeing space for teenagers with additional needs and their families
• Horley Health Hub Community Garden, with plans to start a 'Men in Sheds' project to support older men who are at risk of social isolation.
• Participatory budgeting –Working with Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (RBBC) to ask the community how they would like to spend £10,000 funding to improve health in Horley.
• Partners supporting the food club and looking at options for a Community Fridge to reduce food waste and supporting those on low income.
• Systems approach to obesity, partners from health, charities, local authorities coming together to address and take steps to reduce obesity in young people across the borough.

For more information, please contact jane.last@surreycc.gov.uk

Communications update

Winter communications plan

SCC Strategic Director of Communications, Public Affairs & Engagement, Andrea Newman, leads a sub-group of communications partners from across Surrey to ensure a coordinated approach to winter preparedness communications. Representatives from Surrey County Council, Surrey Heartlands, Central Surrey Heath (CHS) Surrey, Healthy Surrey, Acute trusts and other local organisations are in
attendance. Priorities identified by the sub-group include:

• promotion of flu vaccination and Covid-19 boosters, building
  on national campaigns, delivering tailored content to Surrey
  residents
• a focus on raising awareness of the respiratory syncytial virus
  (RSV) which can cause bronchiolitis in young children
• Coordinated approach to supporting wider system pressures,
  directing people to the most appropriate service for their
  needs alongside promoting self-care messages
• Surrey-wide campaign for mental health and wellbeing
  campaign and wider messaging (launched 10 October on
  World Mental Health Day and still running across Surrey)
• Continuation of work to support our wider objective to tackle
  health inequalities and ensure no one is left behind –including
  digital inclusion work and support to the wider recovery
  agenda
• As well as continuing to support Covid-19 response and
  recovery, winter health communications will span non-Covid
  messaging such as winter wellness and fuel poverty

Building on the success of a Surrey County Council Winter mailout sent to residents last year, a joint SCC & NHS leaflet is being sent to all Surrey households from the end of November. This leaflet will include joint public health messaging on a range of subjects including COVID-19, flu jabs, booster jabs, signposting for help and information advice on hardship allowances and mental health services to name a few. A copy of the leaflet, which has only just gone to print so is not yet in the public domain but is attached for reference.

Communicating Covid case rates

The Communications team continues to work hand-in-hand with the Public Health team, monitoring infection rates across Surrey and communicating changes to residents. Where rates have been higher, geo-targeted communications have been used to inform residents and advise what actions to take. Tailored design assets and messages have been developed to address common exposures, such as leisure centres and after-school clubs.

Data dashboards continue to be shared with the public twice a week across social media platforms in an accessible format. These are also published on the Surrey County Council Coronavirus pages alongside a fuller intelligence report.

A 'back to basics' campaign has continued to remind residents of the all-important prevention behaviours in the Autumn/Winter plan - including masks, hand washing and symptom-free testing. Testing communications targeted to secondary school children and their families (age groups with higher infection rates) have been ongoing, including reminders to test over half term and before going back to school.

Vaccination programme

To support NHS partners, Surrey County Council has developed an ongoing multi-channel engagement campaign on the latest stage of the vaccine rollout, aimed at 12-15 year olds and their parents.

Research and focus groups were carried out within Surrey to inform the communications plan and build messaging to address any concerns that parents or young people may have.

As a result, the SCC Communications team has worked with the Council Advertising Network (CAN) on a TikTok influencer campaign. It has also collaborated with CAN and three other councils to develop everythingcovid.info – a microsite co-created
with young people. 'Everything Covid' is now a successful national resource providing vaccine and testing information to young people.

Schools communications

A weekly operational bulletin is sent to all schools in Surrey that includes information on Covid rates and any changes in
guidance. At the start of term an open video message from Rachael Wardell, Executive Director of Children, Families and
Learning, in preparation for the start of the academic year to encourage schools and parents to test regularly and follow
guidelines to mitigate impact on children's education.

Letters sent to schools resulted in 2,300 12-15 vaccination bookings at Sandown vaccination centre during half term.
Schools have also been provided with resources, such as the Everything Covid microsite, to share with young people. Where
necessary, support has been offered to schools following peaceful vaccination protests.

Mental health and wellbeing

A communications group comprised of system partners is working to raise awareness of the preventative steps people can take to look after their mental wellbeing and the support available for them in Surrey. A multi-channel campaign is underway which aims to promote the mental health literacy of Surrey residents and increase people's knowledge and understanding of actions they can take themselves and the range of support services on offer which can help prevent problems escalating.

The campaign covers three broad stages - self-care actions to improve and maintain wellbeing, support for people who would benefit from intervention and crisis services for those who need them. The campaign includes practitioners and frontline staff who feature as "faces of support" to enable people to visualise the friendly and reassuring support that's waiting for them.

As a preventative campaign, the aim is to improve the knowledge and understanding of adults and young people across Surrey. Within this, we're aiming to reach some specific groups including people with mental health difficulties relating to specific issues such as financial worries or loneliness.

The ongoing campaign is running across a range of channels and is the key theme of the Winter mailout being sent to all Surrey households. The faces have featured on 53 billboards across Surrey including 13 at mainline rail stations raising awareness of local help and support.

Activity to mark World Mental Health Day on October 10 included specific social media and a video for staff.
Activity so far has seen a 67% increase in visits to the Healthy Surrey mental wellbeing pages –more than 1,000 additional visits. In October, three out of the top five most visited pages on Healthy Surrey were related to mental wellbeing. Further planned activity includes work with the Council Advertising Network (CAN) and targeted radio advertising.

Keeping warm this winter

With high energy prices in the news, advice and signposting for residents on support to heat their homes this winter is being promoted through communications channels. Social media promotion including through the local social network Next Door has collectively reached tens of thousands of people, with residents encouraged to link through to Healthy Surrey advice pages.

Advice and signposting on heating homes during the colder months has also featured as a theme in the Surrey Matters e-newsletter this autumn and will be further highlighted in the winter mailout being sent to all Surrey households.