Population Health Survey
Understanding health and wellbeing in Shetland to inform service delivery
NHS Shetland published the 2021/22 Population Health Survey in November 2022. The aim of the survey was to obtain population level health data to inform service planning and delivery; and understand more about the health and wellbeing of Shetland’s communities.
Objectives of the survey were:
- To complete a population heath needs assessment in Shetland
- To gather data on physical and mental health and wellbeing
- Produce a final report and share data with partners proactively
- Evaluate benefits of having completed population level health assessment
The team reviewed existing surveys to identify which topics to include, along with those requested by partners. The survey covered two main areas; the first area involved questions about individual characteristics and circumstances, such as the type of housing people live in. The second area concerned health and wellbeing and focussed on various health topics such as physical and mental health and food choices for example.
The report was presented at a variety of meeting and workshops to a range of services. This provided a platform to share the report and highlight relevant data to certain services, providing a space to discuss findings and explore how it can be used to inform services.
The Population Health Survey links to our ‘Participation’ priority. NHS Shetland, and partners will use the results of the survey to help develop and improve services. Actively seeking to involve communities to improve the lives of people in Shetland, will hopefully result in greater satisfaction of public services.