Early Years Health and Wellbeing HIT review of 2014-15

Dr Patricia Lucas and Dr Jo Williams, Directors of the Early Years Health and Wellbeing Health Integration Team (BoNEE HIT), give an update on the HIT’s progress in 2014-15.

The Bristol Network for Equality in Early Years Health and
Wellbeing Health Integration Team (BoNEE) brings together researchers, doctors,
nurses, children’s centre staff, community groups and parents, to tackle the
health inequalities that have a profound and lifelong impact on the health and
wellbeing of children. Deprivation in Bristol is higher than average for
England, with nearly 20,000 children living in poverty. Around one in 13 children
in Bristol have a chronic or potentially disabling condition which impacts on
their daily lives. With a rising child population, Bristol needs a local
evidence base along with staff and services that recognise and respond to
inequalities in children’s health.

We have identified three priority areas, covering
antenatal to children aged seven. These are oral health, early nutrition and
social and emotional wellbeing, and these focus activities in our working
groups. These areas are underpinned by the cross-cutting themes of involving
people in solutions and reducing the impact of poverty.

BoNEE officially launched in November with an
exhibition, ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes: young children’s pictures of
health’, at the Trinity Centre in Bristol. As part of this project, we asked
children in Children’s Centres to draw pictures of their bodies and what
keeps them healthy. We produced a short video on how we worked with
children to make the art, which was shown at the event. It was also an
opportunity for parents and other attendees to tell us what they thought the
health priorities for children under seven in Bristol should be. The launch was
covered by local media including the Bristol Post and ITV West Country.

We are also working on a study to better understand oral
health in Bristol, and how it varies from area to area. We will look at dental
hospital records of who is attending for dental extractions, develop a better
understanding of what happens when children do visit the dentist, and gather
parents’ views and experiences of oral health services in Bristol. We were also
lucky enough to host a talk in March from Professor Lisa Gibbs of the Jack
Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Programme at the University of Melbourne,
on cross-sectoral action to maximise good oral health in children.