New health advice website launched in Bristol

The council has launched a new website, LiveWell Bristol, making it easier for people to access health advice and local services.

Launched during Healthy City Week 2016, the website will help anyone looking for advice about local stop smoking services, weight management, support with drinking, getting active and general wellbeing, as well as providing information about free health checks for those aged 40–74. People will also be able to self-refer to stop smoking services from this website, making it as simple as possible to get support. Much of the health advice is aimed at tackling behaviours linked to the four main preventable causes of early death and serious ill health – smoking, excessive drinking, leading a non-active life and having a poor diet.

The website is aimed at people aged 16 and up and is designed to make this kind of information more accessible by bringing it together in one place. It is also designed to help people be more independent when addressing health issues.

Cllr Fi Hance, Cabinet Member for Public Health, said:

“LiveWell Bristol is a new website that brings together a whole wealth of information to help everyone get healthy or stay healthy. It makes it much easier to access help and advice without having to see a doctor.

“One of the benefits of Healthy City Week is that it connects different agencies and communities together to begin to address the health inequalities that we know exist within Bristol. These inequalities mean that poorer people in our city die up to 10 years earlier than more affluent ones. This just isn’t right – many early deaths are avoidable, and I hope that wherever people live, they will take a look to see how they can avoid some of society’s most common preventable diseases.”

Becky Pollard, Director of Public Health for Bristol City Council, said:

“Public Health is about finding ways to prevent illness from happening in the first place whilst also promoting better wellbeing and finding ways of overcoming health inequalities. We hope this website will enable people to access information that can help them lead healthier lives themselves. Not only will they feel better themselves but they can also help reduce the likelihood of needing more serious treatment further down the line.”

The website address is: www.livewellbristol.co.uk

Healthy City Week is organised by the Bristol Green Capital Partnership with support from Bristol Health Partners.

This year, the council’s public health team hosted a number of sessions including a thought-provoking discussion to challenge decisions-makers, exploring how health can become part of all policies.