Early Years Health and Wellbeing HIT review of 2013-14

Dr Patricia Lucas reflects on the Bristol Network for Equality in Early Years Health and Wellbeing (BoNEE) Health Integration Team’s first year.

The Bristol Network for Equality in
Early Years Health and Wellbeing (BoNEE) HIT was approved in December 2013
and aims 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.

Some
of our activities so far include a whole day seminar on ‘Food Security in
Bristol and Beyond’, held in April. Katherine Walls and colleagues at the
Dental Hospital & School are looking at paediatric dental activities under
general anaesthetic. Debbie Watson and Jo Williams have begun a systematic
review of early interventions for social and emotional wellbeing with
colleagues at Cardiff University, University of Bristol and the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

With
colleagues at the Wellspring Healthy Living Centre we have met and talked to
parents in East Bristol about their views and experiences of health for their
young children. So far we have organised one group for parents of Somali
descent, and a second for parents from Eastern Europe. More groups are planned.

We
have several masters students who will be undertaking dissertations linked to
our interest in early years nutrition. Jessica Williams’s work has been crucial
in the city for improving diet for young children, including access to Healthy
Start vitamins, and training in healthy eating for early years practitioners.