Population health

Cheshire and Merseyside has a collaborative approach to improving the health and wellbeing of the local population. 

Thanks to a formal partnership of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Director of Population Health and the subregion’s nine Directors of Public Health, a range of local and system-wide projects and programmes can operate across organisational boundaries, drawing upon the latest evidence and intelligence. 

This has been further supported by the financial commitment made by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside into the Population Health Programme. This recognises the importance of investing in prevention as a way of reducing the demand on the NHS rather than waiting until someone becomes unwell and then treating them.

What is population health?

Population health is an approach aimed at improving the health of an entire population. It is about improving the physical and mental health outcomes and wellbeing of people, while reducing health inequalities within and across a defined population. It includes action to reduce the occurrence of ill health and to address wider determinants of health, and requires working with communities and partner agencies.

Why is it important?

  • Life expectancy in the subregion is lower for both men and women when compared to the national average.
  • 23.3 per cent of the population live in the 10 per cent most deprived areas in England.
  • Premature mortality rates from cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke and cancers are all higher than national level for the majority of areas.
  • Levels of ill-health are high, with prevalence of long-term conditions higher than national levels.

What are we doing?

Cheshire and Merseyside’s Population Health Programme operates across four Pillars of Population Health. This work is supported with data, coordinated by the Data into Action Board, as well as a range of cross-cutting enablers including public engagement, workforce development, research and innovation and continuous improvement. 

Four pillars of population health 

Pillar 1 – All Together Fairer Programme

This describes how we will deliver All Together Fairer: Our Health and Care Partnership Delivery Plan. This includes:

  • All Together Fairer
  • Anchor Institution Charter, Prevention Pledge and Social Value
  • Anti-racism and discrimination
  • Child Poverty
  • Health and Employment
  • Health and Housing
  • Serious Violence Duty
  • Sustainability and Net Zero
Pillar 2 – Supporting Healthy Behaviours Programme

Supports healthy behaviours and is built around a number of priority prevention programmes, including:

Pillar 3 – Healthcare inequalities Programme

Outlines our Core20PLUS5 priorities and Personalised Care approach for Adults and Children and Young People. We have a dedicated CYP Committee with a structured delivery plan.

Adults

  • CVD Prevention
  • Maternity
  • Severe Mental Illness
  • Chronic Respiratory Disease
  • Early Cancer Diagnosis

Children and Young People

  • Asthma
  • Diabetes
  • Epilepsy
  • Oral Health
  • Mental Health
  • Obesity
Pillar 4 – Screening, immunisation and health protection

This programme will support the NHS England delegation expected by April 2026. It includes:

  • Improvements in uptake and coverage in all national screening programmes
  • Increase uptake and coverage of all routine and targeted immunisation programmes
  • Working towards NHS England's intention to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040

Supporting the clinical response to local incidents and outbreaks of infectious disease. 

Director of Population Health Annual Report – 2024/25

Stronger Partnerships, Healthier Futures highlights some of the fantastic successes that Cheshire and Merseyside’s Population Health Programme has celebrated in 2024/25. The video features a range of projects across the four Pillars of Population Health and has been shot in a variety of locations across Cheshire and Merseyside, highlighting the diversity and breadth of our subregion. The video also features some of the fantastic people who are working directly with the local community to improve the health and wellbeing of the population.

This video is accompanied by a written Director of Population Health Annual Report, which you can read below.

Leadership

The Cheshire and Merseyside Population Health Partnership coordinates and enables a variety of population health schemes and initiatives for the subregion.

The Partnership is chaired by Professor Ian Ashworth, Director of Population Health for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, on behalf of the subregion’s Directors of Public Health. Read more about Ian here. 

More information

The Senior Programme Manager in the Champs Support Team for Population Health is Lucia Scally. You can contact Lucia by emailing luciascally@wirral.gov.uk.

The Project Support Officer in the Champs Support Team for Population Health is Kathy Buglass. You can contact Kathy by emailing kathybuglass@wirral.gov.uk.