INFORMATION RESOURCES ON JOINT STRATEGIC NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Theme sections

Introduction

The Commissioning Framework for Health and Well-being was published for consultation in March 2007. It is a framework aimed at commissioners and providers of services in health, social care and local authorities.

Annex A of the Commissioning Framework for Health and Well-being describes the concept of a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which acts as the means by which Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Local Authorities can describe the current and future health, care and well-being needs of local populations and the strategic direction of service delivery to meet those needs. One of the main goals of JSNA is to reduce inequalities.

The ‘Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act’ (2007) came into effect on 1st August 2008. It places a statutory duty on upper-tier local authorities and PCTs to undertake JSNA. It is anticipated that this process will inform the priorities and targets set out in Local Area Agreements.

JSNAs should be unique, taking into account data and information on inequalities between the differing, and overlapping, communities in local areas. Department of Health guidance (see ‘National Documents’) recommends that any JSNA documents should be “a concise summary of the main health and wellbeing needs of a community as opposed to a large, technical document”. However, as JSNA covers so many areas and themes, the resulting documents can be quite large.

The same guidance also outlines eight themes which it believes will help to enable effective commissioning, and hence effective JSNA:

Putting people at the centre of commissioning
Understanding the needs of populations and individuals
Sharing and using information more effectively
Assuring high quality providers for all services
Recognising the interdependence of work, health and wellbeing
Developing incentives for commissioning for health and wellbeing
Making it happen: local accountability
Making it happen: capability and leadership

It is interesting to note that whilst public health traditionally focuses on populations instead of individuals, both are referred to in the context of JSNA and commissioning. It is anticipated that following this approach will lead to the identification of groups with un-met needs whose problems are not currently being addressed.

Gaining input from local communities will play a central role in JSNA, to support this local authorities are encouraged to engage with individuals in the commissioning process.

A core dataset of indicators that are of use to the JSNA process have been produced by a collaboration between the Department of Health and Association of Public Health Observatories (see ‘National Documents’). This extensive list has been designed to incorporate elements of both the ‘National Indicator Set’ and the “vital signs” referred to in The NHS in England: The Operating Framework for 2008/09.”

This resource brings together a collection of sources of information on JSNA. We intend it to be useful to local teams undertaking JSNAs within their areas. We aim to provide access to national documents, sources of local data and examples of tools which can assist in the JSNA process.

To summarise, the key aim of JSNA is to work with the local population to establish their levels of need – usually in terms of inequalities – both now and also in the future; short term (three to five years) and long term (five to ten years). The results of JSNA will be used to inform strategies and planning over these time periods.

If you have any queries or comments on the JSNA theme pages please contact .

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