MEMBERS of the public are being encouraged to share their views on proposed changes to One You East Sussex, the integrated health and wellbeing service for people living in the county.

The council is considering changing how the service supports residents when the current contract ends in March 2024.

People have until Friday, March 10 to give their views on proposed changes to how the service is delivered and what the changes would mean for residents and professionals who refer people to the service.

One You East Sussex helps residents to eat well, manage their weight, move more, quit smoking and drink less. The service supports approximately 5000 residents each year.

The proposed change would still see holistic health assessments offered to all eligible residents, and everyone would have access to online support programmes to help them make changes to their health-related behaviours.

More intensive forms of support, such as a weight management group delivered in person or face-to-face support from a health coach, would only be routinely offered to those with the highest needs who could gain the greatest health benefits.

This change would help the service tackle health inequalities by offering greater levels of support to those who need it the most, for example, those living in areas where deprivation levels are high and life expectancy is lower than average, or people living with a disability or mental health issue.

Any savings from the changes would be used by the service to help it achieve the best possible health outcomes for residents and communities. The consultation also seeks people’s views on the possible ways any savings made could be re-invested back into the service.

Darrell Gale, Director Public Health in East Sussex, said: “We want to ensure residents and communities can get the best possible outcomes from our health and wellbeing service while making the best use of the budget we have.

“Support would continue to be available to help residents make changes to their health-related behaviours. By making changes to target behaviour-change support at people who experience the poorest health outcomes, the evidence shows that we can make the biggest improvements to the overall population health of East Sussex.

“I encourage residents to take part in the consultation and to share their views and ideas with us.”

The consultation can be completed online at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/behaviourchange

Residents can also request a paper copy to post back, or send feedback, by emailing public.health@eastsussex.gov.uk

A final decision on the proposed changes will be made by the Lead Member for Adult Social Care & Health in June 2023.