Lincolnshire County Council invites residents to influence how public funds support healthier living through a consultation on the Integrated Lifestyle Service, known as One You Lincolnshire. Open until December 3, 2025, this public input process evaluates whether the current model—focusing on weight loss, physical activity, alcohol reduction, smoking cessation, child weight management, and falls prevention—remains optimal or needs reallocation. The service, commissioned by Thrive Tribe, has reached thousands since 2019, generating outcomes like increased activity and smoke-free commitments amid challenges like COVID-19.
Current Services and Proven Impact
One You Lincolnshire provides tailored health coaching for up to 12 months, targeting adults with long-term conditions and the four key risk factors: smoking, obesity, inactivity, and excessive alcohol use. It includes free 12-week stop-smoking support with nicotine replacement therapy, accessible via self-referral, GP, or pharmacy across all Lincolnshire postcodes. Child and family weight management, plus strength and balance programs to prevent falls, address broader needs identified in local data.
The service launched in July 2019 for smoking cessation and in September for other elements, initially contracted for three years with extensions possible. By early 2020, it supported over 8,600 people, yielding 3,669 positive outcomes in movement, nutrition, weight loss, and reduced drinking. The extension to September 2026 ensures continuity during the review, allowing for evidence-based decisions without immediate disruption.
Guiding the Consultation: Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
The council allocates government public health grants—recently boosted nationally by nearly £200 million to £3.858 billion—using the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) to pinpoint priorities like mental health, physical activity, healthy weight, housing, and reducing inequalities. JSNA highlights behaviors such as smoking, diet, and exercise, plus social determinants like poverty and employment, with deprived areas showing lower life expectancy and higher disability rates. For working-age adults (18-64), it emphasizes transition points, such as parenthood or job starts, for habit-building.
Lincolnshire’s JSNA reveals stark health disparities and aligns services with evidence on effective interventions. It documents gaps, unmet needs, and service effectiveness, informing whether lifestyle funding should stay dedicated or shift to complementary council programs.
Three Options for Resident Feedback
Participants in the public survey consider targeted choices to optimize grant use:
Continue the full Integrated Lifestyle Service: Maintains comprehensive support for proven risk factors, building on existing reach and outcomes.
Partially stop and reallocate: Trim elements like adult coaching to fund other council healthy lifestyle initiatives, potentially broadening impact.
Fully stop and reallocate all funds: Redirect entirely to alternative services, prioritizing JSNA-identified gaps like mental health integration.
Stakeholders in health, NHS, voluntary groups, or commissioned providers complete a separate survey for deeper insights. All responses shape post-consultation decisions, ensuring resident voices drive changes.
Why Your Input Matters Now
Cllr Steve Clegg, executive member for adult care and health, stresses the grant’s mandate for healthier lives and the need for resident-shaped services. With national shifts toward prevention—funding smoking cessation, addiction recovery, and community nursing—this consultation tests local effectiveness against evolving needs. Rural Lincolnshire faces unique access challenges, making feedback vital for equitable, sustainable health gains.
Public health experts note integrated services like One You reduce NHS demand by addressing root causes early. Yet JSNA data urges flexibility amid rising concerns about mental health and inequality, presenting an opportunity to refine support.
Broader Context and National Trends
UK public health funding emphasizes prevention after a decade of cuts, with 2025’s uplift targeting family nurses, sexual health, and lifestyle programs. Lincolnshire’s approach mirrors this, using JSNA for data-driven allocation while engaging communities. Similar services elsewhere, like Morelife UK’s models, combine weight management, activity, and smoking support, validating One You’s framework but highlighting adaptation needs.
The consultation fosters inclusion, inviting all users, residents, and workers to prioritize. Early engagement prevents siloed services and promotes holistic wellbeing.
How to Get Involved
Visit https://www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/integrated-lifestyle-service-consultation for the public survey or stakeholder version. Share views on service strengths, gaps, and preferred options before the December 3 deadline. Your participation ensures funding maximizes health impacts, from smoke-free homes to active communities. This process exemplifies democratic health governance, turning data and dialogue into actionable change. Lincolnshire residents hold the power to redefine healthier futures.