Our Vision
The public health team’s vision is for Torbay to be a place where:
- The environment contributes to good health.
- Everyone can enjoy good mental and physical health.
Our mission
The public health team’s mission is for Torbay to be a place that:
- Improves the health and quality of life in Torbay.
- • Tackles the causes of poor health.
We do this by:
- Understanding as much as we can about the people of Torbay.
- Recognising that people’s circumstances impact on their health e.g., housing quality, education, and household income.
- Listening, learning and being open in all we do.
- Focusing on promotion of good health and prevention of ill-health.
- Focusing on those who need us most in Torbay.
- Promoting fairness.
- Involving and supporting communities.
- Using the best information, evidence, and research.
Key Challenges
Many people in Torbay experience significant poverty.
Torbay is ranked as the most deprived local authority in the south west region, with high proportions of children living in poverty and in contact with care services.
- There are significant inequalities, with a six-year difference in life expectancy between areas of high and lower deprivation.
- Many people live alone, and we have a high proportion of carers.
- Torbay is a significant national outlier for suicide and self-harm.
- The proportion of the population living with long term conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular or respiratory diseases is high and increasing.
- More than 1 in 4 people across Torbay are estimated to be obese and 2 in 3 people are overweight.
- Rates of violent crime, domestic violence and abuse, and youth offending, are high.
The three domains of public health:
Health Protection
Professionals work to protect the population from health threats, emergencies, and disasters. They develop emergency response plans, coordinate preparedness efforts, and provide guidance on managing public health emergencies such as infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, or chemical incidents.
Health Improvement
Public health professionals develop and implement health promotion campaigns and initiatives to raise awareness about healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, and the importance of vaccinations. They promote awareness on topics such as nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, and substance use.
Improving Services – Healthcare public health
Our Team
In Torbay we are a small team but a passionate one.
We are at the forefront of integrated working and have high levels of trust and good relationships, both across the Council but also within the Integrated Care System and Local Care Partnership.
Our Director of Public Health is the Senior Responsible Officer for population health inequalities within Devon.
