Suggested Format of the Health Needs Assessment (HNA)Report***NB:This serves as a guide but feel free to be innovative as much as possible. Your work should present at least fourclear and key parts: account of the local area, the problem (the health needs), the current serviceprovisionand utilisation, and the future local priorities for service provision and utilisation (‘how to make it happen’).
Think of your work as the latest (most updated) HNA reporton the health problemand populationyou are studying in the chosen local authority. It is most advisable to look at/ focus on one health issue(problem); and it works well with a clearly defined population group, e.g. children, young people and adolescents, adults, older peopleaged 65 and above,teenage mothers, refugees,
etcIntroductionThis should provide at leastthree things: an overview of the health needs assessmentproblem, the population and the area (local authority/ borough) the Report is studying(highlightingwhether a clear model/s have been used in developing HNA in the past in respect to the health issue/s beingcovered in this Report and whether or not the same is adopted for your own work); and then signposting the Report.
First Part: an account of the chosen local area / authority (a local borough)This part should provide an account that describes the area to which the HNA Report relates as a local authorityand as a place to live, highlightingits demographicprofile, unique community features, key socio-economiccircumstancesand the overall state of population health. What are the outstanding features and characteristics of this local area that influence life and health of the residents?
What is it that the CCG and healthcommissioners pay most attention toin terms of population health maintenanceand improvement in the area? Are there any longstanding or recent changes that makethis a unique local area to livein? The importance of this account is to flag upkey weaknesses, challenges, strengths and advantages of the local area in relation tothe overall state of the health of itsresidents.Second Part:
the problem (the health needs) Providea comprehensive epidemiologic and demographic discussion of the health needs(the health problem/s) based on existing HNA reports, public health reports, data from other sources(e.g. Public Health Profiles, PHE, borough councils)and the wider literature on HNAs.
This should include the discussion on the prevalence, incidence, trends over time and patterns of distribution (spatial, ethnic, age, socio-economic status, etc.), levels of mortality, morbidity and disability related to the health problem. How are the relevant health needs in the study population expressed? What are the determinants and risk factors of the health problem/s being studied for this HNA?
What evidence of health inequalities exits and how are they expressedacross the population groups and different areas in the local authority?Third Part: the current interventions (current healthcare service provision and utilisation)
This part should provide a comprehensive discussion of the current healthcare service provision in relation to the target health needs and population in the local authority. What services are provided and at what level are they delivered? What is the levelof services utilisation by the population target group/s?
What evidence explainsservice provision and utilisation?How far do the current services meet the respective health needs?
Are there any unmet health needs? If so, at what level and what evidence explain the unmet health needs in the population? What are the drivers and challenges influencing service provision and utilisation in the local area? How are issues of equity and health inequalities addressed in the borough?
The discussion in this part of the Report should be set in the context of the healthcare system. In other words, you should show the influence of the healthcare system on the delivery and utilisation of healthcare services in the area.
Remember to pay attention on the influence of the six blocks of healthcare systemsand other key aspects of service planning, delivery, utilisation, monitoring and review such as efficiency, effectiveness,equity, health benefit / gainand impact
.FourthPart:
Future Local Prioritiesfor Service Provision and Utilisation(Making it Happen)This section follows and emerges out of the discussions in the last two sections/partsabove. Therefore, these sections should help you to consider what has to be done in the future in order to best meet the population health needsyou are studying. As such, based on evidence in the last two sections and your wider reading about the relevant issues of the
health needs in the local area suggest and discuss clear local priorities for future service provision and utilisation.
What do you consider and suggest to be the local area priorities that the CCG, service commissioners, the borough counciland other stakeholders should agree upon in relation to the health needs and the target population group/s? Bearing in mind the current drivers and challenges of service provision and utilisation discussed in the thirdsection, discuss an implementation strategy on how to make the future local area priorities happeneffectively.
Pay attention to challengessuch as funding, resources, service capacity and issues related to service utilisation. This part of the Report can also provide Recommendationsas part of your suggestions to commissioners and other stakeholders on how to make future services provision and utilisation happen more effectively.
ConclusionsWhat are the key issues raisedin this HNA Report? What are the key lessons we can learnfrom this Report in relation to the respective health needs, the target populationand /or the generalpopulation, service provision and utilisation in this borough?What are the implications of your work for policy, practice and research on HNAsin general and on this health problem and target population in particular?
