Thematic Needs Assessments and Impact Statements 
Thematic Needs Assessments and Impact Statements
Thematic Needs Assessments are reports that provide a deep dive into a specific health and wellbeing topic. They consider the background and national picture, the local context and how it compares to comparator areas, the views of stakeholders and what the latest evidence tells us. This intelligence gathered from a range of sources enables us to make recommendations to meet the needs of the city’s population in relation to the topic. The latest thematic needs assessment reports are listed below. Click on the report title to see key headlines and link to the full document and any supplementary materials.
Impact Statements provide case study evidence demonstrating the impact and outcomes of JSNA recommendations.
Thematic Needs Assessment Reports
Summary:
This Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) provides an in-depth analysis of the needs, experiences and outcomes of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Wolverhampton. Covering ages 0–25, it brings together local data, national context and lived experience to highlight rising levels of need, widening inequalities, and increasing system pressures. The report identifies key trends across demographics, primary needs, education, health and social care, and sets out clear strategic priorities to strengthen early intervention, improve inclusion, enhance outcomes and ensure financial sustainability. It aims to support collaborative planning and drive meaningful improvement for families.
Related Documents:
Special Education Needs and Disabilities - Deep Dive - February 2026
Summary:
Improving children’s oral health is a multi-agency partnership priority in Wolverhampton. This Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the oral health status and needs of children and young people (CYP) across the city. It also seeks to map existing services and community assets, helping to identify gaps in provision, areas of higher need, and opportunities to better target resources to improve outcomes. This JSNA will also explore the factors influencing CYP oral health outcomes, such as access to care, health behaviours, and the impact of socio-economic factors.
The findings will inform local commissioning decisions and support the development of strategies and targeted initiatives to ensure that oral health services and interventions effectively meet the needs of children and young people, reduce health inequalities, and improve oral health outcomes across the city.
Recommendations
- To continue to oversee and embed a core training offer for professionals working with children and families, such as school nurses and health visitors, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide high quality oral health advice.
- To continue to promote dental attendance for children from when their first milk teeth appear, or before they are 12 months old, followed by regular check-ups.
- To expand on oral health resources for families where English isn’t their first language to ensure access to culturally appropriate information.
- To oversee the expansion of the Brilliant Brushers programme, including for more deprived areas of the city and special school settings.
- To explore with the Local Dental Committee how to strengthen prevention efforts within primary dental care, going beyond health education to include risk factor management and the promotion of preventative interventions such as fluoride varnish during dental check-ups.
- To continue to oversee and improve access to dental care for all children and young people, with a focus on actively reducing oral health inequalities related to both dental disease and access to services.
- To continue to encourage schools to provide opportunities for children and young people to learn about oral health education as part of the PHSE curriculum and where appropriate participate in the local Supervised Toothbrushing Programme (Brilliant Brushers).
- To continue to promote healthy eating in our Early Years and education settings in the city.
- To better understand the oral health needs of secondary school-aged children, in line with Children and Young People Scrutiny recommendations.
- To support the undertaking of the National Dental Epidemiology Programme (NDEP) oral health surveys to maximise participation and improve data quality.
- To embed oral health promotion within in Make Every Contact Count (MECC) initiatives ensuring consistent and routine messaging across all relevant services.
- To continue involving children, young people and parents in co-producing oral health campaigns and materials through involvement with our health champion and youth representatives.
- To maximise the opportunities in the NHS 10 Year Plan to embed a co-ordinated approach to oral health promotion and prevention and to consider how oral health can be incorporated into a future Neighbourhood Health Plan.
Related Documents:
Oral Health Needs Strategic Assessment - 2025
Oral Health Toolkit
The Alcohol and Other Drugs Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) aims to provide an analysis of the current impact of substance misuse in the city of Wolverhampton and to review specific aspects of alcohol and other drugs service delivery. The overall purpose of the needs assessment is to provide clear, high-quality evidence regarding the needs and inequalities purporting to substance use to improve support services across Wolverhampton in the future.
Key Findings:
- Almost 1,900 people were in treatment during 2023/2024 mainly for support with opiates, followed by alcohol
- 47% of referrals to the specialist treatment and recovery provider are via self-referrals
- Wolverhampton has higher representation rates and lower successful completion rates than the national average and nearest neighbours
- More than half (55%) of Wolverhampton residents leaving prison continued their drug or alcohol treatment in the community, higher than the national and regional average
- Alcohol-specific mortality and hospital admission rates are significantly higher than the regional and national average
- Deaths from alcohol and hospital admissions are significantly higher than national and regional average
- Wolverhampton has a higher age-standardised mortality rate for drug misuse deaths compared to regional and national rates, as well as the highest in the Black Country.
- Drug-related hospital admissions for mental and behavioural disorders are significantly lower than regional and national rates and have reduced greatly since 2018/19
- An indication of the link between mental health needs and substance misuse is over 50% of new presentations to treatment required support for a mental health need
Recommendations:
- Address levels of unmet need for both drugs and alcohol through targeted engagement with vulnerable communities, and underrepresented groups such as the LGBTQ+ and Punjabi communities.
- Enhancing service access, introducing a single online portal for both agency and self referrals
- Strengthen treatment services through the expansion of rehab, detox and more meaningful dual diagnosis support, whilst developing a system map for both professionals and service users to navigate treatment pathways.
- Promote harm reduction, lived experience organisations exploring the opportunities of distributing NSP and naloxone
- Support Families, children and young people, developing a specific young persons strategy, whilst embedding training programmes for front line staff and key agencies to support early identification and support pathways
- Expand Recovery pathways, embedding aftercare as a key function of the service, whilst utilising good practice, ensuring service provision is of the best quality
- Strengthening data and surveillance, embedding real time death surveillance systems onboarding key partners, whilst developing relationships with the Black Country Coroner office to facilitate speedier responses to emerging issues and substances
- Ensuring prevention is a focus area through middle childhood, early adolescence and teenage years, embedding drug and alcohol education as part of RSHE.
Related Documents:
Key Findings:
The needs assessment highlights that alcohol use is culturally normalised within the Punjabi-Sikh community despite religious prohibitions. Punjabi-Sikh men in Wolverhampton are disproportionately affected by alcohol-related health harms, but women and younger generations show emerging patterns of increased drinking. Stigma, lack of culturally-competent services, and limited data hinder effective prevention and treatment. The recommendations centre on improving data, enhancing culturally-appropriate support, strengthening partnerships with Sikh community structures, and addressing alcohol-related harm through a coordinated strategic approach.
- Wolverhampton has one of the largest Punjabi-Sikh populations in the UK—around 1 in 8 residents.
- Punjabi-Sikh identity is influenced by Punjabi ethnicity, Sikh religion, and cultural heritage, which collectively shape attitudes toward alcohol.
- Although Sikhism prohibits alcohol, drinking remains deeply embedded in Punjabi‑Sikh culture, particularly at weddings and social events.
- Male consumption has historically been higher, but female consumption is rising, with similar levels of frequent or problem drinking in men and women.
- Punjabi-Sikh/Asian men are overrepresented in alcohol-specific deaths and emergency admissions in Wolverhampton.
- Evidence shows higher risk of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in Sikh men compared with other ethnic groups.
- Many Sikh individuals with problematic alcohol use do not realise they need help.
- Stigma, shame, privacy concerns, and lack of culturally-relevant services are major barriers.
Key Recommendations:
1. Strategic (City-wide)
- Establish a Steering Group under the Drug and Alcohol Strategic Partnership to:
- Develop a local action plan targeting Punjabi-Sikh alcohol-related harm.
- Prioritise:
- Alcohol harm awareness
- Early identification of problem drinking
- Improved signposting
- Reducing barriers to accessing support
- Identifying preferred support models
2. For Public Health & City of Wolverhampton Council
- Collect high-quality quantitative data via a representative local survey.
- Work with:
- Community groups
- Gurdwaras and faith leaders
- VCSE organisations
- Education providers
- Use life-course, peer-led, culturally appropriate health promotion.
- Ensure MECC and health literacy programmes are culturally adapted.
- Address links between alcohol and social harms (e.g., domestic abuse).
- Tackle wider determinants of alcohol consumption, including advertising and availability.
3. For Alcohol Treatment Services & Lived Experience Organisations
- Join the strategic steering group.
- Strengthen culturally specific provision, such as:
- Punjabi-speaking support workers
- Sikh-specific recovery groups
- Translated resources
- Deliver cultural competency training for staff.
- Provide community-based outreach (e.g., in Gurdwaras) using tools like AUDIT-C and FibroScan.
4. For Primary Care, Maternity & Emergency Services
- Provide culturally appropriate training to increase:
- Alcohol screening
- Brief interventions
- Referral to treatment
5. For Research
- Conduct regular, representative surveys of Punjabi-Sikh alcohol use.
- Undertake qualitative research to explore:
- Gender-based attitudes
- Generational shifts
- Stigma and hidden drinking
Related Documents:
The purpose of this needs assessment is to identify any existing unmet sexual health needs across the population, and any gaps in service provision. Insights from this needs assessment can be used to inform local re-commissioning decisions and the shaping of sexual health primary care services in line with the needs of the community.
Overarching Recommendations:
- Use the findings from the local consultation to understand residents' sexual health attitudes and service experiences and to inform improvements to service delivery.
- Establish a multi-agency Sexual Health Partnership to oversee the implementation of needs assessment recommendations.
- Form a task and finish group to implement recommendations from the Health-Related Behaviour Survey.
- Outreach work to promote sexual health, focusing on high-risk groups and those with lower access.
- Develop and review pathways for accessing sexual healthcare, annually, especially for high risk and vulnerable groups like children leaving care, sex workers, and those experiencing homelessness or substance misuse.
- Ensure comprehensive staff training on service provision, cultural sensitivities, and the needs of vulnerable groups.
- Raise awareness of Embrace and enhance its visibility by ensuring its name and services are clearly communicated in all related health communications, especially at local sexual health clinics.
Related Documents:
- Self-reported wellbeing in Wolverhampton has historically been worse than in the west midlands and England for Happiness, Worthwhile and Life satisfaction. Anxiety levels were previously lower but are increasing.
- In England, people with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) die on average 15 to 20 years earlier, often due to preventable causes. Wolverhampton is worse than England overall for premature mortality in adults with SMI.
Local priorities include:
- Becoming a Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health - GOV.UK Signatory
- Understanding more about mental health inequalities.
- Improving uptake of and outcomes from the annual SMI Physical Health Check.
- Ensuring people with SMI access cancer screening in line with national targets.
- Support development of NHS tobacco dependence pathways for people using mental health services.
- Making sure advice on welfare rights, benefits, and finance is accessible for people with SMI and their families/carers.
Related Documents:
The Suicide Prevention Needs Assessment was undertaken under the guidance of the Wolverhampton Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Forum and was intended to be a comprehensive overview of data and evidence relevant to the incidence and risk of suicide in the city of Wolverhampton. The Needs Assessment was started in late 2022 and published in June 2023.
Key Findings:
The key findings from the Needs Assessment were as follows:
- Suicide risk reflects wider inequalities – with those in poorer communities more likely to be affected.
Groups within any population who are disproportionately affected by suicide include:
- Men -prevalence of suicide has been consistently higher in men when compared with women
- People with poor mental health
- People with long term physical health conditions
- Adults with autism
- Pregnant women and new mothers
- People who are unemployed and people from some Occupational Groups
In Children and Young People (CYP) there is an increased risk in looked after children, care leavers and those in the youth justice system. Risk is higher in CYP who have mental health problems, behavioural disorders, misuse substances, have experienced family breakdown, abuse or neglect, come from families where there is a prevalence of mental health problems or have been affected by suicide in the family.
The evidence review has identified an increased risk in people where the following risk factors are prevalent:
- History of self-harm
- Problem gambling
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Chronic loneliness and isolation
- Exposure to domestic abuse
- Financial insecurity
- Being affected by suicide
Recommendations:
The recommendations from the JSNA include:
- Recognising the risk factors for suicide in children and young people and to embed a preventative approach across educational settings starting in Early Years promoting a parity between achievement and wellbeing.
- Recognising the risk factors in the groups deemed to be at greater risk and to develop and deliver targeted, evidence-based interventions for these groups.
- Empowering communities through training local citizens and professionals to identify and support those who may be at risk.
- Encouraging communities to reach out to others with compassion to build connections that reduce loneliness
- Ensuring there is a local offer of prevention, intervention and postvention services which is equitable and accessible for the diverse population of Wolverhampton.
- Ensuring connectivity between services and professionals so that individuals can be supported to access a service that meets their need.
- Embedding Safety Planning across primary care, social care and acute healthcare as a preventative intervention that can be referred to by individuals and those who are close to them at times of need.
- Recognising the impact financial hardship has on the risk of suicide, raise awareness and deliver support in settings that support people facing unemployment, debt and risk of homelessness.
- Accessing and interpreting Real Time Surveillance of Suspected Suicide data which will enable data informed local targeted prevention activity.
The findings of the JSNA will be applied in the formulation of a refreshed Suicide Prevention Strategy for Wolverhampton.
Related Documents:
Wolverhampton Suicide Prevention JSNA May 2023
Suicide Prevention JSNA Impact Statement:
Following the completion of the JSNA stakeholders worked together to formulate the following outcomes and priorities for a local suicide prevention strategy:
- Early intervention and prevention to disrupt a downward spiral of wellbeing.
- People are knowledgeable and aware about suicide to support those in distress.
- Support for those in need is available, from early help to postvention, including bereavement support.
- Making suicide prevention ‘everyone’s business’ so that early support can be accessed where required.
Some examples of recent work include:
- Training in suicide prevention awareness that was delivered to staff at Wolverhampton Homes and the Homelessness and Specialist Support team.
- Collaboration between Wolverhampton Samaritans and Wolves Foundation to reach anyone in distress during selected match fixture days.
Children and young people’s emotional and mental health has been getting worse in recent years, in Wolverhampton and across the country. The coronavirus pandemic increased the strain on many families, children and young people.
This needs assessment brings together information that can be used by organisations in Wolverhampton to improve emotional and mental support for children, young people, and those who care for them.
It considered:
- What children and young people need
- What support is available for them
- How we could improve support
- What we need to know more about
Recommendations:
Recommendations for the local health and social care system:
- Work needs to be done to reduce the time children wait for help from child and youth mental health support service in Wolverhampton.
- There should be clear and up to date information about what support is available and how to get it.
- All schools and colleges should provide a consistent quality of emotional and mental health support for pupils.
- More exploration is needed with communities and organisations to make sure services meet the needs of children and young people in minoritised ethnic groups.
- Training needs should be explored and addressed so the wide workforce who are in contact with children and young people can support their emotional and mental health.
- Services should improve the collection of information needed to make decisions about improving support.
Related Documents:
Wolverhampton CYP EMH NA accessible summary
Wolverhampton CYP EMH Needs Assessment 2023
Problem gambling is more likely to be prevalent amongst those with higher educational qualifications, employment, and lower relative deprivation. However, gambling harm exacerbates, wider inequalities and is associated with unemployment and those living in more deprived areas and poorer health.
Groups within the population who are disproportionately affected by gambling harms include:
- Males, who are more likely to be affected by gambling harms, specifically those aged 25-34 years excluding those who participate in the national lottery.
- Those from ethnic minorities and specifically the South Asian population.
- Those with poor mental health.
- Individuals drinking at harmful levels.
- People who are unemployed.
The needs assessment concludes further intelligence is needed in order to further understand the prevalence of gambling harm in Wolverhampton and establish effective pathways into local and national support services.
Local priorities include:
- The development of a systematic gambling strategy to prevent, minimise and respond to harm.
- Training for professionals to understand and identify gambling related harm.
- Working with commissioners of regional support services to enhance local access into provision.
- Utilising lived experience to inform and develop future service provision.
- Developing robust data collection processes across primary care, secondary care and community services.
- Undertaking a mapping exercise of licensed premises by type and quantity and reviewing licensing applications for gambling premises.
- Implementation of nationally recognised education and training programmes across educational settings.
Related Documents:
Ill health can be both a cause and consequence of homelessness. People experiencing homelessness often face some of the most significant health inequalities of all; with average life expectancy around 30 years lower than that of the general population.
To help people sustain stable accommodation, more action is required to enable better integration of health and social care, and to help people access the healthcare services they require.
The HHNA recognises the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of the barriers that people experiencing homelessness may face in accessing services, as well as how equipped healthcare services are to work with people who are experiencing often complex, interacting social and health challenges.
Recommendations:
The key recommendations for the local health and social care system are:
- Agree an all-partner commitment to undertake the NG214 - Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness self-assessment to identify good practice and respond to areas for further development.
- Consider the introduction of an integrated commissioning response involving health, social care and accommodation services, informed by people with lived experiences of homelessness.
- Establish a Wolverhampton Health Inclusion steering group (or equivalent) as a subgroup of the One Wolverhampton and Homelessness Prevention strategy governance structures.
Related Documents:
Wolverhampton Homeless Health Needs Audit 2023 - Full Report
Homeless Health Needs Audit 2023 - Summary
The physical inactivity system of influence is diverse and complex, with many factors and sectors effecting levels of activity. Owing to this, the Needs Assessment has been split into four sections to provide structure, these are:
- Active Wulfrunians - A city where everyone is active every day and has a positive attitude towards physical activity. Where everyone understands the benefits of being physically active and how to be active in a way that suits their ability.
- Active City - Through the creation and promotion of suitable activities, programmes, and infrastructure, Wulfrunians will be able to engage in regular physical activity that meets their needs and create an active city.
- Active Spaces and Places - A city where we enhance, invest in, and protect our community spaces and places that encourage and promote physical activity and make them more accessible to our residents.
- Active Systems - Through working collaboratively as a whole system, we will create leadership, governance and partnerships that enable practice and protocols that promote physical activity across all sectors.
Data and information have been drawn from a number of sources to provide the findings and recommendations of this needs assessment. These include, Public Health Outcomes Framework, Active Lives, City Lifestyle Survey, Wolverhampton Health Related Behaviour Survey, Canal and River Trust, WVActive.
Related Documents:
Physical Activity Strategy
Wolverhampton Physical Inactivity Needs Assessment 2023
Wolverhampton Physical Activity Needs Assessment Executive Summary 2023
Impact Statement:
In 2023 Wolverhampton’s Health and Wellbeing Board, Health and Wellbeing Together, published their Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023 – 2028. The strategy aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population by addressing health inequalities and promoting a holistic approach to health. The strategy is a collaborative effort involving key leaders from health, care, and other sectors. It sets the strategic direction for health and wellbeing in Wolverhampton, focusing on reducing health inequalities and improving the quality and accessibility of health and social care services.
Full Impact StatementThe purpose of this rapid needs assessment is to provide an evidence-based, data-informed overview of the mental health needs of women in Wolverhampton during the perinatal period, identify their potentially modifiable risk factors, and map the health services currently available to respond to that need. This report aims to provide information to public health professionals, commissioners, and providers to help shape future interventions and improve current services in line with the needs of the local population.
Perinatal mental health problems are those that occur during pregnancy (pre-/antenatal period) or the first year following the birth of a child (postnatal or postpartum period).1 They affect between 10 and 20% of women2 and include, among others, perinatal depression, perinatal anxiety, postnatal PTSD and OCD, and postpartum psychosis.
Recommendations:
Recommendations for the local health and social care system:
- Consider improving the collection of, and access to, data on perinatal mental health across local services
- Consider evaluating specialist services providing care to women with severe or complex perinatal mental illness
- Consider reviewing the support provided to women with mild-to-moderate mental illness
- Consider reviewing the support provided by universal services in promoting healthy pregnancies
- Consider reviewing the training provided to the universal services’ workforce on perinatal mental health
Related Documents: