Settings Development

The team aims to develop a climate and structures within settings such as communities, schools and workplaces, which support and enable the promotion of health.

We also lead and co-ordinate the implementation of programmes within settings, to improve health and reduce health inequalities, for example on tobacco control, physical activity, nutrition, emotional health and well being and accident prevention.

The team comprises:

Lesley Jones - Specialist in Public Health (Team Lead)

Lesley leads and supports the Settings Development Team to deliver their objectives. Lesley is also the public health lead on coronary heart disease, mental health, suicide prevention, transport issues and health trainers.

Healthy Schools

Marie Bisset - Senior Health Promotion Specialist (Education settings)

Marie leads the Bolton Healthy Schools programme in recruiting, encouraging and supporting schools, particularly those in deprived areas, to employ a 'whole school' approach to their needs. This involves the participation of the whole school community and requires evidence of impact around leadership, curriculum, policy, partnership working, pupil participation and the continual addressing of equality issues. Other education settings such as colleges, nurseries and playgroups are also encouraged to become health promoting organisations.
Current projects that Marie is working on include:
• Assessment of schools wishing to receive the Healthy Schools Award
• Delivery of a Continuing Professional Development Programme for the teaching of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) for teachers and school nurses
• Training for schools and staff around the core themes for Healthy Schools Accreditation (healthy eating, physical activity, emotional health and well-being, and PSHE)
• The continued development of key partnerships to support Healthy Schools implementation
• Healthy Colleges pilot study
• Food in Schools pilot study

Kath Burke – Healthy Schools Development Officer

Kath is a member of the Healthy Schools team involved in the recruitment and support of schools that are engaged with the National Healthy Schools Programme. This involves the provision of advice, training and support of teams and individuals to function effectively in line with national and local targets. Furthermore, the team works as advocates for the Programme amongst professional contacts within statutory and voluntary organisations and contribute to the Primary Care Trust, Public Health and Health Promotion agendas in school and other settings.
Kath is the lead for Emotional Health and Well-being within the programme. She is the training co-ordinator for STORM (suicide prevention skills based approach) and other areas that relate to mental health promotion. She is one of the few qualified STORM facilitators and is accredited as a School Council UK trainer.

Steve Harrold – Healthy Schools Programme Development Officer

Steve is also involved in the recruitment, support and training of schools involved in the National Healthy Schools Programme. Now that most Bolton schools are engaged with the local programme, much of his work involves supporting and training the teams within individual schools.
Steve specialises in the following Healthy Schools themes:
• Physical Activity (Steve is involved with the School Travel Plans Operational Group)
• Environment (Steve is involved with the Bolton Education for Sustainable Development network)
Other current projects that Steve is working on include:
• Training for School Councils (Steve is a School Councils UK accredited trainer)

Carole Tickle – Healthy Schools Development Officer

Carole recruits and supports primary schools on the Healthy Schools Programme. Two years experience of working in schools on the 5 A DAY project enables Carole to take responsibility for Food in Schools which is a compulsory part of Healthy Schools Work. Current areas of work include School Councils, Pupil Referral Units and Positive Playground Environments. Liasing with other agencies is essential and Carole has formed strong links with BWFC Football in the Community, Oral Health and the School Meals Service.

Healthy Workplaces

Deborah Collinson – Workplace Programme Manager

Deborah works with both a ‘Healthy Workplace and Tobacco Control Remit’. These two functions have become joined together recently by the Smokefree Legislation which has occurred as a result of the Choosing Health White Paper.
One of the key elements of Deborah’s role is to lead and co-ordinate the implementation of the multi agency tobacco control strategy for Smokefree Bolton, based on evidence of effectiveness and knowledge of local populations. She also provides expert advice and information on tobacco control issues to the Primary Care Trust, partner agencies and relevant groups.
Linked to this she has taken the lead the on the drive towards smoke free workplaces through policy development and implementation with individual workplaces, negotiation with local decision makers and lobbying of national bodies.

Deborah works strategically to ensure compatibility between strategies to promote health and reduce health inequalities within workplace settings and the priorities and key objectives of partner agencies.

Healthy Communities

Alan Brown - Health Improvement Specialist - Community Food Initiatives

Alan plans, implements, coordinates and evaluates the delivery of sustainable community based initiatives to increase the availability, affordability and consumption of a healthy diet among people from deprived areas and vulnerable groups.
To help achieve these aims Alan supports the development of a variety of self-managed community projects such as food co-ops, vegetable delivery schemes, mobile shops, promotional celebrations, cookery classes, school-based food growing projects, community cafes, community farms and communal allotments targeting disadvantaged and hard-to-reach social groups.

Garrie Prosser – Healthy Living Programme Co-ordinator

Garrie manages the Bolton Healthy Living Programme, which is a 5-year Big Lottery Funded programme supporting 24 community based projects across Bolton. The Programme funds work across four target groups: older people, young people, those with mental health problems, and those suffering due to health inequalities.
Other areas of work include:
• Taking the PCT lead in supporting the development of the Bolton Compact.
• Working on the implementation of the National Standard Framework For Mental Health Promotion.
• Taking the lead in the establishment of good practice policy in the recruitment and support of volunteers within the PCT.