Municipal Public Health Planning Framework - Part B

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5. Introduction

Page content: 5.1 Building community capacity to achieve health outcomes

The MPHP is a strategic plan that integrates with the strategic corporate plan of the Council, and with those community partners having an interest in local public health. The MPHP sets the broad mission, goals and priorities to promote municipal health and wellbeing, and these in turn are intended to inform the operational processes of Council and local organisations.

This section provides some tools to guide public health planning. It aims to present the process and components of 'good planning practice' as it relates to public health. Access to existing generic resources on planning, quality programs and project management is assumed.

The systems approach 'Environments for Health', discussed in Section 4 needs to be embraced at all stages of planning. Tools are included to assist with this, the 'process system' and health outcomes (also discussed in Section 4.2).

If you have never conducted strategic planning before, we suggest that you visit the Web site links on the following pages, and discuss key documents with your colleagues and planning partners.

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5.1 Building Community Capacity to Achieve Health Outcomes

Planning for health is about planning to enhance the community's capacity to achieve positive health outcomes. Capacity building involves developing "sustainable skills, organisational structures, resources and commitment to health improvement in health and other sectors... [to] prolong and multiply health gains many times over" (Hawe et al., 2000).

Capacity building not only can occur within programs, but also within systems. It can lead to greater capacity of people, organisations and communities to promote health. This means that capacity building activity may be developed with individuals, groups, teams, organisations, inter-organisational coalitions, or communities (NSW Dept. Health, 2000).

In accordance with the Ottawa Charter, the aim of municipal public health planning is to assist communities to build healthy public policy, create supportive environments, strengthen community actions, develop personal and collective skills by providing learning opportunities, and reorient health services (see Section 3.2).

Particular attention needs to be paid to the reorientation of health services, through a focus on organisational development, workforce development, and resource allocation. Strategies need to be developed to enhance the quality and range of leadership and partnerships available to a program. Such a planning approach to capacity building on health can enhance health service infrastructure, program sustainability and organisational and community problem solving capability (NSW Dept. Health, 2000).

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