Published: Friday, 23rd June 2023
Earlier this year, the Council and Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles’ health and wellbeing app ‘Cannock Chase Can’ was shortlisted in the Innovation category for the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) Awards 2023.
The official awards ceremony took place earlier this month in London which saw Cannock Chase Council in partnership with IHL as one of nine local authority entries in the LGC Awards Innovation category.
The category celebrates councils who have used innovation `to re-think services to achieve better outcomes for citizens and communities either at less cost, to improve outcomes or delivery, or in order to continue delivery of service during the pandemic`.
Entries in the awards were judged by panels of senior council officers who sifted through more than 700 entries overall. Cannock Chase was the only district/borough council in the Innovation category to be shortlisted.
Councillor Jo Elson, Portfolio Leader for Community Wellbeing said “Although Cannock Chase Can did not win the award it was a huge achievement, and a fabulous opportunity to raise the profile of the district and the app.
“The app was launched just over a year ago, and enables innovative ways of working with individuals and communities to have a positive impact and improve their wellbeing.
Cannock Chase Can is a great example of the council and IHL working together to deliver an innovative approach to reducing health inequalities across our residents. The programme is based on eight key spheres of wellbeing, acknowledging that health and wellbeing may not just be physical and that socioeconomic factors can impact physical and mental health.
Since creating the Cannock Chase Can programme, the team have been embedding the app and its wider approach into other aspects of our work including through our community engagement events and activities during last year’s Commonwealth Games. We are currently considering how we can extend its use as part of a new health and wellbeing strategy that is being developed.
The next step is to roll out the wellness wheel across the council and with partners and to use the programme as a default to deliver health and wellbeing interventions and support.
The Cannock Chase Can app is available to download for free by visiting Google Play and the App Store. For more details on the app visit www.cannockchasecan.co.uk