Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) is a legal requirement. It gives us a detailed understanding of the health and wellbeing needs of people in Bracknell Forest. It informs local decision making by combining data, evidence and insights. This helps us, the NHS, and other local organisations plan and deliver services that make a positive difference to our community.
By understanding the challenges we face now and in the future, the JSNA enables us to channel the right resources to the right places. This helps make Bracknell Forest a healthier and happier place to live. The JSNA is the responsibility of the Bracknell Forest Council Health and Wellbeing Board. It is a partnership between local government, the NHS and key stakeholders. They work together to take a joined-up and collaborative approach to health and social care.
Understanding Bracknell Forest
Understanding our population, our communities and the places where people live is an important starting point for the JSNA. These resources bring together information about Bracknell Forest’s population, deprivation and local areas, helping us understand how need varies across the borough.
Population profile
Explore who lives in Bracknell Forest, how the population is changing, how long people live and in what health, and how the borough compares with the South East and England across the life course.
Deprivation and inequalities profile
Explore deprivation across Bracknell Forest using the English Indices of Deprivation 2025. See how the borough varies by overall deprivation and individual domains, explore differences between local communities, and use the postcode lookup to understand a particular area.
Bracknell Forest Observatory
Find data about Bracknell Forest by topic and geographical area, with comparisons to national data to help build a picture of the borough. The Observatory also includes local ward profiles with demographic information about our communities.
JSNA deep dives
The Public Health team is currently working on developing a new Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). Whilst this is being developed we have created six detailed deep dives into priority topics for Bracknell Forest, each bringing together data, evidence and local insight.
Children and young people’s mental health
What shapes children and young people’s mental health in Bracknell Forest, who carries the most risk, and where the system could intervene earlier.
Frailty
Who is living with frailty in Bracknell Forest, what drives it, and where earlier identification and support would change the trajectory.
Healthy weight: adults
What is driving overweight and obesity among adults in Bracknell Forest, from diet and activity to the food environment, and where the system could act.
Healthy weight: children and young people
How childhood overweight and obesity are changing in Bracknell Forest, which wards carry most of it, and what shapes weight across the early years and school age.
People living with multiple disadvantage
Homelessness, substance use, mental ill-health, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system, and what happens where they overlap.
Social isolation and loneliness
How social isolation and loneliness affect health across the life course in Bracknell Forest, who is most at risk, and what would help people build connection.
While we develop the new JSNA, we are signposting to other data sources that you may find useful for your research needs. The data sources below give valuable insights into understanding Bracknell Forest’s population, health and community. Links in this section open in a new tab.
Useful data sources
Nationally and regionally published tools
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), a part of the Department of Health and Social Care, publishes health profiles and platforms.
Fingertips is a large public health data collection tool from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Its data is organised into themed profiles, which allow you to:
- view and compare data for Bracknell Forest against other local authorities
- access public health profiles with collections of indicators that cover a range of public health topics, developed to show local area data against comparators
Health of the region data explorer is an interactive report that explores and compares public health indicators across England’s 9 regions and their local authorities. The report provides a snapshot of the latest public health indicators, bringing together wider context and narrative to support interpretation of the data.
Inclusion health data and intelligence resource for England is an interactive inclusion health resource. It features a summary of statistics already in the public domain and provides supporting information for organisations and networks. This promotes informed decision-making.
Health and wellbeing strategy
The previous JSNA work serves as a key reference point that guides programmes and policies across the organisation and system.
It helped shape our Health and Wellbeing Strategy (PDF, 9.4MB) which outlines our priorities for local action. These priorities are detailed in both the Thames Valley ICB strategy and our Council Plan.
Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA)
The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) is a statutory document. It assesses the pharmacy needs of the local population. It includes dispensing services, as well as public health and other services that pharmacies may provide.
Read the Pharmaceutical needs assessment 2025 to 2028 (PDF, 13MB).
Needs assessments
Needs assessments look in detail at a particular health topic, service or group of people, and form part of the evidence base alongside the JSNA. Some are produced jointly across Berkshire East, which covers Bracknell Forest, Slough, and Windsor and Maidenhead. All documents are PDFs and open in a new tab.
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Dementia Needs Assessment
The Dementia Needs Assessment informs the new Dementia Strategy for Bracknell Forest. The document below summarises the key findings and recommendations.
Dementia needs assessment 2025 PDF, 4MB · Opens in a new tab
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Drugs and Alcohol Needs Assessment
The use of psychoactive drugs without medical supervision (variously referred to as “drug use”, “substance use”, “substance abuse”, or “substance misuse”) is associated with significant health and social risks and can lead to the development of drug use disorders.
Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence-producing properties. Its acceptable use in social context makes it easy to overlook or discount its deleterious health and social impacts.
Drugs and alcohol needs assessment, August 2024 PDF · Opens in a new tab
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Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Health Needs Assessment
The HIV needs assessment presents an understanding of the local burden of HIV in Berkshire East to help identify the actual need in this area. It also aims to identify local inequalities such as missed opportunities, testing coverage and late diagnosis.
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SEND Needs Assessment
The Education, Health and Care needs assessment for Bracknell Forest will inform future ways of working to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
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Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Needs Assessment
Poor sexual and reproductive health can affect physical health, wellbeing and social and economic opportunities, with different impacts across communities. This assessment describes needs in Berkshire East and examines how effectively services improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities, to inform decisions about future services.
Sexual and reproductive health needs assessment: summaries PDF · Opens in a new tab Sexual and reproductive health needs assessment: full report PDF · Opens in a new tab