Thank you to Colin for this wonderful cover photo of Felixstowe docks at sunrise - with an extra special addition!
As always, we welcome comments, feedback and suggestions.
We also welcome your photos of Suffolk to use in a future blog!
Email us at: knowledgeandintelligence@suffolk.gov.uk
New here?
Welcome! If you're new to the JSNA, take a look at the short video below to find out how it helps us understand Suffolk's health and wellbeing needs.
Healthy Pregnancy in Suffolk: Giving Every Child the Best Start
The earliest influences on our health begin long before we are born. A healthy pregnancy can help reduce the risk of complications, support the wellbeing of the birthing person, and lay the foundations for a healthy start in life. That is why the Suffolk JSNA has published a new Healthy Pregnancy Profile, bringing together local evidence on pregnancy, maternity health and the wider factors that shape outcomes for families across Suffolk.
The profile looks across the whole pregnancy journey – from preconception health and maternal wellbeing through to birth outcomes and the wider social factors that influence health. It highlights that while many pregnancies are healthy, outcomes are often shaped by a combination of health, social and economic circumstances.
One of the key messages from the profile is that health before pregnancy matters. Factors such as smoking, existing health conditions and access to preventative measures like folic acid supplementation can all influence outcomes for both the birthing person and baby. By supporting health and wellbeing before conception, there is an opportunity to improve outcomes later in pregnancy and beyond.
The profile also explores maternal health during pregnancy, including pregnancy-related health conditions and birth outcomes. It highlights the importance of recognising and responding to health needs early, while ensuring families can access the support they need throughout pregnancy.
Importantly, the report shows that not everyone experiences pregnancy in the same way. The profile examines differences by age, ethnicity, deprivation and disability, helping us understand where inequalities exist and where targeted support may be needed. It also looks beyond healthcare alone, recognising that factors such as employment, housing, financial stability and education can have a significant impact on pregnancy outcomes.
This reflects a broader public health principle: healthy pregnancies are not only influenced by clinical care, but also by the environments in which people live, work and raise their families. Supporting good maternity outcomes therefore requires action across services, communities and systems.
The Healthy Pregnancy Profile forms part of Suffolk's ongoing JSNA programme, which provides the shared evidence base used by local organisations to understand population need, reduce inequalities and inform decisions about services and support.
By bringing together the latest data and evidence, the profile helps identify opportunities to improve support for families before, during and after pregnancy, with the ultimate aim of helping every child in Suffolk get the best possible start in life.
Read the full Healthy Pregnancy Profile and explore other JSNA reports on the Healthy Suffolk website.
Four for you - Recent national publications:
- Conceptions in England and Wales: 2023: New annual data on conceptions to residents of England and Wales, with numbers and rates by age group including women aged under 18 years.
- Fertility for those born in different years, England and Wales: 2024: Annual analysis of fertility by cohort for those born in England and Wales. Cohort fertility analysis allows the fertility experience of those sharing the same birth year (a “cohort”) to be traced through time and compared with other cohorts.
- Crossing Paths: The Sutton Trust’s new research looks at educational attainment and earnings by socio-economic background, gender, ethnicity and region. It also takes a close look at outcomes for white working-class pupils by constituency across the country, from educational attainment to employment outcomes.
- Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation: The final report highlights key areas of concern, identifies barriers to delivering change and sets out a robust package of eight recommendations aimed at delivering long-term systemic and cultural transformation in maternity and neonatal care for the 21st century.
This month the JSNA workplan is focused on:
- Finalising and publishing a men's health profile
- Finalising a women's health profile
- Finalising a sickle cell profile
- Writing a gambling profile
- Drafting an inclusion health profile
- Scoping new profiles on the end of life, alcohol, substance misuse, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and respiratory health
- Planning for the Annual Public Health Report 2026
The Suffolk Observatory
The Suffolk Observatory contains all Suffolk’s vital statistics. It is the one-stop-shop for data, statistics and reports all about Suffolk provided by a variety of organisations.
Through data, reports and analysis, the Suffolk Observatory provides a comprehensive picture of the county and is a great source for useful facts and figures that will help you write reports and presentations, inform strategic and business planning, prepare funding applications or support academic research.
