Scaling Prevention Through Trusted Digital Health with Staffordshire County Council

Staffordshire County Council, like many local authorities, is experiencing increasing demand across prevention, wellbeing and long-term condition support. Local population health challenges include:

• Rising need for mental health and wellbeing support, particularly for anxiety and stress

• High levels of overweight and obesity, increasing future risk and avoidable ill health

• Smoking remaining a key driver of preventable disease

• An ageing population, with more residents living longer with multiple conditions

• Growing public use of health apps, but low confidence in which tools are safe, effective and trusted

Traditional service models alone could not meet this demand. Staffordshire needed a way to extend the reach of prevention, empower residents earlier, and do so without adding pressure to frontline services.

• Clinically assured digital tools, removing uncertainty around app safety and effectiveness

• Campaign-led delivery, aligned to Staffordshire’s population health priorities

• Simple, accessible pathways that encourage residents to take early action

• System-wide confidence, enabling staff and partners to consistently signpost residents

• Scalable digital promotion, particularly through social media

Real engagement. Measurable demand. Scalable prevention.

In 2025 alone, Staffordshire’s digital health programme delivered:

• 30,000+ individual visits to the ORCHA platform

• 58% of engagement driven by social media, proving the power of targeted digital campaigns

• Nearly 400 downloads of the NHS Weight Loss Plan, supporting behaviour change at scale

• Increased staff confidence in recommending digital tools

• Improved digital health literacy among residents

These results show how Staffordshire has successfully used digital health to reach more people earlier, support self-management, and reduce reliance on traditional services.