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Healthy Communities Resource

Welcome to the healthy communities web resource. This website explores health improvement at local government level and also includes a wealth of information on tackling health inequalities. On these pages you will find information about healthy communities and the healthy communities programme, good practice examples, news and events, government policy legislation and guidance and much more.

In 2005 for the first time the Government outlined local government’s responsibility for co-delivering a plan to improve the health of local people and reduce the health inequalities gap. That delivery plan was the public health white paper Choosing Health.

It is widely accepted across government maintaining improvement in the nation’s health can be achieved more cost-effectively through councils. Council initiatives may be more beneficial than the health service trying to fix harm done to someone’s health after years of self-neglect.

Social and economic factors are wider determinants of health. And health is a wider determinant of the progress local government can make in advancing the social and economic wellbeing of people living in their areas.

A lot has happened thus far to raise the profile of the health improvement agenda in local government; and local authorities now have the opportunity to develop the skills and leadership necessary to deliver longer and healthier lives for everyone.

Sections

  • The Healthy Communities programme Last updated 30 June 2010

    This section contains information about the Healthy Communities programme – a national service funded by the Department of Health.

  • Creating Healthy Communities Last updated 21 October 2009

    This section takes a closer look at public sector, local authority and PCT schemes and initiatives that are being utilised to facilitate health improvement.

  • News and Views Last updated 21 October 2009

    This section contains what is new on the site, the latest health news in the health improvement sector, as well as the healthy communities bulletin.

  • Sharing good practice Last updated 25 May 2010

    This section aims to share good practice and showcase successful case studies from across all sections of the health improvement and health inequalities agenda - from smoking to teen conception, sexual health to the built and natural environment. If it is a social determinant of health you'll find it here.

  • Health-related events Last updated 15 June 2010

    Find out about the latest health-related events. View outputs of events we have been involved in and future events on the horizon.

  • Policy and tools Last updated 15 November 2009

    Policy and tools looks at parliamentary bills, green and white papers relevant to health agenda, as well as studies, academic writing, publications and toolkits on health, health impact assessment, JSNA and much more.

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