Health Infrastructure’s Post

How can planning policy better support councils in promoting healthier communities? That's a question posed in the government's NPPF consultation, and I’m pleased to have been asked by Simon Wicks to share my thoughts on this topic for the latest issue of The Planner RTPI. It’s definitely encouraging to see the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government recognising the critical link between planning and public health. And there’s a real opportunity to strengthen policy to support this. Here are a few key ideas I believe the government should consider: - Make health improvement and the reduction of health inequalities explicit objectives in national planning policy. - Extend the concept of vision-led planning (introduced in the transport section of the NPPF consultation) to all development projects. - Apply the green belt 'golden rules' to all developments (everyone deserves access to green spaces and reliable public services don't they?) - Expand the understanding of what makes a healthy place - and the Quality of Life Framework offers a helpful, evidence-based approach. The Quality of Life Foundation’s full response to the consultation digs deeper into these points and more. Because planning plays a vital role in shaping healthier, happier communities—and now is the time to make that a core focus. #PlanningPolicy #NPPF #NPPFConsultation #PublicHealth #HealthAndWellbeing #HealthyPlaces #UrbanPlanning #SpatialPlanning #LocalGov

👀 Have you read Darwin Group's Five-Point Plan? Released on 23rd July, this report, commissioned by Portakabin and supported by NHS Providers outlines our mission, working collaboratively with our health and care colleagues to protect the future of the NHS and reach 'The End of the Waiting Line'. The plan outlines five considerations for examining the estate challenges facing our health and care providers across the country. These are all vital steps in building resilience within the NHS for future generations. 🚑 System-wide approach - a holistic approach to estates and goals, avoiding isolated fixes 👥 Greater collaboration - to foster a national and regional health sector collaboration 👩⚕️ Staff and patient experience - clinically grounded buildings to support staff and patient experience ♻️ Prevent the waste - exploring cost efficiencies and prioritising sustainability 🏥 Adaptability of estates - healthcare spaces that evolve to meet changing needs ➡️ Read the full report and find out more about Darwin Group's 'Next Steps' commitments here: https://lnkd.in/ebNMD8MA #Healthcare #Construction #HealthcareEstates #CareWithoutDelay

Public services that have for years been creaking are now crumbling Like many others, CIPFA has called for a long-term capital programme to address the historic capital underinvestment in the health sector and support the provision of, an NHS estate which is fit for purpose and aligned with the policy agenda around closer integration of services. There is still time to join us for a virtual roundtable discussion on 📅 Tuesday 21 May 2024 from 10:00-12:00. This virtual roundtable will bring together a range of professionals from across the NHS and local government to explore the potential to address these issues, at the local level. Also attending will be our in-house CIPFA experts, to explore how we might provide support and potential solutions. Topics for discussion include: ☑ Challenges of developing and planning capital strategies at local level. ☑ The potential for collaboration with local government partners, taking an integrated approach considering existing community assets. ☑ Improving estates planning and management at local level, including priorities for net zero – are the skills and capacity in ‘place’? If you are interested in joining the discussion then please contact Dr Eleanor Roy, CIPFA Policy Manager Health and Integration: eleanor.roy@cipfa.org #NHSestate #roundtable

🌟How health & social care delivers EXTRA impact in Bristol 🏥 We all know health and social care services are critical to a thriving community. But Bristol City Council and its forward-thinking partners are going even further - embedding targeted Social Value initiatives directly into their H&SC contracts. From hiring and sourcing locally to creating new training and upskilling opportunities, they've gone over and above to achieve a remarkable £5.3 million in Social Value! 💥 Learn how they've turned health and social care into a cornerstone of positive community impact in our full spotlight. 👇 https://hubs.li/Q02M0ZhQ0 #socialvalue #socialcare #healthcare #communityimpact #socialimpact #bristol #publicsector #sustainablecommunities

Despite our Lead Consultant and one of our Key Note speakers being stuck on the M6 today 😬, we managed to have some fantastic discussions with partners across #Cumberland #Cumbria and #NorthCumbria as we embed the Marmot Principles and the Health Equity Commission recommendations at place. North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Cumberland Council came together today with a wide array of partners to discuss #Anchor approaches. We opened with a few words from the legend that is Sir Professor Michael Marmot who talked about North Cumbria as a Marmot place and the role of health trusts and commissioning bodies in addressing the social determinants of health to improve health equity, recognising the role of them in: - Being a good and fair employer - The purchasing power they have and the opportunity for community wealth and health building; and - The wider impact on the community and partnership working with education, business, VCFSE He said “The stakes could not be higher, the importance could not be higher, because the background is that in Britain we’re not in a good state from the point of view of health. Improvement in health has slowed, the inequalities have increased and health in the poorest areas is getting worse”. Thanks to all that joined us for a great discussion and for the commitment to action on creating greater #HealthEquity for our population and to the UCL Institute of Health Equity for their support. Read about Anchor organisations and the role in peoples health here: https://lnkd.in/ec2ydkJa

Last year, BlocPower partnered with the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), the nation’s largest healthy housing organization, to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on the integration of health-related services into electrification building upgrades. This first-of-its-kind study explores the potential health outcomes and healthcare savings associated with building electrification and lays out the challenges and opportunities to drive toward healthier communities. Read more about the study and the insights here: https://lnkd.in/dQk86ZgK

It’s nearly time for the inaugural Healthy Building Policy Summit. Presented by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) in partnership with Georgetown University’s Global Cities Initiative, the full-day event on Sept. 16 is dedicated to exploring the critical role of policy in shaping the future of how we can support and enhance human health, wellbeing, and equity in buildings. The event kicks off with a morning plenary by Jason Hartke, executive vice president of external affairs and advocacy for IWBI, and Dean Maria Cancian of Georgetown University, followed by a full day of thought-provoking and educational presentations on topics like: 1. The future of work 2. What policymakers need to know about indoor air 3. Advancing human health and sustainability together 4. Modernizing and improving schools #WeAreWELL #healthybuildings #policy #IAQ

We’re here!    Looking forward to an insightful couple of days at Healthcare Estates 2024 - 8th and 9th October - Manchester Central here in Manchester. With lots of interesting topics for discussion, the team will be getting involved and speaking to people about their estates challenges.    Come and say hello – Stand H19. Citycare and Shared Agenda | Community Ventures Nikola Idle | Greg Salisbury | Tim Wigglesworth | Jonathan Turner   #HealthcareEstates #HCEstates24 #Healthcare #HealthcareFacilities #PublicHealth #Consultancy #EstatesStrategy #Strategy #ERICdata #Data #Utilisation #Projects #ProgrammeManagament #BusinessCases #BetterBusinessCases

Public services that have for years been creaking are now crumbling Like many others, CIPFA has called for a long-term capital programme to address the historic capital underinvestment in the health sector and support the provision of, an NHS estate which is fit for purpose and aligned with the policy agenda around closer integration of services. There is still time to join us for a virtual roundtable discussion on 📅 Tuesday 21 May 2024 from 10:00-12:00. This virtual roundtable will bring together a range of professionals from across the NHS and local government to explore the potential to address these issues, at the local level. Also attending will be our in-house CIPFA experts, to explore how we might provide support and potential solutions. Topics for discussion include: ✅ Challenges of developing and planning capital strategies at local level. ✅ The potential for collaboration with local government partners, taking an integrated approach considering existing community assets. ✅ Improving estates planning and management at local level, including priorities for net zero – are the skills and capacity in ‘place’? If you are interested in joining the discussion then please contact Dr Eleanor Roy, CIPFA Policy Manager Health and Integration: eleanor.roy@cipfa.org #NHSestate #roundtable

For some 15 months we have been doing action research work with community members in Cape Town, as part of a collaborative learning journey between the Elsies River Cluster Health Committee, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, and UCT' School of Public Health. The work sought to explore ways to strengthen community participation in health broadly and healthcare quality improvement more specifically. One of the learnings from this journey is that community members have rich tacit knowledge and on-the-ground experiences that are valuable to quality improvement efforts. However, tapping into this richness and wisdom requires a shift in how we perceive communities: From seeing them as just consumers of health services or patients to seeing them as partners and key stakeholders in the work of providing quality health services and supporting healthy communities. As health workers (in different roles), we hold considerable power in this relationship and how we exercise this power is crucial. We can choose to either use our power to keep community members at arm's length or to create an environment that enables meaningful community participation. However, we have also learned that working with communities is not an easy task, especially with the declining community trust in the health system. Capacitating district and health facility managers with the necessary tools, resources and skills to work with communities and facilitate difficult conversations is important to strengthening collaboration at the interface between communities and health departments (ministries) and achieving health system goals. #districthealthsystems #qualityimprovement #learninghealthsystems