About RSPH
As the world’s oldest public health agency, we help transform lives for the better through our education, training, and advocacy.
Why we exist
Good health is essential for people and communities to thrive. It is the foundation of a happy and prosperous society.
However, for far too many people, ill health continues to cause enormous harm. It deprives people opportunities and leads to shorter, unhappier lives where people are prevented from realising their full potential.
From the food on our plates to the air we breathe, the high streets we shop on, and the places we live and work - our health is shaped by the world around us.
For more than 150 years it has been our mission to improve and protect the health of the public by addressing the factors that determine it.
Our history
With roots going back as far as 1856, our early efforts resulted in improvements to sanitation that prevented the spread of deadly diseases in Victorian London.
We adopted our name in October 2008, following the merger of the Royal Institute of Public Health (RIPH) and the Royal Society of Health (RSH). Both organisations played a leading role in early public health provison and sanitary reform.
What the RSPH does today
Today, we are an independent charity working in the UK and across the world.
- We use our voice to influence discussions and debates on our nation’s health and publish topical research on the biggest public health challenges facing us today.
- We are home to a global community of over 6,000 members working across a vast range of disciplines, professions, and settings to help the public lead healthier lives.
- With more than 100 industry-leading qualifications and courses, we help thousands of people put specialist health knowledge into practice every year.
- Our three peer-reviewed academic journals publish relevant and ethical research and continue to be a trusted source for the global public health community.
Become a member
Join a community of more than 6,000 public health professionals and students.
Qualifications & training
Find out how you can boost your public health knowledge and move up in your career.
Policy and Public Affairs
Discover how RSPH works to improve public health through research and outreach.
The future of public health
From governments and businesses to individuals and organisations, everyone has a role to play in both protecting and promoting the health of the public.
To move to a genuinely preventative system that keeps people, well, healthy, and out of hospitals - we need public health to happen everywhere.
We must look beyond traditional healthcare settings and apply public health approaches in workplaces, schools, on highstreets, gyms and many other everyday spaces where people spend their lives. This holds huge potential for our health and shared prosperity.
RSPH Strategic Plan 2022-2027
RSPH Strategic Plan 2022-2027
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Our plan for delivering high-quality services whilst being a strong and sound organisation, so we can impact the public’s health for many years to come.
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