A Place For Health: Building Health Across Society
RSPH’s policy strategy sets out the need for every part of society to play its part in improving health outcomes.
Everyone deserves a place to thrive.
This should not be contentious. But the sad reality is that, for many people, places don’t support their health and wellbeing.
The RSPH is calling for a step change in how we consider health. Building healthier lives must be something done by everyone, not just left to the NHS. By building health places, we can help fix the crisis of ill health which is holding the UK back.
A Place For Health: at a glance
Key findings
- 3 million people live in homes which they say are bad for their health
- 3.5 million working age adults will have a major health condition by 2040
- Only 1 in 8 people say their work is very good for their health
- More than 5 million people have a mental health condition which would benefit from therapeutic intervention
Recommendations
- Government should embed a health-in-all-policies approach which judges policies by their health impact
- Local areas can and should tailor their policies based on local needs and health inequalities
- The private sector should recognise that a health population is good for business, and invest to achieve this
- Rather than top-down solutions, communities should be empowered to shape healthy places
Join our healthy places campaign
You can help us to create a places for health in every setting and help drive a revolution in how we think of and deliver health support, enabling people to build healthier lives, rather than just preventing ill health. If you want to be part of that revolution, sign up to hear about how you can help us to deliver healthier places and happier lives.
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How do different places affect our health?
Where we live
From houses to high streets, there is a wealth of evidence that these environments – whether it is the physical fabric, the services on offer, or the opportunities they provide – can shape the life outcomes of the people who occupy them. Poor quality housing is a major driver of poor health, and we know that high streets can help drive healthy behaviours.
Where we learn
Building health has to start at the beginning of life – the habits we build in childhood remain with us for the rest of our lives. Whether it is physical activity or mental resilience, supporting people to be healthy in education settings will help them to remain healthy when they leave
Where we work
We spend more of our lives at work than anywhere else. Someone who starts work at 18, and works full time until they retire at 65, can expect to spend more than 75,000 hours in the workplace. That represents more than one in ten hours across our lifetime. Given the centrality of work to most of our lives, it is clear that we cannot build a healthy society unless our workplaces are drivers of good health.
Where we play
Health is not just about the things we have to do – being healthy means having time and space to do the things which make us happy. Whether it is gyms promoting mental health conversations, or social media as a place where people come together to share experiences, the places we choose to spend our time have a huge impact.
What makes a healthy place?
Community engagement
Local residents understand better than anyone what their needs are. By giving people the power to shape different places, we can ensure that they both improve their health and are well-used. Engaging with communities should be the first step to making a healthy place.
Trained staff
Staff trained in health promotion and prevention are crucial to improving health outcomes. Having conversations about mental health, promoting healthy choices around diet, or spotting warning signs of serious health problems all play a role in improving outcomes. From teachers to hairdressers, health is everyone’s business.
Healthy habits
A healthy place is one which makes it easy for people to build healthy habits. Shops which offer healthy food, easy access to green spaces, or a school curriculum which promotes mental resilience are all examples of how a place can shape the behaviour of the people in it.