Building Health into all policies and all Policies

Building Health into all policies and all Policies into Health: Applying the lessons learned from Healthy Cities Mrs Susan Toner: Cardiff Dr Nina Williams : Swansea Welsh Public Health Conference 21/09/11

Objectives • To provide information on the Healthy Cities approach and in particular on the overarching theme of health and health equity in all policies • To discuss examples where health has been embedded in policies • To share learning from the approach and discuss partnership plans and actions • To discuss options with participants for building health into all policies and all policies into health

WHO Healthy Cities Network • World Health Organisation (WHO) European Network for Healthy Cities has existed for 23 Years • Currently, 110 cities across Europe with 14 in UK including Cardiff and Swansea • Organised into 5 year phases (Phase V 2009 -2013)

How the WHO defines a ‘Healthy City’ • A healthy city is defined by a process, not an outcome as getting the process right comes first • A healthy city is not one which has achieved a particular health status. • It is conscious of health and striving to improve it. Thus any city (town, village or rural area) can be a ‘healthy’ city, regardless of its current health status. • Senior political and executive commitment to health is required • A partnership process and structure for development and implementation is essential (Zagreb Declaration)

Healthy City – Phase V goals • Overarching theme: health and health equity in all policies i. e. fair health for all – Population health largely determined by policies and actions beyond the health sector – Health in all policies includes transport, housing, urban development etc and an explicit commitment to reduce inequality in health – Tremendous potential for positive health outcomes at the local level • Three core themes within overarching theme: – Caring and supportive environments – Healthy living – Healthy urban design and environment

Health and Health Equity in All Policies: Examples

Cardiff • Influencing the Integrated Partnership Strategy and implementation plans, the Local Development Plan and the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board to embed health across all policies and services by – Awareness raising (of life expectancy gap) – Strengthening and sharing the information and knowledge base – Maintaining political commitment for tackling the social determinants of health – Creating and maintaining partnerships across sectors – Impact Assessment (HIA) (IIA) – Capacity building – Developing a clear map of the way forward

Swansea • Health and Health Equity in all policies – adapted Local Integration Framework to include elements of HIA • Embedding concept and use of the Integration Framework within Health Board and Council with facilitators from each partnership • pilot planning policies • Health Impact Assessment methodology for the Local Development Plan produced to support development of a healthy urban environment • Cross cutting issue in all 3 core theme programmes

What have we learnt? • Focus on reinvigorating decision makers re: social determinants of health (NB individual projects do not work) • Use the data to show that not tackling health inequalities costs lives and resources • Utilise existing partnership mechanisms and streamline • The right time for taking forward the approach sometimes needs to be facilitated/engineered • Communities and organisations require support to build public health skills and capacity • Value and use the assets within communities

Website http: //www. healthycities. org. uk/