Realising the value of people and communities

"We intend the report to be a practical resource to support the work of commissioners, providers, communities and others seeking to find ways to empower individuals and communities in their health and care. In addition, we hope that it will help commissioners, policymakers and practitioners to understand the range of approaches available, some of the key components and their potential to improve health and wellbeing outcomes, NHS sustainability and social value."

At the heart of health: Realising the value of people and communities
S Wood, A Finnis, H Khan, J Ejbye
Nesta, The Health Foundation
February 2016

Read more here.

Health Visiting Programme and 0-5 Commissioning of Public Health Services

"Local authorities know their communities and understand local need so can commission the most vital services to improve local children’s health and wellbeing. One of the benefits of councils commissioning health visitor services is that it offers opportunities to link with wider systems, such as housing, early years education providers and to enable the integration of children’s services." 

Factsheet on Health Visiting and commissioning of public health services for 0 to 5 year olds
Department of Health, Public Health England, NHS England
November 2014

Read more here.

Tackling health inequalities: the case for investment in the wider public health workforce

"In this report we look at the evidence for engaging the ‘wider workforce’ and particularly the role of health trainers and champions in supporting behaviour change within their own communities, providing peer-to-peer support from a position of understanding and common ground. The investment in them is, in light of the economic cost of treating illness, money well spent."

Tackling health inequalities: the case for investment in the wider public health workforce
Royal Society for Public Health
June 2014

Read more here.

Discrimination in governance and leadership and the potential impact on patient care

"Leadership bodies which are significantly unrepresentative of their local communities, such as NHS Trust Boards, will have more difficulty ensuring that care is genuinely patient centred – with resultant failings in the provision or quality of services to specific local communities that have particular health needs, including BME communities and patients."

The “snowy white peaks” of the NHS: a survey of discrimination in governance and leadership and the potential impact on patient care in London and England
R Kline
Middlesex University
2014

Read more here.

School nursing: public health services

"This guidance supports effective commissioning of school nursing services to provide public health for school aged children. It also explains how local school nursing services can be used and improved to meet local needs."

School nursing: public health services

Department of Health 

March 2014

Find out more and access all the resources here.

Mental Healthwatch handbook

"This handbook provides information on how Healthwatch can help improve mental health with a range of partners including central government, service users, comissioners, providers, the voluntary sector and councils."

Mental Healthwatch handbook: Improving mental health with your community
National Survivor User Network
April 2014

Read more here.

Involving patients in setting priorities for healthcare improvement

"Patient involvement can change priorities driving healthcare improvement at the population level. Future research should test the generalizability of these findings to other contexts, and assess its impact on patient care."

Involving patients in setting priorities for healthcare improvement: a cluster randomized trial
A Boivin, P Lehoux, R Lacombe, J Burgers, R Grol
Implementation Science, 2014, 9:24

Read more here.

Guide to the healthcare system in England

This guide has been written to explain about all the different organisations that "play a key role in making the NHS what it is."

Guide to the healthcare system in England
NHS England
May 2013

Read more here.

Tackling teenage pregnancy

"This briefing for councillors and officers explains the challenges facing councils and the opportunities they have to tackle teenage pregnancy and reduce health inequalities in local communities."

Tackling teenage pregnancy: local government's new public health role
Local Government Association
April 2013

Read more here.