Health, Work, and Inclusive Growth: working together to improve health and employment, and reduce inequalities, in the East Midlands

Public Health England (PHE) have published their report Health, Work, and Inclusive Growth: working together to improve health and employment, and reduce inequalities, in the East Midlands.

This report is an initial scope to aid the development of an approach to health, wealth, and work for the East Midlands. It aims to be the start of a wider discussion to build a collaborative effort and identify how to work together to address some of our key indicators that reflect local issues around the economic policy, work and health agenda.

Public Health England are in the process of establishing a high level strategic multi-partner health, work and inclusive growth East Midlands group to develop a shared vision and work programme.

You may be interested in some developments relating to this agenda:

Work and Health

• PHEs recent Health Matters on health and work provides actions that employers in general, local authorities, and the NHS workforce can take with regards to health and work. This can be accessed via the following link:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-health-and-work

As part of this, 3 case studies have been published as follows:

• Greater Manchester’s whole population approach to health, skills and employment: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/working-well-an-approach-to-work-and-health
• Community organisations in Gloucestershire have formed a partnership to engage and support individuals who are facing multiple barriers to employment: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/going-the-extra-mile-a-project-to-help-those-furthest-from-work
• Hospital trust establishes a health and wellbeing team to provide a wide variety of programmes to help employees lead a healthier lifestyle: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/empowering-staff-to-make-informed-wellbeing-choices

• PHE have commissioned Work Foundation to undertake an evaluation of the PHE Business In The Community Employer Toolkits, an interim report is due Spring 2019
• PHE are working on a ‘Local employer accreditation guidance’ resource, the guidance will be co-badged with the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Public Health and will be available in April 2019
• PHE have commissioned RAND Europe and Northumbria Trust to develop an employer toolkit on commissioning workplace interventions
• PHE have commissioned Business in the Community to develop an employer toolkit on reproductive health

Local Enterprise Partnership perspective

At LEP- level, a number of approaches are currently being taken to progress the issues and opportunities highlighted in the report.  Moving forward PHE intend for the strategic group to provide a mechanism for supporting LEPs, including with:

• Approaches to building relationships between health and economic activity – both at governance and delivery level
• The use of health data within Skills Advisory Panels to support strategy development and commissioning
• Sharing effective strategies and approaches to addressing local issues relating to health, work and inclusion
• Opportunities for alignment of health and economic funding and policy