Blog

The government has stated that smoking is responsible for half of the inequalities gap in life expectancy in England – will the ideas in an independent review close that gap?

Loreen Chikwira explores how better listening, collaborative working with minority ethnic women and better support for link workers can improve how social prescribing supports migrant women.

Oliver Standing, Director of Collective Voice, and colleagues from the Alliance Group, explore the opportunities offered by England’s new drugs strategy, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.

Johnson Neo reflects on the role that clinicians can play in improving population health and considers how applying a framework can help make sense of the factors that can impact on their patients’ health.

Partnership working can be transformative – if it works well. Here we share two techniques, observed as part of the Healthy Communities Together programme, that can help in forming healthy partnerships.

Angela Fell, Director of Northern Heart and Soul in Wigan, outlines why we should move beyond person-centred services to a community-centred approach in order to transform people's health and wellbeing.

Dame Carol Black’s review has produced a comprehensive set of recommendations for action on drugs prevention, treatment and recovery. Ruth Robertson reflects on the wide range of services that need to be involved.

What does ‘levelling up’ mean – and how can the government start to tackle the issues it covers? Jonathon Holmes looks at the challenges of turning a slogan into action.

How can organisations and individuals strengthen population health approaches and better tackle health inequalities? Durka Dougall looks at how to move from aspiration into action.

How can NHS services use their facilities to better support social prescribing? Ben Collins highlights what’s needed to make NHS sites more welcoming spaces for individuals and communities.

Digital tools and services are increasingly being used in health and care, but what happens to all the data that is collected, who should have access to it and who decides? Pritesh Mistry outlines the value of trust and transparency in these complex agreements

Sally Warren reflects on the findings of the Health Devolution Commission, which considered the role of ‘health in all policies’ and the balance between local and national action.

What can social enterprises teach the NHS about being an effective anchor institution? Ben Collins considers how organisations must work in partnership to better support the communities they serve.

A resilient health and care system is about more than national action. Sally Warren shares a vision for building local resilience that would allow the health and care system to respond effectively to future crises.

Much media attention has been paid to how acute services are tackling Covid-19, but what about community health and care services? Anna Charles considers the impact of the outbreak on these often overlooked services and the role they might play in the next phase of the response.

The Grenfell tragedy and its aftermath have revealed that public sector organisations do not always adequately serve local communities. In this guest blog, authors from Grenfell United reflect on the importance of sharing stories and real engagement at all levels to build trust and ensure meaningful support.

What role do doctors have to play in improving population health? Aseem Malhotra considers the responsibility they have not only to their patients, but also to their hospital, the wider NHS and the population as a whole.

Where’s the best place to start when thinking about population health? Durka Dougall shares some learning from the Fund’s work to date.

New standards aim to improve urgent care in the community, but how easily can they be delivered? Anna Charles considers how workforce, social care and the pace of change might pose challenges for implementing these welcome plans.

Richard Murray outlines what to look out for in the coming year, from early announcements on workforce and funding, to longer-term ambitions for integration and culture change.