Description
Policy increasingly acknowledges that there are links between health and sustainability. In practice, however, these links can be hard to pin down, and practical steps to promote health and sustainability are often difficult to devise – particularly in relation to economic development.
London Health Commission
SUSTAINABLE LOCAL ECONOMIES FOR HEALTH
PROJECT
EVIDENCE BASE AND STRATEIC PLANNIN TOOL
INTRODUCTION AND GUIDANCE FOR USERS
“The environment we live in, our social networks, our sense of security, socio-economic
circumstances, facilities and resources in our local neighbourhood can affect individual
health.”
Choosing Health (Department of ealth, !""#$
1
The London Health Commission is an independent, high level, strategic partnership
which seeks to improve the well-being of all %ondoners and reduce ine&ualities in
health. ' key priority is regeneration and health, and includes the London Works for
Better Health programme which is concerned with employment and health.
The Sustainable Local Economies for Health P!o"e#t ((%)*$ is part of this
initiative, focusing on the role that organisations and policy-makers can play in
contributing to sustainable communities that are also health-promoting. (%)* was
developed by the %ondon ealth +ommission in collaboration with sustainability
consultants ,rook %yndhurst.
This document provides information on the scope and purpose of (%)* and guidance
on how to use the (%)* strategic planning tool within your organisation or with
stakeholders.
Fo! $%!the! in$o!mation& #onta#t Cathe!ine Ma' on ()( *+,- ./01 o!
Cathe!ine2ma'3london24o52%6
Contents
1. -ntroduction
2. .hat the Sustainable Local Economies for Health *ro/ect can do for you
3. .hy health and sustainability0
4. )mployment as a determinant of health
5. (ustainable local economies
6. -ntroducing the (%)* matri1
7. 2sing the (%)* matri1
8. (%)* in practice3 some e1amples
2
Int!od%#tion
*olicy increasingly acknowledges that there are links between health and sustainability.
-n practice, however, these links can be hard to pin down, and practical steps to
promote health an sustainability are often difficult to devise 4 particularly in relation to
economic development.
.ith this in mind, the Sustainable Local Economies for Health *ro/ect ((%)*$ has
e1plored what a healthy, sustainable local economy could look like by identifying
• the as7e#ts o$ em7lo8ment that sha7e health
• the $a#to!s that ma6e a 7la#e mo!e s%staina9le
• and the #onne#tions 9et:een them2
This evidence underpins a mat!i';9ased tool to guide users through the links between
health, sustainability and employment, and a st!ate4i# $!ame
!6 for /oint planning
and implementation.
(%)* will be particularly useful to you if you work in
• Re4ene!ation
• E#onomi# De5elo7ment
• S%staina9le De5elo7ment
• P%9li# Health2
(%)* uses a collaborative and fle1ible approach, which enables you to
• integrate health and sustainability considerations into a single, comprehensive,
st!ate4i# 7lannin4 $!ame!62
• assimilate /oint sta6eholde! 7e!s7e#ti5es into health and sustainability planning
in the local community.
• find mutually reinforcing, and e#onomi#all8 ad5anta4eo%s ?
sol%tions to seemingly different problems regarding health and sustainability in
the local economy.
3
@hat the Sustainable Local Economies for Health P!o"e#t #an
do $o! 8o%
't the heart of (%)* is an evidence-based matri1 that encapsulates the
characteristics of individual, employment-related health and the factors that determine
the sustainability of a place 4 and their interconnections.
The matri1 is designed as a tool to guide users through these interconnections. -t also
provides a strategic framework within which different professional disciplines and
“languages” can come together and develop shared understandings, common
approaches and genuine synergies 4 as a firm foundation for genuinely /oined up policy
and implementation.
5or e1ample3
.ho0 %ocal 'uthorities and %ocal (trategic
*artnerships
.hat0 %ocal 'rea 'greements and %ocal )nterprise 6rowth -nitiatives
ow0 -dentifies shared goals for community health and wellbeing, and integrated
approaches to achieving them.
.ho0 7D's, 68s and regeneration partnerships
.hat0 Delivering “sustainable communities”
ow0 5acilitates a partnership-based approach to planning and delivery of
sustainable social and economic infrastructure.
.ho0 9( *rimary +are and ospital Trusts
.hat0 %-5T programmes and *5- developments
ow0 )nables public and private agencies to /ointly ma1imise the health
dividend from new developments for all stakeholders.
“SLEHP helped Barts and the London NHS Trust to formulate its ideas around
sustainable deelopment and its contribution to the local econom!" #n particular it
proided a structure for its Sustainable $eelopment #nde% of targets and indicators
associated &ith its ne& deelopment"'
'ndrew 'ttfield, 7egeneration :anager, ,arts ; the %ondon 9( Trust
4
@h8 health and s%staina9ilit8A
An indi5id%alBs health and the s%staina9ilit8 o$ a #omm%nit8 a!e #onne#ted and
sha!e simila! #ha!a#te!isti#s2
The determinants of an individual??@$.
• 2nemployment has a ma/or negative health impactA when unemployed, men are
more likely to e1perience serious mental health or substance abuse problems and
women have higher rates of diagnosed disorders ((nemplo!ment ) Health*
Eidence +eie&, D' !""B$.
• +onversely, not all employment is good employmentA the () estimates that over !
million people in the 2C suffer from illness caused or made worse by their work
(9ational (tatistics, ,ccupational Health Statistics Bulletin, !""!D"B$.
The a9ilit8 to $ind!6& 9e 7!o5ided :ith health! !6 and sta8 health8 is
si4ni$i#antl8 sha7ed 98 so#io;e#onomi# stat%s2
• Despite the increase in overall health of the 2C population in the past fifty years,
health ine&ualities are increasingA an average man in the highest social class has a
life e1pectancy E.! years longer than a man in the lowest, and his children are nearly
twice as likely to survive birth (arding ; Taylor, Social $eterminants of Health )
#llness, *harmaceutical Fournal !@?, !""!$.
• 'ge, gender, ethnicity and disability will all impact upon the ability to find work -
young people, men and ethnic minorities are more likely to be unemployed and
nearly half of people with disabilities are /obless ((nemplo!ment ) Health* Eidence
+eie&, D' !""B$.
• .ork stress is more prevalent among lower socio-economic status groups ((iegrist,
+educing #ne-ualities in Health* Work.related Strategies/ Scandinaian 0ournal of
Public Health 123, !""!$.
So#ial ineC%alities :ill sha"e and be sha"e b! an indi5id%alBs =!6in4
e'7e!ien#e>2 Poli#8 ma6e!s D st!ate4i# de#ision;ma6e!s need to in$l%en#e
em7lo8e!s a##o!din4l8 E and !e$le#t on thei! o:n em7lo8ment 7!a#ti#es2
6
S%staina9le lo#al e#onomies
S%staina9le de5elo7ment #an 9e de$ined as =a 9ette! C%alit8 o$ li$e& no: and $o!
4ene!ations to #ome> to 9e a#hie5ed& as 7!o7osed 98 the UF o5e!nmentBs )((0
S%staina9le De5elo7ment St!ate48& 98
• living within environmental limits
• ensuring a strong, /ust and healthy society
• achieving a sustainable economy
• promoting good governance
• using sound science responsibly.
A s%staina9le lo#al #omm%nit8 is one that
• is prosperousA has decent homes for sale or rent at affordable pricesA has green and
open spacesA en/oys a well-designed, accessible ; pleasant living ; working
environmentA is effectively governed with strong sense of community (8D*:, !""!$.
A s%staina9le lo#al e#onom8 $o#%ses on ho: these o%t#omes #an 9e a#hie5ed
s7e#i$i#all8 th!o%4h em7lo8ment& :he!e
• local economic development policy seeks “win-win” outcomes between
environmental, economic and social interests, rather than assuming competition
between them.
• decision-makers appreciate that sustainable policies must vary from place to place 4
in %ondon, for e1ample, high priority is placed on providing affordable homes for key-
workers so they may live in the city in which they work.
• the notion of “local” is understood to be different for different occupations 4 for some
this is likely to be the neighbourhood level, whilst for others it could mean national.
“+eal progress cannot be measured b! mone! alone" We must ensure
that economic gro&th contributes to our -ualit! of life/ rather than
degrading it"'
7t on Tony ,lair :*, 5oreword to 4 Better 5ualit! of Life, the 2C???.
7
Int!od%#in4 the SLEHP mat!i'
The SLEHP mat!i' inte4!ates the e5iden#e 9ase $o! health and s%staina9ilit8
$a#to!s a$$e#tin4 indi5id%als& o!4anisations and #omm%nitiesG
• 'll aspects of employment that shape health, including health and safety,
psychosocial work environment, work practices and company attributes.
• 5actors that make a place more sustainable, such as skills ; training, green
transport plans, business survival rates and crime.
The mat!i' sho:s =in 7!in#i7le> #onne#tions 9et:een health and s%staina9ilit8 in
!elation to em7lo8ment and the lo#al e#onom82 Fo! e'am7leG
• 'n important determinant of an individual
Policy increasingly acknowledges that there are links between health and sustainability. In practice, however, these links can be hard to pin down, and practical steps to promote health and sustainability are often difficult to devise – particularly in relation to economic development.
London Health Commission
SUSTAINABLE LOCAL ECONOMIES FOR HEALTH
PROJECT
EVIDENCE BASE AND STRATEIC PLANNIN TOOL
INTRODUCTION AND GUIDANCE FOR USERS
“The environment we live in, our social networks, our sense of security, socio-economic
circumstances, facilities and resources in our local neighbourhood can affect individual
health.”
Choosing Health (Department of ealth, !""#$
1
The London Health Commission is an independent, high level, strategic partnership
which seeks to improve the well-being of all %ondoners and reduce ine&ualities in
health. ' key priority is regeneration and health, and includes the London Works for
Better Health programme which is concerned with employment and health.
The Sustainable Local Economies for Health P!o"e#t ((%)*$ is part of this
initiative, focusing on the role that organisations and policy-makers can play in
contributing to sustainable communities that are also health-promoting. (%)* was
developed by the %ondon ealth +ommission in collaboration with sustainability
consultants ,rook %yndhurst.
This document provides information on the scope and purpose of (%)* and guidance
on how to use the (%)* strategic planning tool within your organisation or with
stakeholders.
Fo! $%!the! in$o!mation& #onta#t Cathe!ine Ma' on ()( *+,- ./01 o!
Cathe!ine2ma'3london24o52%6
Contents
1. -ntroduction
2. .hat the Sustainable Local Economies for Health *ro/ect can do for you
3. .hy health and sustainability0
4. )mployment as a determinant of health
5. (ustainable local economies
6. -ntroducing the (%)* matri1
7. 2sing the (%)* matri1
8. (%)* in practice3 some e1amples
2
Int!od%#tion
*olicy increasingly acknowledges that there are links between health and sustainability.
-n practice, however, these links can be hard to pin down, and practical steps to
promote health an sustainability are often difficult to devise 4 particularly in relation to
economic development.
.ith this in mind, the Sustainable Local Economies for Health *ro/ect ((%)*$ has
e1plored what a healthy, sustainable local economy could look like by identifying
• the as7e#ts o$ em7lo8ment that sha7e health
• the $a#to!s that ma6e a 7la#e mo!e s%staina9le
• and the #onne#tions 9et:een them2
This evidence underpins a mat!i';9ased tool to guide users through the links between
health, sustainability and employment, and a st!ate4i# $!ame
!6 for /oint planningand implementation.
(%)* will be particularly useful to you if you work in
• Re4ene!ation
• E#onomi# De5elo7ment
• S%staina9le De5elo7ment
• P%9li# Health2
(%)* uses a collaborative and fle1ible approach, which enables you to
• integrate health and sustainability considerations into a single, comprehensive,
st!ate4i# 7lannin4 $!ame
!62• assimilate /oint sta6eholde! 7e!s7e#ti5es into health and sustainability planning
in the local community.
• find mutually reinforcing, and e#onomi#all8 ad5anta4eo%s ?
sol%tions to seemingly different problems regarding health and sustainability in
the local economy.
3
@hat the Sustainable Local Economies for Health P!o"e#t #an
do $o! 8o%
't the heart of (%)* is an evidence-based matri1 that encapsulates the
characteristics of individual, employment-related health and the factors that determine
the sustainability of a place 4 and their interconnections.
The matri1 is designed as a tool to guide users through these interconnections. -t also
provides a strategic framework within which different professional disciplines and
“languages” can come together and develop shared understandings, common
approaches and genuine synergies 4 as a firm foundation for genuinely /oined up policy
and implementation.
5or e1ample3
.ho0 %ocal 'uthorities and %ocal (trategic
*artnerships
.hat0 %ocal 'rea 'greements and %ocal )nterprise 6rowth -nitiatives
ow0 -dentifies shared goals for community health and wellbeing, and integrated
approaches to achieving them.
.ho0 7D's, 68s and regeneration partnerships
.hat0 Delivering “sustainable communities”
ow0 5acilitates a partnership-based approach to planning and delivery of
sustainable social and economic infrastructure.
.ho0 9( *rimary +are and ospital Trusts
.hat0 %-5T programmes and *5- developments
ow0 )nables public and private agencies to /ointly ma1imise the health
dividend from new developments for all stakeholders.
“SLEHP helped Barts and the London NHS Trust to formulate its ideas around
sustainable deelopment and its contribution to the local econom!" #n particular it
proided a structure for its Sustainable $eelopment #nde% of targets and indicators
associated &ith its ne& deelopment"'
'ndrew 'ttfield, 7egeneration :anager, ,arts ; the %ondon 9( Trust
4
@h8 health and s%staina9ilit8A
An indi5id%alBs health and the s%staina9ilit8 o$ a #omm%nit8 a!e #onne#ted and
sha!e simila! #ha!a#te!isti#s2
The determinants of an individual??@$.
• 2nemployment has a ma/or negative health impactA when unemployed, men are
more likely to e1perience serious mental health or substance abuse problems and
women have higher rates of diagnosed disorders ((nemplo!ment ) Health*
Eidence +eie&, D' !""B$.
• +onversely, not all employment is good employmentA the () estimates that over !
million people in the 2C suffer from illness caused or made worse by their work
(9ational (tatistics, ,ccupational Health Statistics Bulletin, !""!D"B$.
The a9ilit8 to $ind
!6& 9e 7!o5ided :ith health! !6 and sta8 health8 issi4ni$i#antl8 sha7ed 98 so#io;e#onomi# stat%s2
• Despite the increase in overall health of the 2C population in the past fifty years,
health ine&ualities are increasingA an average man in the highest social class has a
life e1pectancy E.! years longer than a man in the lowest, and his children are nearly
twice as likely to survive birth (arding ; Taylor, Social $eterminants of Health )
#llness, *harmaceutical Fournal !@?, !""!$.
• 'ge, gender, ethnicity and disability will all impact upon the ability to find work -
young people, men and ethnic minorities are more likely to be unemployed and
nearly half of people with disabilities are /obless ((nemplo!ment ) Health* Eidence
+eie&, D' !""B$.
• .ork stress is more prevalent among lower socio-economic status groups ((iegrist,
+educing #ne-ualities in Health* Work.related Strategies/ Scandinaian 0ournal of
Public Health 123, !""!$.
So#ial ineC%alities :ill sha"e and be sha"e b! an indi5id%alBs =
!6in4e'7e!ien#e>2 Poli#8 ma6e!s D st!ate4i# de#ision;ma6e!s need to in$l%en#e
em7lo8e!s a##o!din4l8 E and !e$le#t on thei! o:n em7lo8ment 7!a#ti#es2
6
S%staina9le lo#al e#onomies
S%staina9le de5elo7ment #an 9e de$ined as =a 9ette! C%alit8 o$ li$e& no: and $o!
4ene!ations to #ome> to 9e a#hie5ed& as 7!o7osed 98 the UF o5e!nmentBs )((0
S%staina9le De5elo7ment St!ate48& 98
• living within environmental limits
• ensuring a strong, /ust and healthy society
• achieving a sustainable economy
• promoting good governance
• using sound science responsibly.
A s%staina9le lo#al #omm%nit8 is one that
• is prosperousA has decent homes for sale or rent at affordable pricesA has green and
open spacesA en/oys a well-designed, accessible ; pleasant living ; working
environmentA is effectively governed with strong sense of community (8D*:, !""!$.
A s%staina9le lo#al e#onom8 $o#%ses on ho: these o%t#omes #an 9e a#hie5ed
s7e#i$i#all8 th!o%4h em7lo8ment& :he!e
• local economic development policy seeks “win-win” outcomes between
environmental, economic and social interests, rather than assuming competition
between them.
• decision-makers appreciate that sustainable policies must vary from place to place 4
in %ondon, for e1ample, high priority is placed on providing affordable homes for key-
workers so they may live in the city in which they work.
• the notion of “local” is understood to be different for different occupations 4 for some
this is likely to be the neighbourhood level, whilst for others it could mean national.
“+eal progress cannot be measured b! mone! alone" We must ensure
that economic gro&th contributes to our -ualit! of life/ rather than
degrading it"'
7t on Tony ,lair :*, 5oreword to 4 Better 5ualit! of Life, the 2C???.
7
Int!od%#in4 the SLEHP mat!i'
The SLEHP mat!i' inte4!ates the e5iden#e 9ase $o! health and s%staina9ilit8
$a#to!s a$$e#tin4 indi5id%als& o!4anisations and #omm%nitiesG
• 'll aspects of employment that shape health, including health and safety,
psychosocial work environment, work practices and company attributes.
• 5actors that make a place more sustainable, such as skills ; training, green
transport plans, business survival rates and crime.
The mat!i' sho:s =in 7!in#i7le> #onne#tions 9et:een health and s%staina9ilit8 in
!elation to em7lo8ment and the lo#al e#onom82 Fo! e'am7leG
• 'n important determinant of an individual