9. Local authority action to improve health PDF Print E-mail

Background

From a public health perspective, local authorities can influence population health in a number of ways:
  • Through the services they provide including services such as education, housing, transport, leisure, urban planning, environmental health etc. 
  • Through their partnerships including community planning, community safety, community health and social care etc.  Local authorities play a vital and often lead role in developing and implementing joint plans which aim to improve well-being and quality of life.
  • Through the ways in which they operate as a corporate body, they are able to establish an ethos that is good for health (e.g. as health promoting employers), reduce inequalities in health (e.g. through targeted investment in areas of greatest need), strengthen social capital (e.g. through investment in and support of voluntary and community structures) and engage with members of the public in a way that enhances their control over decisions that affect them.
  • Through their membership of and influence in other (non-council) governance structures.  Local councillors can significantly influence policies and decision making in a range of organisations which have a major influence on health, such as community health partnerships, Licensing Boards, and Police Boards.
Arguably, the wheel has come full circle since the beginning of the 20th Century when local authorities were regarded as key vehicles in the promotion and maintenance of public health.  There is a renewed recognition of their role and potential and impetus is building to maximise the impact of local authority activity on public health and well-being.  The Local Government Scotland Act (2003) reinforces a broader approach to health improvement at a community level by placing wider responsibility for the promotion of community well-being on local authorities.  One of the main vehicles through which this responsibility will be delivered is community planning which aims to deliver integrated, responsive services in a more inclusive way, through partnerships between local authorities, health, community/voluntary and business sectors as well as others. 

The overall aim of this programme is to provide specialist public health support and to stimulate reflection and constructive discussion across organisational boundaries regarding the translation of evidence into policy and practice in the development and evaluation of a range of programmes/services delivered by local authorities.

Aims

  • To provide specialist public health support in the planning, development and evaluation of a spectrum of programmes/services delivered by local authorities.
  • To influence Council priorities and programmes towards a population health perspective.

Milestones

Current priorities include:

  • Project one : Evaluation of health food provision and promotion in schools and its impact beyond the school gate
  • Project two :Transport and Health
  • Project three : Member of the Glasgow City Councl Joint Officer Working Group on Health Improvement
  • Project four : Participation in the ecological monitoring component of GoWell
  • Project five : Health impacts of the John Muir Award  

Links

Crawford F Healthy Food Provision and Promotion in Schools: a Literature Review, March 2006
Executive Summary

Briefing Paper - Healthy Food Provision and Promotion in Primary School: What impact is it having on food choices ? (March 2007)

Health Development Agency: Promoting Healthier Communities and Narrowing Health Inequalities: a self-assessment tool for local authorities . London: Health Development Agency, 2004

Stevenson R. Getting 'Under the Skin' on Community Planning: Understanding Community Planning at the Community Planning Task Force . Edinburgh: HMSO, 2002

Local Government in Scotland and Local Government in Scotland Bill

NHS Health Scotland website: local government section

Glasgow Community Planning Partnership

Hanlon P, Walsh D, Whyte B. Let Glasgow Flourish . Glasgow: Glasgow Centre for Population Health, 2006

Greater Glasgow Community Profiles

Obesity reviews (March 2007)

Unfit for Purpose: How Car Use Fuels Climate Change and Obesity

Cycling Action Plan for Scotland

 

Contact

Fiona Crawford
Public Health Programme Manager (Local Authority Programmes)
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
Phone: 0141 221 9439
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