At yesterday’s annual East of England Parliamentary Reception at the House of Commons, we were proud to launch Local Government East’s (LGE) latest report ‘Healthy Homes in the East of England’, joined by Government Ministers, the region’s Parliamentarians, council leaders, officers, and colleagues from across the health, business, and academic sectors in our region.
This report, produced by LGE, IMPOWER Consulting and Public Health East of England, is a self-improvement tool for Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) to help enhance collaboration between housing and health sectors to improve health outcomes. The report highlights the crucial link between housing and health and focusses on the root causes of poor health. It sets out five Guiding Principles and a Call to Action to help shift to preventative programmes that improve living conditions and reduce health inequalities across the East of England.
The Six Integrated Care Systems in the East of England are showing the potential of partners working together to address this challenge. At the essence of the report is a shared focus on preventing ill health and reducing health inequalities through strategic collaboration on health and housing. Shifting from treatment to prevention is one of the three major shifts the new government wants to achieve and is a key priority for local government in the East of England.
This report builds on the positive vision for the region illustrated in Opportunity East that aligns with the Government’s missions. We cannot have inclusive growth without healthy communities.
LGE will work with central Government and Homes England to sustain a regional conversation to enable greater join-up on health and housing so that collaboration is embedded, sustainable, and strategic. For further information please contact kate.odriscoll@localgoveasteng.gov.uk