London Works for Better Health - Projects

Sustainable Local Economies for Health Project (SLEHP)
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.

With this in mind, the Sustainable Local Economies for Health Project (SLEHP) has explored what a healthy, sustainable local economy could look like by identifying

• the aspects of employment that shape health
• the factors that make a place more sustainable
• and the connections between them.

This evidence underpins a matrix-based tool to guide users through the links between health, sustainability and employment, and a strategic framework for joint planning and implementation.

SLEHP will be particularly useful to anyone working in

• Regeneration
• Economic Development
• Sustainable Development
• Public Health.

SLEHP has been tested and applied in partnership with the Barts and the London Trust, the London Development Agency and stakeholders in the London Thames Gateway Social Infrastructure Framework project. SLEHP is also part of the package offered - by the London Health Commission, London Sustainable Development Commission, Government Office for London and Association of London Government - to boroughs looking to embed health and sustainability in their Local Area Agreements.

The SLEHP package is available to download:

• Information on SLEHP and guidance for using the strategic planning tool [169kb, MS Word]
• SLEHP in practice: Barts & the London Sustainable Regeneration Strategy [144kb, MS Word]
• SLEHP matrix and evidence base [1.22mb, MS Excel]
  

Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI)

The London Health Commission has also produced guidance on promoting health and well-being via LEGI. The guidance outlines key national policies in the area of health, employment and economic development and suggests ways these can work together to maximise positive outcomes.

Making Health Work for Business
London Workforce Futures Partnership
ESF EQUAL Programme Round 2
With the Learning and Skills Council London South and others, we were successful in our partnership bid to the European Social Fund's EQUAL programme for research and pilot activity focusing on health and job retention, particularly in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Our work includes providing advisory services and other resources to support SME managers and their employees, raising awareness of the extension of the Disability Discrimination Act to SMEs, and the development of a new NVQ accredited 'Healthy Workplace Management and Leadership' training programme.

Central to this project is a mainstreaming strategy based firmly on user-focused research and evaluation. Key aims will be to build on the cross-cutting opportunities presented by regional, national and European policy themes and to facilitate inter-agency learning and exchange, focusing on:

• Equalities and Empowerment
• Social Inclusion, Health and Sustainable Communities
• Productivity, competitiveness and skills

The London Health Commission is leading on this jointly with the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) and South West London & St George's Mental Health Trust. We have brought together a powerful partnership of regional and national stakeholders in health, employment and economic development to ensure that Making Health Work for Business is best placed to influence policy and respond to new policy as it emerges.

For further information, go to the Equal Workforce website.

Our EQUAL partners include Learning and Skills Council London South, London Development Agency, Disability Rights Commission, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, London Development Centre for Mental Health, JobCentre Plus, the Work Foundation and other national, regional and sub-regional partners across sectors.

Healthy Work: Productive Workplaces
Why the UK Needs more "Good Jobs" Collaboration with the Work Foundation

Healthy Work: Productive Workplaces is the culmination of research and development activity by the Work Foundation and the London Health Commission focusing on the nature of good jobs, productivity, and the role of work in improving health. In particular, it draws on ideas and insights shared via our joint seminar series Working for Health and Wellbeing, which ran between December 2004 and July 2005. This series was distinctive in bringing together employers (from all sectors), policy-makers and trade unions. Central to our discussions were two questions: "what can employers do to make work healthy?" and "what can policy-makers do to support this?". Most importantly, we were looking to move the debates beyond traditional conceptions of health and safety or sickness absence, and to formulate a new agenda for health and work.

In Healthy Work: Productive Workplaces, we set out: how and why work can have a positive and negative impact on health; the emerging trends in the UK labour market and the evidence which suggests that there has been a decline in the quality of working life in the UK over the last decade; and an overview of the developing public policy agenda on work and health. We then outline the further action we believe is needed to create more workplaces in the UK that are both healthy and productive - where workers find their jobs fulfilling and where employers are making the best possible use of both human and physical capital.

Our message to government and employers alike is clear:

• Employment and population health are inextricably linked.·
• The case for "healthy work, productive workplaces" is proven.·
• Government and employers share both the responsibility and the benefits.·
• We can choose to promote a progressive employment agenda and healthier work

Download Healthy Work: Productive Workplaces as a pdf.

RDA Study Visit to London (January 2006)
In January 2006, the London Health Commission (LHC) and London Sustainable Development Commission (LSDC) co-hosted a Health and Sustainable Development Study Visit for colleagues from the North West, with funding from the London Development Agency (LDA).

Outline programme including presentations and the report (pdf) are both available to download.

Our discussions had three themes:
· Improving outcomes for Londoners - redressing inequalities;
· Managing and responding to London's growth;
· Dynamism and diversity - challenges and opportunities.

The report includes:

• programme details and presentations,
• key messages from the workshops,
• recommendations to RDAs and other stakeholders,
• list of participants.

The two Commissions will be supporting the LDA and NWDA in taking forward the recommendations and in disseminating learning across the national RDA Network.

Health and Sustainability Study Visit to North West (June 2005)
The North West region has a strong track record in integrating health and sustainability considerations into economic development. In June 2005, the London Health Commission led a delegation to the region where we had the opportunity to hear first hand about their experience. We will also be supporting the London Development Agency as lead RDA for health in facilitating a programme of similar visits across the country.

Download the learning document (pdf)

London Works for Better Health
Charlotte Hall, Programme Manager
Tel: 020 7983 4651
Email: charlotte.hall@london.gov.uk

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