– Ground breaking report demonstrates benefits to people, communities and organisations when adopting health creating practices –
Monday 17 September 2018. Two leading housing bodies – Place Shapers and the National Federation of ALMOS – today called for the widespread adoption of the Health Creation Alliance’s Health Creation framework by frontline services across the health, care and housing sectors.
A report published today, Health Creating Practices – shining a spotlight on housing, shows how the approach improves health for tenants and communities.
Health Creation asks professionals to move away from telling people and communities what they need. Instead, professionals focus on providing the conditions for people to gain control, make meaningful contact with others and build confidence which together support health and wellbeing. Health Creation is a route to wellness. It is also a route to a healthier local economy.
The report details the outputs of a partnership project with seven of their housing associations and ALMO members and the Health Creation Alliance. The place studies demonstrate how communities working equally with organisations in an area, rather than having things done to them, can improve health outcomes and move the focus to helping people to get and stay well; and highlights the tenant, community, and organisational benefits of adopting health creating practices.
Sinéad Butters, Chair of PlaceShapers, a national network of more than 100 community-based housing associations said, “PlaceShapers take seriously their contribution to improving the health of communities. This collaborative project showcases what is possible when people and organisations embrace Health Creation. We therefore call on all frontline service providers to audit their current activities and adopt health creating practices as part of their daily practice”.
Commenting on the outcomes, Hugh Broadbent, Chair of the National Federation of ALMOs, and a project partner said, “Working in partnership with the health sector to improve the health and well-being of local people is critical to tackling some of the wider issues they face. It is clear that housing organisations are leading the way in terms of the adoption of health creating practices and where we lead, we call on others to follow”.
Commenting on the project, Merron Simpson, Chief Executive, Health Creation Alliance, said, “We are delighted to have partnered with PlaceShapers, the National Federation of ALMOs and their members in delivering this ground-breaking project. This is another step in our ambition to develop a ‘wellness workforce’ at the frontline. Embedding health creating practices as standard practice is something all the sectors need to do if we are to make lasting improvements in population health and in people’s and communities’ lives”.
Health Creation requires ‘asset-based’ skills characterised by the five features of health creating practices: listening and responding, truth-telling, strengths-focus, self-organising and power-shifting. When these five features are working, it provides the conditions for people to gain Control, make meaningful Contact with others and build Confidence. People need enough of the 3Cs of Health Creation to be well.
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EDITORS NOTES
National Federation of ALMOS
The National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) is the trade body that represents council housing ALMOs across England.
The NFA represents all 33 ALMOs which manage just under 450,000 council homes across 36 Local Authorities.
The NFA was established in 2003 to represent the interests of ALMOs at the national level, lobbying and negotiating with central government on their behalf. ALMOs themselves were first established as not-for-profit companies in 2002 to manage council housing on behalf of their local authority and to help deliver the Government’s Decent Homes Programme, aimed at improving housing conditions in council housing.
For more information on National Federation of ALMOS, please visit http://www.almos.org.uk/
Health Creation Alliance
