The Health Creation Alliance (NNHSA) have today set out their vision and road map for Health Creation in a ground-breaking Manifesto, which sets out 10 high impact recommendations to create a wellness-based health system, aimed at tackling the continuing problem and social injustice of health inequalities.
The Manifesto for Health Creation calls for:
- The adoption of health creating practices
- System reforms to support Health Creation
- Enhanced education on Health Creation
NNHSA Chair, Heather Henry, explains:
“Politically and professionally, the issue and problem of health inequality has unfortunately not received the attention, or the solutions, that it merits. Which is why a key driver and commitment for the Health Creation Alliance has been to work in partnership with others to lead the change to reduce health inequalities through Health Creation. The NNHSA and its supporters believe the case for Health Creation is compelling. Crucially, we believe the time is right for stakeholders to adopt this approach as a core part of the UK healthcare system.”
“Each of the Manifesto’s 10 top line recommendations are a way of creating health that decreases dependency, increases resilience and reduces their demands on traditional health and care services. We urge stakeholders and individuals across the healthcare professions to adopt health creating practices and to join the Health Creation Alliance and the Health Creation movement!”
NNHSA Vice Chair, Dr Brian Fisher – a London GP, says:
“The Health Creation Alliance membership has vast, shared experiences of practising community based health creation. Our Manifesto includes substantive evidence and examples of the benefits, successes and effective levers for adopting a Health Creation approach.”
“The UK health system needs outcome measures that focus on addressing what matters to people as well as what’s the matter with people. If planning started with and responded to the issues raised by local people, we would get even more value from ‘the renewable energy of communities’ – as illustrated by our Manifesto case studies of Health Creation initiatives across the country.”
NNHSA Chief Executive, Merron Simpson, comments:
“Health Creation is the enhancement in health and wellbeing that occurs when individuals and communities achieve a sense of purpose, hope, mastery and control over their own lives and immediate environment. Our Health Creation Manifesto reiterates our commitment to building and developing a sustainable, community-based health and care system.
We believe that if the health, care and wellbeing professions all focus on health creation it will help to bring about the step change that is needed across the system to tackle health inequalities. Importantly, this focus will also enhance cross-functional and collaborative working, both within and across professional boundaries.”
“People and communities themselves hold the key to building a sustainable health system where demand can be managed effectively. We call on all the political parties to provide extra funding to stimulate health creating activities – led by local people, for local people – and ‘catalysts’, people who are experienced in working with communities to create the conditions for health creating activity to happen.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For enquiries, please contact: Judy Harris at judyharris15@aol.co.uk or on 07717 691845
- You can read the Manifesto here
- Health Creation Alliance mission is …‘to infect the UK health system with wellness’. You can find more information here
- Health Creation Alliance has a goal to make Health Creation and health creating practices a core part of the UK healthcare system alongside a greater focus on prevention. We believe that this is the best way to reduce health inequalities and deliver a sustainable health service.
- The Health Creation Manifesto has been endorsed by the Royal College of GPs and is supported by The Queen’s Nursing Institute, Nesta Health Lab, Alpha Primary Care and Housing LIN
