– New legal form will better reflect values and more clearly articulate benefit to community –
Health Creation Alliance (NNHSA) today announced its intention to become a community interest company (CIC), enabling it to better reflect its values and more clearly articulate benefit to communities.
Commenting on the change, Merron Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are a movement of professionals and local people working in equal partnership to reverse the worsening health inequalities. We achieve this by making wellness a core part of health and care systems. Adopting the CIC legal form reflects our commitment to providing a platform for some of the most disadvantaged people to have a voice within the system and to influence policy-makers, frontline practitioners and our own organisations’ activities”.
The new legal structure was unanimously approved at the organisation’s AGM held on 11 July 2018 in Birmingham.
At the AGM, NNHSA also announced that Queen’s Nurse Heather Henry, NNHSA Chair for the last two and a half years, would be standing down. Brian Fisher, the current vice-Chair, was voted in as interim-Chair.
Health Creation Alliance is in discussion with a preferred candidate who may take on the role of Chair in 2019. An announcement will be made later this year.
Commenting on her decision to stand down as Chair, Heather Henry said: “Health Creation Alliance has a great history of positive and innovative disruption. I have been very proud to be a part of this. However, all my life I have battled asthma and I have always wanted to dedicate my time to helping children with asthma. I feel that now is the right time to pursue this.”
“I will continue as a member of NNHSA’s social movement, Active Alliance, and I therefore look forward to continuing my support for NNHSA as it becomes a stronger and even more successful organisation” she added.
Commenting on Heather’s departure, Brian Fisher, who received an MBE in 2007 for services to his own community in Lewisham, said: “Heather has offered the NNHSA so much over the last two and a half years as we have reinvented the organisation, and even before that as a member of the National Executive. For this we are all extremely grateful. We wish her all the best in her new endeavours and look forward to working with her in the future”.
Editor’s notes
Health Creation
Health Creation is a route to wellness. It comes about when local people and professionals work together as equal partners and focus on what matters to people and their communities.
It requires ‘asset-based’ skills characterised by the five features of health creating practices: listening and responding, truth-telling, strengths-focus, self-organising, 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 3 Cs of Health Creation to be well.
Health Creation Alliance
Health Creation Alliance is a movement of people and organisations who are committed to building a sustainable, community-based health service. We have a particular focus on reducing health inequalities and on making the practice of Health Creation a core part of the UK health system.
For more information of NNHSA and our work visit www.thehealthcreationalliance.org
