At the heart of health: realising the value of people and communities

Author(s)

WOOD Suzanne, et al

Publisher(s):

Health Foundation, NESTA

Publication year:

2016

This report explores the value of people and communities at the heart of health, in support of the NHS Five Year Forward View vision to develop a new relationship with people and communities. It seeks to bring together in one place a wide range of person- and community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing. It provides an overview of the existing evidence base with a particular focus on the potential benefits of adopting these approaches. The report suggests that there is evidence from research and practice to demonstrate the benefits of person- and community-centred approaches, across three dimensions of value: mental and physical health and wellbeing – these approaches have been shown to increase people’s self-efficacy and confidence to manage their health and care, improve health outcomes and experience, to reduce social isolation and loneliness, and build community capacity and resilience, among other outcomes; NHS sustainability – these approaches can impact how people use health and care services and can lead to reduced demand on services, particularly emergency admissions and A&E visits; and wider social outcomes: these approaches can lead to a wide range of social outcomes, from improving employment prospects and school attendance to increasing volunteering. They also can potentially contribute to reducing health inequalities for individuals and communities. The report includes an outline of the ‘Realising the Value’ programme, which is designed to develop the field of person- and community-centred approaches for health and wellbeing by building the evidence base and developing tools, resources and networks to support the spread and increase the impact of key approaches. (Edited publisher abstract)