Health and wellbeing: a guide to community-centred approaches

A new guide from NHS England and Public Health England has identified how local government and the NHS have important roles in building confident communities to improve health and reduce inequalities.

The guide calls on local partners to consider the “family” of community centred approaches to improve health and wellbeing in their areas, including:

• Strengthening communities – where approaches involve building on community capacities to take action together, both on health and on the social determinants of health;
• Volunteer and peer roles – where approaches focus on enhancing individuals’ capabilities to provide advice, information and support or organise activities around health and wellbeing in their or other communities;
• Collaborations and partnerships – where approaches involve communities and local services working together at any stage of planning cycle; and
• Access to community resources – where approaches connect people to community resources, practical help, group activities and volunteering opportunities to meet health needs and increase social participation.

The guide recommends local leaders, commissioners and service providers:

• Consider how community-centred approaches can become an essential part of local health plans;
• Recognise the diverse range of approaches that can be used to improve physical and mental health;
• Use the family of community - centred approaches as a tool to consider potential options for commissioning health improvement and preventive services;
• Involve those at risk of social exclusion in designing and delivering solutions that address inequalities in health; and
• Celebrate, support and develop volunteering as the bedrock of community action.

For further information and to download the guide visit www.england.nhs.uk/2015/02/11/health-wellbeing.