Solutions
Health and Living Conditions
A number of the wider determinants of health derive from our health and living conditions; for example, housing. The need for security in relation to having and keeping a home and being surrounded by a safe and consistent home environment, and its impact on both physical and mental health and well-being, has long been recognised.
Public Health Wales has produced a number of reports that highlight the issues of poor quality housing and its impact on health. These reports include potential solutions, including the case for investment in housing which outlines the need to tackle housing as a fundamental determinant of health and presents solutions including: eliminating cold damp and mouldy homes; improving ventilation; energy efficiency measures and fuel poverty schemes; support for vulnerable households instead of area-based interventions.
In Europe, a project mapping trends and policies to tackle homelessness in Europe. This has included setting out recommendations to address homelessness, including the right to adequate housing for all (vulnerable) people in Europe and the integration of health services within housing solutions.
During times of uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a home can provide a secure and stable base for individuals and households. A health impact assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on housing was undertaken by Public Health Wales, and made further recommendations for the future including: investment in affordable, safe and sustainable housing as part of a ‘green’ pandemic recovery, and support for sustainable place-making as outlined in Planning Policy Wales; encouragement of longer-term tenancies to give tenants greater security and greater protection from eviction- balancing this with the needs of landlords, to reduce barriers to gaining future secure accommodation.
Useful Resources
GUIDE
Driving Prosperity for All through Investing for Health and Well-being: An Evidence Informed Guide for Cross-sector Investment
This guide by Public Health Wales suggests policy options for priority investment in Wales, based on the best available Welsh and European evidence. The policy options address areas of high burden and costs, as well as demonstrating co-benefits (returns) to the economy, society and the environment, including investing in spatial and urban planning initiatives, supportive and resilient communities, greener and safer communities, and multifaceted housing interventions. The guide can be used by policy- and decision-makers across national and local government, the health and social care service, and public bodies in all other sectors in Wales.
GUIDE
How to Make the Case for Sustainable Investment in Well-being and Health Equity: A Practical Guide
This practical guide by Public Health Wales is a tool to improve governance, investment and accountability for health and equity. The guide is intended to help the development of evidence-informed, context-tailored advocacy reports and other relevant documents and tools, enabling healthy policy- and decision-making across different sectors, levels of government and country settings. It aims to prevent disinvestment in health, increase investment in prevention (public health), and mainstream cross-sectoral investment to address the wider determinants of health and equity.
How to Make the Case for Sustainable Investment in Well-being and Health Equity: A Practical Guide
REPORT
Making a Difference - Housing and Health: A Case for Investment Main Report
This report by Public Health Wales presents the case for investing in health and housing in Wales. The report outlines the costs of inadequate housing to the NHS and to society, including evidence on particular population groups including older people and people with a disability and evidence on homelessness. The report also identifies priority areas for preventative action, evidence on effective housing interventions, and case studies of actions taken in Wales to address housing quality, unsuitable homes and homelessness.
Making a Difference - Housing and Health: A Case for Investment Main Report
REPORT COVID
Placing Health Equity at the Heart of the COVID-19 Sustainable Response and Recovery: Building Prosperous Lives for All in Wales
This report by Public Health Wales places health equity at the heart of a sustainable response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the impacts of the pandemic on the housing system, homelessness, access to blue and green spaces, crime and domestic violence in Wales.
REPORT COVID
Maximising Health and Well-being Opportunities for Spatial Planning in the COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery
This report by Public Health Wales sets out the evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on communities in Wales, including housing, healthy food environments, local foundational economies, transportation, and green and blue infrastructure. The report advocates for public health and health care and planning systems to come together to enable effective and sustainable land use planning and placemaking approaches in building sustainable places that improve health and well-being.
GUIDE
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Local Development Plans (LDPs): A Toolkit for Practice
This toolkit by Public Health Wales outlines the context and policy levers for HIA and land use planning and practical advice and resources which can be used as an accessible reference when required during the development of local development plans (LDPs), strategic development plans (SDPs) and supplementary planning guidance (SPGs). The Toolkit aims to support the ongoing collaboration between the planning and public health sectors in Wales in order to maximize positive health and well-being outcomes through land use planning policies that create healthy, equitable and cohesive communities.
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Local Development Plans (LDPs): A Toolkit for Practice
REPORT
Planning and Enabling Healthy Environments
This report by Public Health Wales promotes a better understanding of the broader environmental and social barriers that impact on health, well-being and inequalities. The report enables policies and plans that can ripple out to benefit individual physical and mental well-being, community and environmental health. The report is supplemented by a case studies resource with examples from Wales and the United Kingdom in relation to: investment in town centres and the high street, town regeneration, hot food takeaways, residential developments, green infrastructure, and areas for play.
Planning and Enabling Healthy Environments
REPORT COVID
No Place Like Home? Exploring the Health and Well-being Impact of COVID-19 on Housing and Housing Insecurity
This report by Public Health Wales is based on a comprehensive and participatory Health Impact Assessment (HIA) explores the health and well-being impact of COVID-19 on housing and housing insecurity. The report sets out actions to promote individual, community and societal well-being. The evidence in this report can assist policy and decision-makers when considering the impact of the pandemic on housing and housing insecurity, so that potential inequalities and negative impacts can be reduced, and future opportunities for positive health and well-being maximised.
REPORT
Making a Difference: Reducing Health Risks Associated with Road Traffic Pollution in Wales
This report by Public Health Wales outlines solutions that seek to reduce the emissions from road traffic and achieve positive public health impacts through developing a more sustainable economy, thriving society and optimum health and well-being for the present and future generations in Wales.
Making a Difference: Reducing Health Risks Associated with Road Traffic Pollution in Wales
REPORT
Preventing Youth Homelessness: An International Review of Evidence
This report by the Wales Centre for Public Policy is based on an international review. The report identifies evidence-based interventions, promising practices, youth-identified prevention priorities, and intersecting policy elements contributing to the prevention of youth homelessness. The evidence review was guided by questions including ‘Which policies and programmes are effective in preventing youth homelessness?’, and ‘What are the characteristics of effective strategies to prevent youth homelessness?’
Preventing Youth Homelessness: An International Review of Evidence
GUIDE
Reducing Homelessness Amongst Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Good Practice Guide
This good practice guide by the Tai Pawb for the Welsh Local Government Association shares good practice examples from Wales and other nations on preventing and tackling homelessness among migrant populations.
Reducing Homelessness Amongst Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Good Practice Guide
PAPER
Making the Difference: Tackling Health Inequalities in Wales
This short paper by the Welsh Confederation outlines ideas on ways of working that would ensure collective impact in addressing health inequalities, including the importance of good quality, affordable social homes and affordable green energy solutions.
Making the Difference: Tackling Health Inequalities in Wales
REPORT
Working Together to End Homelessness from Social Housing
This report by Shelter Cymru recognises the relationship between housing and physical and mental health. The report is informed by the experiences of some people who have been very close to losing their social homes, and the work of social landlords and other organisations in helping to prevent homelessness from social housing.
Working Together to End Homelessness from Social Housing
REPORT COVID
Addressing the National Syndemic: Place-based Problems and Solutions to UK Health Inequality
This report by Public Policy Projects and the Institute of Health Equity presents examples of what can be done to address health inequalities: by the health and care system, local and regional government, the voluntary and community sector, and business, working with individuals and communities.
Addressing the National Syndemic: Place-based Problems and Solutions to UK Health Inequality
REPORT
Levelling Up Health: A Practical, Evidence-based Framework
This report, co-led by the Universities of Cambridge and Newcastle (England), provides practical guidance on how to reduce health inequalities at local and regional level. The guidance is aimed at central and local government as well as other agencies with a stake in improving health. It includes case studies on models and approaches to design and shape new places so that they promote health and wellbeing, and services and programmes designed around the specific needs of places and communities based on good community engagement.
Levelling Up Health: A Practical, Evidence-based Framework
GUIDE
WHO Housing and Health Guidelines: Recommendations to Promote Healthy Housing for a Sustainable and Equitable Future
These guidelines by the World Health Organization provide evidence-based recommendations on conditions and interventions that promote healthy housing, and facilitates leadership in enabling health and safety considerations to underpin housing regulations. The guidance will enable health considerations to inform housing, energy, community development, and urban development policies.
REPORT
Health and Well-being Alliance: Mind the Gap: What’s Stopping Change? The Cost-of-living Crisis and The Rise in Inequalities in Wales
In this report, the Welsh NHS Confederation Health and Well-being Alliance examine the cost-of-living crisis and rise in inequalities in Wales. It calls on the Welsh Government to outline the action being taken across all government departments, setting out how success will be measured and evaluated through shared performance measures and outcomes for all public bodies in Wales, accompanied by guidance on how individual organisations should collaborate to reduce inequalities and tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
REPORT
Review of Poverty and Social Exclusion in Wales
The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) have prepared two reports on poverty and social exclusion in Wales as part of our work to deliver a review of international poverty and social exclusion strategies, programmes and interventions for the Welsh Government. One report focuses on quantitative evidence, and another focuses on secondary qualitative evidence relating to the lived experience of poverty and social exclusion in Wales.
Review of Poverty and Social Exclusion in Wales
REPORT
UK Poverty 2023
This is the second issue of Joseph Rowntree Foundation poverty report, which looks at trends in poverty across many important characteristics and impacts.
REPORT
Snapshot of Poverty
The Bevan Foundation’s Snapshot of Poverty report is divided into three sections. The first section sets out to provide an overview of how people in Wales are managing rising costs. The second section looks in greater detail at the experiences of the groups that are being most affected by rising costs. The final section explores the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on people’s health