Anchoring Communities for 75 years: celebrating the NHS
For 75 years, the National Health Service has been a beacon of pride for the UK as a trusted provider of healthcare services. Increasingly the NHS is embracing its broader role as a powerful community anchor - as a land-owner, an employer, and a civic partner. The NHS has shown its potential to create positive change in many ways beyond healthcare provision, drawing upon its immense economic power to address unjust social determinants of health.
As we reflect on the achievements of the NHS, we pay tribute to its remarkable far-reaching impact and innovative endeavours reaching into areas such as environmental sustainability, housing and procurement that help take action on inequality. Let us commemorate the NHS for its role in supporting us when we are sick, but also, in tackling the intricate web of social, economic and environmental factors that help us stay well.
Thanks to NHS England and The Health Foundation, we established the Health Anchors Learning Network in 2021 to generate learning about how anchor institutions can leverage their resources and influence to tackle the root causes of health disparities. This gives us the privilege of working with, and learning from, NHS colleagues taking bold steps to expand their scope far beyond primary and secondary care in recognition that health outcomes are not solely (or even primarily) determined by access to healthcare, but are deeply intertwined with social, economic, and environmental factors. Many of the pioneers we have met through HALN are proactively addressing the root causes of the inequalities entrenched in our society.
As we know, the NHS is facing immense pressures, and this is in part due to a lack of investment in non-medical factors - to have good health we need protective factors such as financial stability, good housing, social connection and clean air, for example. And yet in many ways our healthcare system is set up to focus on treatment of illness over prevention.
One answer to this challenge is through stronger partnerships across different sectors and systems in recognition that the NHS sits within a wider landscape of organisations also working to create healthy communities: “the NHS was never meant to go it alone”.
What’s more, the NHS itself can make significant strides to combat inequality through taking action on socio-economic initiatives which take a holistic approach to health. Anchor institutions are leading the way by prioritising preventive measures and recognising the vital role they play in enhancing overall community health and wellbeing, influencing change in areas such as:
Workforce, employment and skills: being a good employer, paying people the real living wage and creating opportunities for local communities to develop skills and access jobs in health and care.
For example, the establishment of Sector Based Work Academy Programmes in Somerset which provide local people with an opportunity to learn new skills in order to take on work in health and care. Explore the blog here
Procurement and Spending: purchasing from organisations which consider their environmental, social and economic impacts in the local area.
For example, East London Foundation Trust’s work to embed social value into their procurement processes through actions such as including a mandatory requirement in all new contracts for suppliers to pay their staff at least the Real Living Wage, and setting a 15% minimum weighting for social value. Read the blog here.
Estates and infrastructure investment: widening access to community spaces, working with partners to support high-quality, affordable housing and supporting the local economy.
For example, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust partnered with St Basils (a local organisation working with young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness) to deliver their Live and Work Scheme. They have renovated a block of previously empty nurses lodgings to provide affordable accommodation for health and social care apprentices. Catch up on the webinar here.
Reducing environmental impact: taking action to reduce carbon emissions, consumption and reduce waste and protect and enhance the natural environment.
For example, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Air Quality Projects involving air quality monitoring, a review of their vehicle fleet, a pilot of cargo bikes for staff and their joint Clean Air Plan with King’s College Hospital which launched on Clean Air Day (15th June 2023). Catch up on the webinar here.
Place-based partnership: collaborating with other anchors and partners to increase and scale impact locally.
For example, Generation Medics, a multi-award-winning social enterprise who have partnered with local NHS Trusts to offer advice and support for people entering healthcare careers. Catch up on the webinar here.
Community engagement and civic action: collaborating with communities to help address local priorities and build on their energy and skills.
For example, the Lambeth GP Food Co-Operative, gardens in GP surgeries and NHS hospitals which empower both staff and patients to grow food in an active, social, safe, secure and supported environment. Catch up on the webinar here.
As we celebrate the NHS's 75th birthday, let us recognise its profound influence as a community anchor. While healthcare remains a fundamental pillar of its work, the NHS has, and must continue to, boldly expand its focus to address social determinants of health whilst partnering with various sectors actively working towards creating healthier, more equitable communities. We are excited to continue supporting the innovative work being done by NHS teams across the country in response to this challenge, and celebrate the immense potential for positive impact when health and community development align.