Director of the GLA Group Public Health Unit, Vicky Hobart, writes about why collaboration and co-benefits are key to progressing a health in all policies approach across the GLA Group
November marked the first anniversary of the launch of the GLA Group Public Health Unit. It’s a good time to reflect on our work to make the Mayor’s ambition of embedding health in all policies a reality. In short, we’ve discovered incredible opportunities to improve Londoners health and shape a healthier city through policies and programmes, but they come with their fair share of challenges.
Although health inequalities aren’t new, things like COVID-19, the escalating cost of living and our rapidly changing climate have presented new challenges. In many cases, it’s become harder for people to live in good health. But one outcome is that its driven all of us at City Hall to be more focused, innovative, bold and collaborative in our approach to tackling inequalities.
I’m pleased to say that the creation of the Unit, and continued close working with partners in the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, Local Government and the NHS, has also allowed us to be agile and well positioned to face up to the challenges.
Moreover, our Unit has worked closely with teams from across the GLA Group on policies and programmes which have the potential to improve Londoners’ health right now and for future generations. We helped build the evidence for improving London’s air quality and health through bold policy with the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). We brokered relationships with health stakeholders to ensure a joined-up, public health approach to tackling violence against women and girls that prioritises prevention. We’ve helped strengthen protocols to protect London’s rough sleepers from severe weather. And we have convened with partners to focus on preventing road danger, and promote active travel.
We want to inspire all colleagues to think about their role in creating a healthier and more equitable London. It’s one of the reasons we initiated our very first Health in All Policies (HiAP) skills masterclass on 10th October 2023. The event was attended by colleagues from the GLA, Transport for London (TfL), Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), London’s Fire Commissioner (LFC) and Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).
This event provided an opportunity to hear directly from our team, as well as other experts and notable public health leaders. More importantly, it provided a dedicated and collaborative space for colleagues to think about the levers and enablers relevant to their work, and the co-benefits to jointly prioritising issues. There was a great energy to the day and the feedback reflected this. The good news for colleagues is that this is only the first in a series of HiAP resources. We are currently developing a HiAP skills offer which will include introductory modules, a ‘levers’ framework, workshops and case studies.
We also continue to collaboratively build the evidence for what it will take to narrow health inequalities in London. You can follow the links below to read more on this:
The fact is that nobody’s health should suffer because of who they are or where they live. The GLA Group is working towards playing its part in full – supporting and enabling bold action where it’s needed.