Case studies

In January 2023, Active Wirral, facing soaring energy costs and a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030, initiated a comprehensive energy efficiency project. Through delivering a range of interventions, the project exceeded its targets, avoiding £231K in costs and saving 335 tonnes CO2e, equivalent to driving around the globe 10 times in an SUV.

Wigan Council has been working to take a whole system approach to digital and ensure that it is embedded within their adult social care service. Digital has been a key part of the local authority’s transformational response to the challenge of austerity and demographic change underpinned by the Wigan Deal. Technology has been used to maximise peoples independence and resilience at home, improving outcomes simultaneous to reducing dependency on traditional models of support, aligned with the principle of better lives, less cost.

The pandemic followed shortly after. The public health team worked with housing colleagues during this period, keeping people experiencing homelessness safe, and enabling their health and wider needs to be met. This included developing support to enable people to access skills development, apprenticeships and work and providing outreach dental care.

Similarly, since its inception in 2022, Blackpool Researching Together (Blackpool’s Health Determinants Research Collaborative or HDRC) has committed to a model that has commissioned two community organisations to recruit community members to join the team as co-researchers. This approach provides paid roles for 10 youth and 10 adult community co-researchers.

To make this happen, a proposal was taken through the Council’s chief officer and key member groups and all Departmental Management Teams, for health considerations to be routinely embedded in key council decision-making processes.

National children’s charity, the Youth Sport Trust worked collaboratively with Active Partners Trust (APT) to develop and deliver a programme of intervention to schools in targeted communities, to increase engagement and enjoyment of physical activity.

Women and girls are typically less active than their male counterparts, with four in 10 women not active enough to ensure they get the full benefits of physical activity. Yet research suggest that women benefit more than men from physical activity.

Wolverhampton has revolutionised its health visiting services through a strategic partnership with the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT). This case study delves into the intricate challenges, innovative solutions, impactful outcomes, and valuable lessons learned from this shift and its implications for public health and the health visiting space.

Centred around the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) as an intervention point, Hull has adopted a whole-system approach to promote children’s healthy weight.

The Right to the Streets project explored community actions to make streets and public spaces safer and more welcoming for women and girls so they feel a sense of belonging in their community and are able to live active lives.