Communities for Health

Walsall Council’s Communities for Health Programme has been established as a result of funding received from the Department of Health. The aim is to improve health activities across the Borough which has largely concentrated on Walsall’s most pressing health issues; obesity, affected by poverty, poor living conditions, poor diet and a lack of physical exercise.

The strategic aims of Communities for Health programme are to:

• Engage communities in their own health and develop their capacity to support individual behavioural change for healthier lifestyles;
• Build partnerships between organisations and communities;
• Develop innovative practices for community based health improvement.

The Communities for Health Steering Group made up of representatives from departments within the Neighbourhoods directorate of Walsall Council, and commissioning and provider representatives from NHS Walsall and NHS Walsall Community Health decided to support local community-based projects that have some sustainability and which tackle major health issues.

To date there has been a broad range of creative, participatory and community based projects which have worked to tackle some of the local health inequality targets. Walsall Council Creative Development Team currently manages the whole programme on behalf of the project partners. Project outcomes, learning and examples of good practice are profiled and shared through local, regional and national networks.