health creation
(human and planetary health, that is ... it's all connected...)
Our team sees health creation as the more ambitious sister of "prevention". It's not just stopping people falling sick; it's the deliberate pro-active creation of the space, organisations, processes and infrastructure that build communities in which it's easier to be healthy than it is to be sick.
That means the homes, green spaces, connectivity, biodiversity, water systems, food systems, shared assets, culture, systems and people required to keep everyone well, and help us recover quickly and easily should we fall sick.
Our NHS has had to go from being a specific system which treats unpreventable sickness, to the catchall mega-system which is expected to offer a clinical response to the preventable consequences of poor housing, dirty air, poor food, poor connectivity, inequality and poverty. This is nonsense. These are not consequences of unpreventable disease. These are the predictable, preventable consequences of the way we build our societies today. And the NHS will not be able to continue to cope with this unmeetable demand. If we want more health, and less need for healthcare, we need to
create the conditions that make actual good health unstoppable.
In fact, turns out UKSA was talking about this in 2016: it said:
'The NHS was developed to provide largely episodic care. It generally treats people when they fall ill. But this care model will not be sufficient to meet the health needs of a growing, diverse and ageing population with high rates of chronic diseases, obesity and mental health problems. A 21st century NHS will need to deliver care that meets the health needs of today and focuses more on preventing illness and supporting individuals in maintaining active and healthy lifestyles.'
No kidding! The good news is that everything we do to create human health will also protect planetary health - and vice versa.
This is the challenge, and the opportunity of our times.
Our Story
Our Climate Resilience team at Volunteer Cornwall is working mad hard to
1: reduce the impact of our health care systems on our climate and environment;
2: to improve the resilience to climate breakdown of our health systems, and patients; and
3: enable everyone to advocate for good change for human and planetary health.
But while we're doing this, it's also becoming more and more clear that the best way to
improve health, AND to reduce demand for healthcare,
AND to reduce our NHS carbon and nature impact,
is exactly the same thing: it's not just about treating sickness (of people and planet),
or even just preventing sickness (of people and planet): it's about getting right in front of the curve, and actually creating people and planetary health. if we join the dots, it's allllll about
helping our communities be places where it's easier to be well, than to be sick ...
... which is
better for patients; better for the whole community they live in;
and better for the carbon impact of our health care system.
It's a Health and Planet Hat-Trick.
And it kicks health inequalities into touch by working to design them out at source,
and putting people and communities in the position of power to create, and regenerate,
their own good, shared, community-wide health.
Makes sense, right?
And the fewer people who need preventable sickness support (It's *preventable* , after all...
what are we doing to make sure we do actually prevent it?!) the more we can focus our precious healthcare resources on those who have most need. :)
So for us it's about working with our community partners and do-ers and ass-kickers,
to building the social and physical infrastructure, the community collaborations, the connections, the people and the initiatives, that enable people to have access to clean air; to community classes on yoga and painting and dancing and learning; to walking and cycling routes; to good food for one and all;
to trees and bees and seating and shade; to decent homes; to green and blue shared spaces; to sharing bikes and kit to maintain health;to building social capital that regenerates -
the more social capital there is, the more we can build health.
It becomes about creating more actual health for all, and not about stretched healthcare for some.
And then ..... less demand on NHS; less pollution and carbon from healthcare...! :) Imagine!!
As well as reducing demand for healthcare, Health Creation eats Net Zero for breakfast.
So we're talking to our ICB about how we, as a community sector, can be the secret weapon on reducing carbon, reducing demand and reducing climate impacts on people and place.
Watch this space!
