A new white paper, which responds to the urgent need for action to address widening health and economic inequalities in Yorkshire and the Humber has been published by YHealth for Growth partners.
‘Empowering local places for health and prosperity: new perspectives from Yorkshire and the Humber’ has been developed by the three partners – Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, Yorkshire Universities and the NHS Confederation – through interviews and roundtable discussions, with a broad cross-section of individuals working at the intersection of health and economic growth, in the region and beyond.
The paper is written in the context of mounting pressure on the health service and wider public sector, an uncertain outlook for the UK economy, and the ongoing impact of the pandemic and puts forward 10 recommendations for national and regional leaders and for business, which build on those set out in our initial 2020 YHealth for Growth report.
Broadly the recommendations are:
- National government to empower local leaders to lead by devolving meaningful investment and powers to local places, allowing them to set targets and direct investment according to local need.
- NHS to maximise the opportunities of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) for local people and places by fully embracing the potential of ICS’s “fourth purpose”.
- Regional leaders and anchor institutions to leverage their scale and convening power to develop a shared vision for health and economic partners, galvanise partnerships and empower communities to deliver it.
- Business to recognise the ability to positively affect the health and economic prosperity of the region and take appropriate action.
Download the white paper in full on the YHealth for Growth website.