Improving health through economic development - RSA

Improving health through economic development

Report

  • Picture of Anna Markland
    Head of Innovation and Change
  • Picture of Liv Chai
    Delivery Manager
  • Picture of Nicholas Heslop
    Nicholas Heslop
    Senior Policy and Participation Researcher
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Economy
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Poverty and inequality

We have created an Economies for Healthier Lives Programme Coaching Resource that pull together our experience, insight and case studies from the five ‘Hubs’. This resource is designed to support those looking to learn from and replicate this work to get supported at every stage, from project inception through to legacy planning.

More about the Economies for Healthier Lives programme

Economies for Healthier Lives (2021-2024), funded by the Health Foundation, invested in five ‘Hubs’ across the UK, each exploring different approaches to how economic development can best improve health and tackle health inequalities by supporting partnerships in local areas. The work of this programme is continuing into 2025.

The RSA was the Learning Partner for this programme; we collaborated with each Hub to understand their challenges and develop a support model with a focus on adopting innovations and sharing emerging practice.
Our coaching sought to uncover and address the key challenges to integrating public health and economic development, and pilot novel, innovative approaches in five areas across the UK.  

The EHL programme reveals that when public health and economic development teams align strategies, they can amplify impact—evident in projects across the UK that have started to embed health considerations into local economic plans. This alignment promotes a holistic vision where economic growth, social wellbeing, and environmental sustainability reinforce one another. 

Achieving this integration requires reimagining public services to shift from fragmented approaches to those that support the whole person and community. They allow for greater value for money. Leaders have a unique opportunity to engage their communities and develop strategies that not only address immediate economic and health needs but also ensure long-term prosperity for all. 

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Published in partnership with

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