Healthy Regions

Overall, the project aims to progress strategy and practice that assists public health to be an integrated part of the regional development process.  It will also develop a concept for European Regions achieving "Healthy Region" status.

There are six European Union regions taking part in the project:

• The Region of South Denmark
• Östergotland and Örebro, Sweden
• Sleswig-Holstein, Germany
• South West, UK
• Brussels, Belgium
• Veneto, Italy.

The project has developed a Conceptual Paper and a series of 'tools' to enable broad analysis across policy areas to assess the degree to which the participating regions have strategies in place for health and wellbeing that progresses action for the longer term.

The project seeks to involve a wide range of regional partners, joining up agencies and organisations that may not always work together.  The project is also engaging a number of 'pilot projects' concentrating on good practice 'on the ground'.

There are regular partner visits between the EU countries and also exchanges to develop more detailed work on particular developments in other regions.  In the South West UK we are working with the South West Strategic Health Authority, the South West Department of Health, the Regional Observatory and the Regional Development Agency to use the project's work to inform the development of the Single Strategy.  The project has been instrumental in the development of the South West Healthy Workplace Strategic Alliance.

The project is designed to help regional agencies and organisations develop their thinking and practice with regard to health, wellbeing and regional development.  In particular it is intended to be of value across the social and economic policy range, demonstrating how systemic the issues relating to health and wellbeing are.  Also, it explores the concept of 'wellbeing' - one that is rising up the policy agenda, but that is still regarded as difficult to define and articulate.

Ultimately the work is for regional citizens.

The project runs for three years, ending in October 2010.

The project closes with a major conference in Brussels in September 2010.  There will also be the launch of the project's Healthy Regions Website containing the range of experience gained from the work and providing resources and 'tools' for other regions to use and adapt.

For initial information and to contact those regions involved with the work, go to the contact page of the EU website at the link given below:

Web Links
	EU website - contact page

The expected result of this project at a European level is to show evidence for the requirement for a more significant and important role for health and wellbeing within the political agenda of regions.  If the project becomes a success and manages to promote the concept of healthy regions on a political level, the expected result is that the participating regions can use the project and the result to brand themselves as regions that take health seriously and want to create healthy settings for their citizens.

Katie Kelsey, Health Regions South West Co-ordinator
katie.kelsey@niace.org.uk

Simon Mauger, Regional Programme Director
simon.mauger@niace.org.uk

NIACE
21 De Montfort Street
Leicester
LE1 7GE