This material was previously held on the West Midlands Regional Assembly site in the Health section (www.wmra.gov.uk/Health/Health.aspx).

The Communities for Health Programme evaluation and final report has now been published on the Local Government Association website, please see the Communities for Health Programme page.

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This report has been produced by the Mental Health Action Group (MHAG), who are working to fight stigma and discrimination in Southern Derbyshire. The report is about public transport and mental health recovery and has been sent to the Transport Minister.

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A response from the West Midlands Public Health Networks to the National Planning Policy Framework Consultation.

View the report (Adobe Acrobat Document [626.5 Kb])

An investigation into the way that medical treatment for homeless people could improve.

This report looks at the experience homeless people have of using health services and the impact that this has on their health. It focuses on whether by offering health services in a different way homeless people may have better health outcomes.

For further information about this report please contact Gill Brown, Chief Executive, Brighter Futures.

View the report (Adobe Acrobat Document [191.1 Kb])

This report by MWB Consultancy Ltd is on a health and housing advice triage and referral prototype project run in Birmingham towards the end of 2010 and into early 2011, which helped health professionals to refer patients in primary care for housing advice.

View the report (Adobe Acrobat Document [225.4 Kb])

Paper written by DH, Gill Leng and Housing Vision, summarising the current policies and plans for Health and Housing in the West Midlands.

View the report (Adobe Acrobat Document [366.6 Kb])

Resources relating to "Health and Housing", provided by Jim McManus, Joint Director of Public Health, Birmingham City Council and Birmingham PCTs

• Housing and Health: Context, Inequalities and Impact across the Lifecourse
  Presentation by Jim McManus, Joint Director of Public Health, Birmingham City Council and Birmingham PCTs, from a workshop on 24th May 2011 organised by Birmingham Social Housing Partnership.
  
• Housing and Public Health – Towards a Health Impact Assessment
  Report prepared by Birmingham City Council’s Housing Strategy and Partnerships Team for a Housing and Health Summit organised by Birmingham Health and Wellbeing Partnership.
  
• Housing and Health Improvement
  This is the first of a series of papers designed to be practical, evidence-based treatments of what the issues are which local government with its partners can really work on to improve health. This first paper is on housing and prepares us by way of background for the Health and Housing Summit in January 2011.
  
• Primary Care and Housing
  Good quality housing is essential to perform the basic functions of keeping people safe, warm and dry. Poor housing conditions exacerbate some of the most common health conditions and increase the risk of severe ill health or disability by up to 25% during childhood and early adulthood. At the same time a greater focus is required on helping older people live in a home of their own for longer. Housing related support not only contributes to achieving health objectives but also contributes to ensuring cost effectiveness and value for money.
  
• A Select Review of Literature on the Relationship Between Housing and Health
• Health and housing: worlds apart?
  Housing care and support solutions to health challenges
  This report explores a wide range of issues of relevance to both housing and health, and focuses on an examination of services for people who experience problems with their mental health, as this is an area where housing associations can achieve maximum impact.
  
• Good Housing Leads To Good Health: A toolkit for environmental health practitioners
  The toolkit provides the methodology and case studies to help environmental health practitioners indicate the links between private sector housing and public health.
  
• Birmingham’s Health Matters
  Articles from Birmingham’s Health Matters relating to Health and Housing.
  
  
  • How does housing impact on our health?
  • Notes from the Editor: Housing & Health
  • Primary Care and Housing
  • Excess winter deaths in the home

HEAT (Home Energy Advice Tamworth) was launched by Tamworth Borough Council in August 2009. Since then many private residents in Tamworth have accessed this free and impartial advice service to learn more about how they can stop wasting energy at home and start saving money.

HEAT provides information on government grants for free or discounted home energy efficiency measures such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and the replacement of broken or faulty heating systems. These measures could be free if you are 70 or older or in receipt of qualifying benefits.

Mrs Perkins had her walls and loft insulated following a call to HEAT - click on the attached link to watch a short film about how having the measures installed has made a difference to the energy efficiency of her home, and made her home warmer and has had an impact on her sons asthma.

If you would like any further information then please contact Claire Keeling, Housing Strategy Officer at Tamworth Borough Council on 01827 709286.

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The vision of the West Midlands Regional Health and Well-Being Strategy is:

‘To maintain, enhance, improve and protect the health and well-being of people in the West Midlands Region and to reduce health inequalities by 2020 within environmental limits, so as not to compromise healthy life for future generations’.

View the report (Adobe Acrobat Document [5.6 Mb])

This series of eight briefing papers has been produced by the Regional Public Health Group, as a legacy of the extensive range of work done to date across the West Midlands. These briefing papers are aimed at local authorities and other local partners in the West Midlands and have been developed using best available national and local evidence and guidance. Local case studies are included which demonstrate good and effective current practice in support of the Public Health role of Local Government.

• Planning, Transport and Health
• Housing and Health
• Environment and Health
• Economy, Skills and Health
• Culture, Leisure and Health
• Safer and Stronger Communities
• Children, Young People and Families
• Later Life
• Additional Case Studies