Public Health Wales has launched a new toolkit to help public bodies improve the health outcomes of those within disadvantaged communities.
The guide focuses on the opportunities offered by the Socio-Economic Duty, which is part of section 1 of the Equality Act 2010.
The duty requires public bodies, including health boards, to adopt transparent and effective steps to address inequalities, with the ultimate aim of supporting better decision-making to improve public health and overall wellbeing.
Consultant at the World Health Organization Collaboration Centre for Public Health Wales, Professor Jo Peden, said: “This toolkit is a really useful, practical guide which will enable public bodies in Wales to utilise the Socio-Economic Duty most effectively.
“The guide contains practical tips, so it offers public bodies the opportunity to embed the duty into their whole approach and to make real change – so it is not just a box-ticking exercise, but adds real value to the communities we serve.”
The Socio-Economic Duty: a public health lens from Policy Admin on Vimeo.
“This document, which sits alongside the Welsh Government’s Statutory Guidance, aims to establish the population health benefits of successfully implementing the [Socio-Economic] Duty,” the toolkit’s foreword writes.
Some of the things the guide details, includes:
- The requirements of the duty;
- Inequalities as a result of socio-economic disadvantage;
- The need for strong leadership;
- Measures to help embed the duty into processes and systems;
- Data sources for implementation;
- The principles behind working effectively with people with lived experience;
- Understanding when and how you’ve made a difference.
To access the toolkit, click here.
