Partners in Care and Health (PCH) was approached by the Public Health Team at Liverpool City Council to facilitate a ‘health in all policies’ workshop. Colleagues from planning, sustainability and policy all attended. New projects are now underway and the Public Health Team is finding it has greater ability to influence key council strategies.
The challenges and approach
Liverpool already had an advanced approach to ‘health in all policies’ when it turned to PCH for support. It is part of the World Health Organization’s healthy cities network and is working towards becoming a Marmot City by April 2025.
To build on the work it was doing, a ‘health in all policies’ workshop was hosted for key staff from different parts of the council. The workshop was held in September 2023 and more than 20 people attended from a range of different areas, including planning, policy and sustainability.
The event was co-facilitated by two PCH peers – an elected member and a former Director of Public Health - and the wider determinants team, part of Liverpool’s Public Health Department. The aim was to build on the work that was already being done on ‘health in all policies’.
The event started with a recap of the achievements so far, including the planning team’s work on restricting takeaways. It then moved on to a series of table-top exercises to explore what areas needed improvement and looking at best practice from elsewhere.
Concrete plans
Senior Public Health Practitioner Craig Hamilton said: “It was very much co-produced. In fact, we delayed it by a few weeks so we could fine-tune what we had planned.
“We purposely kept it to half a day as we knew that is all we could realistically ask of the officers. It was very interactive – that is the best way to engage people and that helped ensure we got a lot out of the day.
“The great thing about involving PCH is that it commands respect. It makes colleagues sit up and take note in a way we would struggle to do if we just hosted it on our own because of their expertise and the fact the message is coming from someone external too. The peers acted as critical friends – questioning things in a positive way.”
He said an essential element of the day was that it ended with a firm commitment from the teams to collaborative more effectively. “That’s really important. There is sometimes a risk with workshops that they can just end without a plan put in place. We had a next steps session where the peers brought together everything we had discussed.”
That led to a number of concrete plans being agreed. A memorandum of understanding was signed with the planning department and the wider determinants team pledged to develop a framework to help the planning team carry out health impact assessments on new planning developments.
“One of the things that came to light is that the planning team were perhaps a little lacking in confidence in the health impact assessment process. They were carrying them out but were unsure whether they were strong enough. That is something we felt we could help them with,” Craig added.
‘Thinking differently’
But he said the impact of the workshop has been felt in other ways too. “It helped to embed a clear message about the importance of a ‘health in all policies’ approach. The policy team are a key influence across the council and we are now finding we are being consulted at a much earlier stage in the development of new strategies from the local plan and economic growth strategy to the updated housing strategy.
“Previously we would be shown the final draft, which is very hard to influence, but we are now being asked to have input from the start. Another knock-on effect is that we are being asked to comment on Section 106 projects earmarked for community infrastructure off the back of major developments.
“That is the strength of doing something like this – it gets people thinking about things a little differently. Following the session, we can see that there is a commitment from planning colleagues to work closer with public health to make sure health outcomes are at the heart of the planning process. Our Director of Public Health wants to embed a public health mindset across the council so we have champions in all the departments.”
Director of Planning and Building Control, Samantha Campbell said her and her team are fully on board. “I’m passionate about my team realising the health benefits that the planning process can bring whether it’s through development management decision-making or policy formation - and I’m proud to say we are on that positive journey.”
And Public Health Principal, Gavin Flatt said he is now keen to build on what has been achieved by working with PCH again. “This process really makes a difference. It reinforces the messages we have, but gives it added impetus and momentum because it is coming from someone else. We would definitely be keen in the future to repeat what we have done and involve other parts of the council – education and highways are the obvious two.”
He said a number of factors were crucial in ensuring it was a success. “The DPH peer was someone who had worked locally – within our region – and lives here. They had knowledge of the local area and the evidence base to support the discussions. They understand the way people think locally and the way local government and our partners interact.
“I think the preparation work is essential too. We worked closely with the peers so they understood what stage we were at – and I think having that bit of extra time after moving the workshop back a little was very beneficial.”