Public health works across communities and populations rather than at the level of the individual. It emphasises collective responsibility for health, its protection and disease prevention. Key to this is the recognition of the key role of the state, linked to a concern for the underlying socio-economic and wider determinants of health, as well as disease. Partnership working with all those who contribute to the health of the population is a main aim of public health action at all levels – nationally, regionally and locally.
More information on the national picture
A unique health challenge
London has a unique mix of high need and high cost, and co-existing extremes of wealth and poverty and poor and good health seen in no other city in the world. Specific health challenges include:
- Deprivation
- Earlier onset of illness
- An ethnically diverse population speaking over 300 languages
- Disproportionately high levels of HIV, Tuberculosis, teenage pregnancy, mental illness, drug & alcohol dependency, and sexually transmitted infections.
Our work- All links below open a new window.
In common with other Regional Public Health Groups (RPHGs), workstreams are largely based on the priorities for public health outlined in ‘Choosing Health – Making healthy choices easier’ ( Opens a new window) and for inequalities in ‘Tackling Inequalities: A programme for Action’ (Opens a new window). We are responsible for implementing this work in the context of the capital, as well as ensuring that health aspects are considered in all major developments and initiatives in the capital. However unique to the RPHG-London, our Regional Director also acts as the Mayor’s Health Adviser and the Group plays a central role in a pan-region health body, the London Health Commission.
Working together
The RPHG-London extends to a wider RPHG consisting of: Health Protection Agency, London Deanery, London Health Commission, London Health Observatory, London Region Quality Assurance Reference Group and Thames Cancer Registry. Additional partners include: Association of London Government, Greater London Authority and functional bodies, King’s Fund, London Assembly, London Resilience, Mayor, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence NHS Confederation, NHS in London, Sport England and voluntary sector organisations.
