Regional Assembly responsibilities in the fields of spatial planning, housing and transport have significant links with public health. The Regional Assembly addresses this through the two health meetings it convenes - the Health Summit and the Healthy Region Forum.

These meetings provide the opportunity to measure and monitor health outcomes and inequalities in South East England, and contribute to the Assembly's accountability role. Discussing health issues at a regional level also contributes to the Regional Assembly's advocacy role. The Regional Assembly is able to lobby national government to ensure the South East region's health interests are heard and is able to influence the NHS.

The South East England Health Strategy

South East England's first regional Health Strategy is currently being developed by the South East Public Health Team and the region's two Strategic Health Authorities (NHS South East Coast and NHS South Central). The strategy aims to address the underlying causes of ill-health in a sustainable way, improve the health well-being of all people in the region and reduce health inequalities.

Initial discussions benefited from the input of the Regional Assembly, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Government Office for the South East (GOSE) and the Care Services Improvement Partnership. The draft was launched on 20 June 2007 for a discussion period, to gather views from a wide range of regional and local partners, which closed on 28 September 2007. The final Strategy was launched in February 2008.

South East England Health Strategy (draft for discussion) - 1.15 MB

South East England Health Strategy (Final Version) - 2.50 MB

Current Work (Updated February 2008)

Health Summit
The Health Summit encourages engagement between regional organisations and the NHS in the region. The meeting allows for strategic discussion of issues that impact on the health of the South East and will provide leadership for more effective delivery of health policy.

These meetings are held three times a year, providing plenty of opportunity to monitor the progress of regional policy. Previously, the health summit met once a year with a more limited membership.

The Health Summit met on the 22 January 2008. Partners from a range of regional organistions, including senior representatives from the Assembly, SEEDA, GOSE, the Strategic Health Authorities and RAISE met to consider strategic issues:

• Members considered the Strategic Health Authorities engagement with Local Area Agreements in the region
• A presentation was given explaining the NHS Operating Framework 2008/09
• Members received a presentation on the NHS Integrated Care Record 'Connecting for Health'

Healthy Region Forum
The Healthy Region Forum role was reviewed in 2006 - it is now an annual regional conference with open membership. It previously met quarterly. The new format will allow a broader group to discuss health and social inclusion issues relevant to South East England. The conference format will allow the forum to provide learning and development opportunities and will help facilitate a best practice network.

The first meeting of the revised Healthy Region Forum was on 20 June 2007. The event focused the emerging Regional Health Strategy. Attendees received presentations based on some of the key themes within the strategy, with each outlining examples of work by regional bodies to contribute to good health in South East England.

Delegates discussed the draft strategy and identified suggestions of what more needs to be done by local and regional partners to deliver good health. The discussions provided a number of suggestions for taking the Health Strategy forward, and in particular, there was emphasis on the need to consider well-being in its broadest sense; good health encompasses more than traditional service provision. It was agreed that partnership working, including that which works outside traditional boundaries, was needed to deliver good health.

Links

• South East Coast SHA
  
  
• South Central SHA
  
  
• Annual Report from the Regional Director of public health

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