According to a latest research study, planners and public health professionals are being requested to work more closely with each other, in order to guarantee that health and wellbeing priorities are well integrated into local plans.
A study by Public Health England (PHE) has looked at how public health research and evidence, the National Planning Policy Framework and planning guidance was put into practice. It centred specifically on professionals' understanding of the Spatial Planning and Health: Evidence Resource, a document that the PHE published to help inform policy and action in the built and natural environment. It found that although 72% of health care professionals were aware of the document itself, there was only 56% of planners in comparison. Even lower, only 51% of all respondents across both of the sectors who knew about the resource had actually used it in their local authority.
Despite the national policy explicitly linking planning to public health since 2012, only 46% of the respondents to the study believed that the planning policies and decisions were meant to support health and wellbeing. Near to a quarter thought that health is not integrated into planning in their own local areas. The study itself, calls on the heads of planning sectors, and the directors of public health to work to ensure that a clear communication exists between their respective teams, and consider a few different ideas, such as:
Local politicians should also be more aware of the impact their planning decisions will have on health, when making said decisions. Spatial planning, health tools, and evidence should all be presented to meet the needs of both sets of professionals - this should also include access to a growing international and national evidence base, that is to span across the both of the sectors, and should explain how they can support local practitioners.
