What are the benefits of Regional Work?

1. Councillor Bransby Thomas Chair West Midlands Regional Assembly

2. What are the benefits of Regional Work? Aims of the Assembly: • Single, coherent regional voice • Lobby voice for the regions’ interest • Co-ordinates and endorses regional strategies • Regional Planning Body • Scrutinises work of Advantage West Midlands • Principal consultative mechanism • Regional policies made more transparent • Promotes regional identity

3. How it Operates • The main Assembly consists of ; • 100 Members - 3 sectors, LA 68, Business 16, Other Stakeholders 16. • Meets 4 times a year • Operates generally by consensus • Supported by ‘Regional Policy Partnerships’ • Funded largely by ODPM and regional organisations • Role enhanced by regions White Paper

4. Regional Policy Partnerships • Planning • Transport • Housing • European and International Affairs • Environment • Social Inclusion • Health

5. Hard Facts • Infant mortality in the West Midlands worst in the country - strongly linked with social deprivation • Obesity in women in the West Midlands is the highest in England • It is estimated 1.4 million people miss, turn down or do not seek medical help because of transport problems • Children from households in the lowest socio-economic group are five times more likely to die in road accidents than those from the highest

6. Regional Health Partnership Vision “West Midlands Region becomes a healthier region by 2020, by improving health, prosperity and opportunity”

7. Regional Health Partnership What is it? “Multi Sector Partnership bringing together a variety of public, private & voluntary sector groups and representatives”

8. Methods of working • Health Partnership consists of an Executive Group which meets four times a year and an Officer Group • There is a collective commitment with agreed terms of reference • Shared resources – for example jointly funded Health Policy Officer • Yearly programmes of action are agreed, reported on and monitored

9. Key Commitments • Tackling health inequalities in the broadest sense to include economic, environmental and social issues • Ensuring all regional policies and strategies address their impact on health (health proofing policies) • Motivating, influencing and lobbying government departments and policy makers to take account of the factors which affect health • An open and transparent approach to sharing information

10. Areas for Early Action The partnership, in full consultation, agreed to look at the following areas for action: • Improving life chances of children • Healthy food, food production • Procurement policies • Improving education, training and learning skills • Employment and recruitment • Tackling poverty • Reducing income inequality

11. Current Health Partnership work Some of the current areas of the Health Partnership • Exploration of the sport and health benefits to the region of the 2012 Olympic bid • Working towards a regional smoke-free NHS in advance of the White paper deadline of 2006 • Increasing sport and physical activity through workforce programmes and policies • Supporting the Public Health Conference

12. Support of Regional work The health partnership have also this year supported; • The ‘Big Smoke’ debate • The Regional Lifestyle Survey • The promotion of the physical activity and food website (www.wmpho.org.uk/paf/ food)

13. ‘Choosing Health’ White Paper • ‘Health needs are complex and real lives do not fit neatly into the boundaries of individual organisations or govt. departments’ (Chapter 1.26) • The White paper provides the opportunity to engage across a broad range of departments and agencies

14. Why the White Paper is important for the Health Partnership • Underpins the key actions already identified by the Health Partnership • Many joint targets set, for example in the area of obesity • Delivery relies on building partnerships and inviting engagement

15. Delivery of the White Paper • In order to drive forward delivery the Department of Health have been asked to establish Regional Task Forces, to focus on key priority areas; • Health inequalities, obesity, smoking, sexual health and workforce • This is an important opportunity for partners to become engaged

16. Future Work for the Health Partnership • We need to develop a clear understanding of how locality needs relate to regional priorities • In particular, work needs to be carried out to involve the Local Strategic Partnerships • There needs to be involvement and focus on the wider health determinants at the planning stage

17. Opportunity and Influence There is opportunity to influence; • The Regional Spatial Strategy, the Rural Strategic Framework, Sustainable Communities, Regional Forestry Framework and many other Regional strategies • This maximises the potential for a cross cutting approach to health and quality of life issues espoused by the White Paper

18. Summary The Health Partnership’s role is to; • Develop Region wide and cross-sector commitment to address health inequalities in the West Midlands and • Make best use of the economic impact of the NHS in support of regeneration of our disadvantaged communities • This is a great opportunity for the NHS and Regional Partners to work together, across the West Midlands, developing policies that will influence health improvements and the quality of life for the citizens of our region.

19. Councillor Bransby Thomas Chair West Midlands Regional Assembly