Four health organisations and one health partnership were presented with the first RSPH Health Promotion and Community Well-Being Organisation and Partnership Awards at the Launch and Awards ceremony on Tuesday 23 September in London. The presentations were made by Dr Fiona Adshead, Chief Government Adviser on Inequalities and Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

The Awards were given to:

• NHS Plymouth
• NHS Rotherham
• Sefton Partnership (NHS Sefton, Sefton Council and Sefton Council for Voluntary Services)
• North East Essex Primary Care Trust
• NHS North Lancashire

These organisations have worked closely with RSPH over the past year to develop the Awards scheme and have given generously of their time and expertise.

The Awards showcase the contribution of health promotion to public health in the UK. They recognise long-standing commitment by organisations to health promotion, leadership at Board level, strong strategies that tackle a wide array of health promotion issues - including health inequalities - and the development of the workforce internally and externally. Health promotion has a focus on participation by individuals and communities, and on strengthening community action.

Professor Richard Parish, Chief Executive of RSPH, said:
“These awards demonstrate real achievement and the RSPH is proud to be able to offer them. The assessment process has been extremely rigorous and a high standard has been set. These organisations are at the forefront of good health promotion practice.”

The Awards are linked to the ‘Shaping the Future of Health Promotion’ collaboration to support the health promotion workforce in the UK, which is led by the Royal Society for Public Health in partnership with the Faculty of Public Health, the UK Public Health Register and the Institute of Health Promotion and Education.

Following the success of the development phase, it is intended that the Awards scheme will be rolled out across the UK and open to all health organisations, local authorities, non-governmental and private sector organisations.