Everyone deserves a place to thrive

This should not be contentious. But the sad reality is that, for many people, much of the time, places don’t support their health and wellbeing.

To remedy this, RSPH is today calling for a step change in how we consider health – embedding it across every area of our society, rather than leaving it as an issue solely to be considered by medical professionals in the NHS. It is only by doing this that we can turn the tide on the ill-health which is holding back too many people in the UK today.

Creating healthy places

Where we live

From houses to high streets, we spend most of our lives in the same places. When you ask people about the places that they spend time, this is what they are likely to think of first, and there is a wealth of evidence that these environments – whether it is the physical fabric, the services on offer, or the opportunities they provide – can shape the life outcomes of the people who occupy them.

Where we learn

Building health has to start at the beginning of life – the habits we build in childhood remain with us for the rest of our lives. Whether it is physical activity or mental resilience, supporting people to be healthy in education settings will help them to remain healthy when they leave. This is not just about children either – universities and adult education play a huge role in many people’s lives, and their potential to help deliver health outcomes should not be ignored.

Where we work

We spend more of our lives at work than anywhere else. Someone who starts work at 18, and works full time until they retire at 65, can expect to spend more than 75,000 hours in the workplace. That represents more than one in ten hours across our lifetime. Given the centrality of work to most of our lives, it is clear that we cannot build a healthy society unless our workplaces are drivers of good health.

Where we play

Health is not just about the things we have to do – being healthy means having time and space to do the things which make us happy. Drawing on the suffragette maximof ‘bread and roses’ we will look at the places where we spend our time off – from parks and playgrounds to gyms and galleries – to set out how these places cancontribute to our physical and mental wellbeing.

Help us make a difference

You can help us to create a places for health in every setting and help drive a revolution in how we think of and deliver health support, enabling people to build healthier lives, rather than just preventing ill health.

If you want to be part of that revolution, join our campaign to hear about how you can help us to deliver healthier places and happier lives.