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Our Programmes

Our 'place-based' approach to our programmes means we work closely within a community to address health issues that occur at a local level. We collaborate with and train people who live and work locally, to make our programmes as effective as possible.

Find out more about the programmes that we’re currently running and explore some of our previous programmes.

Read the Case Studies outlining the impact of these programmes 

Communities in Charge of…

Our ‘Communities in Charge of…’ programmes take an innovative and community-centred approach to reducing widespread health inequalities. At the heart of the 'Communities in Charge of' concept is recruiting, training and supporting local people to become RSPH accredited Health Champions.

As well as giving health champions the skills and knowledge to support the wellbeing of residents in local neighbourhoods, the programmes also help to promote community activism.

Communities in Charge of Alcohol (CICA)

In partnership with Salford University and funded by the National Institute for Health Research, we were commissioned across Greater Manchester to develop the 'Communities in Charge of Alcohol' programme.

The programme aimed to reduce alcohol harm in the local area by training and recruiting 'Alcohol Health Champions' - local residents who address alcohol harms in their community. The first Communities in Charge of Alcohol programme was successful in:

  • Training 123 Alcohol Health Champions
  • Organising 65 community events
  • 249 Audit-Cs (an alcohol harm assessment tool) carried out by Alcohol Health Champions in the community.

 

Financial Insecurity Programme

Supported by the Health Foundation, Royal Society for Public Health and Citizens Advice, worked with Hull City Council’s public health team to establish a Financial Inclusion Network to serve as a vehicle for effective cross-sector working to improve residents’ financial well-being. This network has successfully raised the profile of financial insecurity as a cause of ill-health, and in particular, as a factor in causing or exacerbating mental ill-health and distress.

To understand the challenges people with financial insecurity face, RSPH was commissioned by Hull City Council to create a report on the types and causes of financial insecurity and the impacts this can have on health and wellbeing.

Read the report

 

MECC for Mental Health Training Programme

RSPH and Health Education England (HEE) North have launched a project across the North of England, to up-skill healthcare professionals to become mental health promotion Lead Trainers and Trainers for a Making Every Contact Count (MECC) for Mental Health training programme.

Embedding the MECC approach and promoting mental health are current national strategic priorities for the health system, and the effects of COVID-19 on population health have made this even more urgent. This work is well placed to support organisations interested in tackling this challenge through evidence-based mental health training that develops knowledge, skills and confidence to integrate relevant messages and interventions into routine practice.

 

Access Programme

In April 2021 NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I) (henceforth NHSE) working with various partner organisations, launched a pilot programme with a dedicated focus on supporting people experiencing homelessness into frontline healthcare roles and concerned with highlighting barriers to employment in this specific context. 

The programme was taken forward by a partnership of organisations with expertise in policy and practice related to homelessness: Pathway, Groundswell, and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), along with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) providing national and local support at different stages. 

The programme involved the design and delivery of employment support and a training pathway for individuals with lived experience of homelessness. This included the attainment of the RSPH Level 1 Understanding Health Improvement qualification, provision of pre-employment advice, access to internships, and placements. 

An independent researcher from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, at King’s College London, was commissioned to lead the evaluation of the project. Findings indicate that the main outcomes of the project include: 

  • 5 Trusts from different regions were involved in the programme, they all made at least one job offer

  • 20 individuals with lived experience of homelessness participated and were provided with training and support to apply for a healthcare support job in one of the participant Trusts

  • Half the participants were offered jobs and those who didn’t were brought into the labour market, with the Trusts keen to signpost them to other opportunities and provide them with further support

  • This high offer rate is a testament to the support provided and quality of the 3- day pre programme course 

The access to employment programme concluded in September 2022 and this final report presents the findings from the evaluation.

Violence Prevention and Reduction Education Pathway

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has been commissioned by NHS England (NHSE) to develop a comprehensive accredited educational pathway, to build on the work of the NHSE Violence Prevention and Reduction Programme and the publication of the NHS Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard.

This pathway will consist of qualifications at Levels 3 and 4 and will be designed to meet the training needs of Violence Prevention and Reduction leads employed by Trusts, as well as other members of the NHS workforce who are considered to be working in ‘at risk’ environments.

Find out more

Social Investment Fund - The Catalyst Programme

We work with partners from across the West Midlands to develop new social investment finance programmes. Working in collaboration with The Key Fund, our ‘Catalyst Programme’ provides support for local organisations to tackle health inequalities, with a focus on supporting programmes that work on early health interventions.

Young Health Champions

The Young Health Champions (YHC) programme provides training and a qualification to equip young people with the skills and confidence to improve the health of their peers. YHCs operate in a range of different locations across the country, from secondary schools and colleges to prisons and local community groups.

The programme also provides opportunities to get involved with campaigning on public health issues and to become a mentor for future programmes. The programme has received overwhelmingly positive feedback since its launch. A survey of young people who had completed the Young Health Champion programme revealed:

  • 90% of young people experienced an increase in confidence
  • 90% have changed their health behaviours including quitting smoking and taking more exercise
  • 95% were now aware of their local health service and knew how to signpost others to them
 

 

Tackling Health Inequalities

We have developed two new programmes, supported by The Health Foundation, which aim to raise awareness of the social determinants of health, and form part of the Health Foundation’s, ‘Healthy Lives’ strategy.

The programmes involve working with local communities in different parts of the UK on specific issues which may exacerbate health inequalities – namely, financial security and community cohesion.

Previous RSPH Programmes

Find out more about our past public health programmes that we have led and developed.