Health action zones: improving the health of older people

Abstract

On 25 June 1997 at the NHS Confederation Annual Conference, the Secretary of State for Health announced his intention to establish a number of Health Action Zones (HAZs). These would be pilot projects whose aim would be ‘to explore mechanisms for breaking through current organisational boundaries to tackle inequalities, and deliver better services and better health care, building upon and encouraging co-operation across the NHS’ (DH 1997/145). Health action zones are expected to be ‘trailblazers’; pioneering innovative approaches to improving health. They are part of a family of area-based initiatives introduced by the Labour government. The three broad strategic objectives of HAZs are: to identify and address the public health needs of the local area; to increase the effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness of services; to develop partnerships for improving people’s health and relevant services, adding value through creating synergy between the work of different agencies. In October 1997, health authorities in England were invited in conjunction with local authorities and other agencies to submit bids to become Health Action Zones. Forty-one bids were received by the Department of Health. From these, Health Action Zone status was granted to 11 areas from April 1998. Of those areas not selected in the 1st wave, a number were asked to submit further applications, and 15 more areas were granted HAZ status from April 1999. HAZs have a mandate to develop programmes to improve the health of their general populations. Within this mandate however, they have considerable flexibility concerning the areas, services or population groups they target. It is thus worth posing the question: To what extent have Health Action Zones chosen to focus on improving the health of older people? We begin to address this question in three ways, by: Detailing some of the diversity of HAZs by describing their characteristics. Outlining to what extent HAZ programmes and activities focus on older people. Providing two examples of HAZs who are developing programmes specifically aimed at improving the health of older people.