Programme

The London Health Forum has set out to help tackle two of the biggest health challenges facing Londoners.

Debt and health

As the recession bites, more of us are going to get into debt.  There is a strong association between debt and poorer health.  Conversely, people who seek early debt advice have better health outcomes. 

We are therefore working to keep London informed of the impact of the recession on indebtedness and to use the power of NHS and other channels to get people to advice sooner.  In this, we are grateful for the support of the Department of Health, NHS London and London Councils.

Childhood immunisation

Our briefing note (April 2009) demonstrates the worrying extent of under-immunisation in London.  As a result, our children are particularly vulnerable to a measles epidemic.  The Forum has therefore been working with NHS London to develop a project focusing on entry to primary schools as an ideal time to boost immunisation rates and levels of protection.  Unfortunately, this project has been put on hold because of swine flu but a good proposal is now in place which can be picked up swiftly, depending on developments.

Commissioning

The Forum's report last year highlighted significant weaknesses on both sides in the commissioning relationship between the statutory and voluntary sectors.  In particular, the statutory sector has poor awareness of providers, who can in turn struggle with the often wasteful bureaucracy around tendering.  The Forum is therefore exploring whether novel approaches to mapping could help enrich service provision while cutting costs.    
...read commissioning report

Healthcare reports

There is an abundance of information about healthcare and outcomes in London but it can be hard to reconcile in accessible and understandable form.  Once again, the Forum is putting together five reports looking at performance in five London boroughs: Harrow, Lambeth, Redbridge, Sutton and Merton and Wandsworth.  Do get in touch if you would like PDF copies.