Rising demand has been a feature of the public sector landscape for the past few years. In this context, it can be hard to justify allocating limited resources for investment in preventative interventions. Prevention boils down to helping people stay healthy, happy and independent for as long as possible. Evidence suggests that these approaches, whether it’s helping people stop smoking or immunisation programmes, can produce better outcomes over time.

The devolution and health and social care integration agendas present opportunities for local bodies to work together on the shared goal of improving the health of their communities. This requires a spirit of collaboration, particularly whether there is a need to align budgets and agree resourcing priorities. Any interventions must be sustainable within the financial strategies of all organisations so they can continue to be supported over the long term.