In a week of rioting it seems strange to be considering wellbeing – something that was demonstrably absent from London, Bristol and Birmingham as EHN went to press. Never-the-less, the concept is now in the policy arena. At the end of last year, David Cameron announced plans to introduce a ‘wellbeing index’ saying that gross domestic product is an incomplete way of measuring a country’s progress.
A key part of the wellbeing agenda is the Department of Health’s new mental health strategy, which aims to achieve parity of esteem between physical and mental health. Wellbeing is also linked with public health planning and is firmly radar for local government, which, for the first time, although it has being doing it for years, is specifically tasked with making people happier.
Meanwhile, the Office of National Statistics is developing indicators to measure wellbeing and social capital. The ONS defines social capital as ‘the pattern and intensity of networks among people and the shared values which arise from those networks’. Drilling further down into the concept it talks of civic participation, such as the propensity to vote or to take action on local or national issues; social networks, such as contact with friends and relatives; involvement in groups and voluntary activities; trusting other people and views about one’s area.
It’s fair to assume that none of these were particularly prominent in those parts of England that rioted. But what of environmental health? Actually, as evidenced by a piece of research commissioned by the Department of Health from the CIEH (see page 10) EHPs have a major bearing on both wellbeing and social capital.
The research, which we will carry a summary of next issue, is based on in-depth interviews with front-line officers and policy makers. It’s not hard to see how dealing with damp or excess cold, reducing neighbourhood noise, tackling fuel poverty and facilitating the removal of trade waste, fly-tipped rubbish and graffiti makes people feel more connected with their neighbourhoods and each other. It’s quite possible that the areas of worst rioting this week, such as Tottenham, Enfield and Peckham, were those with the least visual amenity. Something to ponder on.