Housing and gambling among ten areas in focus to prevent ill-health
19 April 2023
The Health and Social Care Committee has announced ten themes to be examined in its major new inquiry into preventing ill-health. The subjects, ranging from early years and childhood to alcohol and gambling, were chosen after MPs received more than 600 submissions from researchers and organisations involved in preventative healthcare.
- Inquiry: Prevention in health and social care
- Preventing ill-health: workstreams
- Find all publications related to this inquiry, including oral and written evidence
The inquiry will examine social and environmental factors, for example what living in a healthy place should look like, from housing and indoor air pollution to the number of fast food shops. Access to sexual and reproductive health services, how to promote good mental health, sleep and addressing poor diet are among other areas to be considered.
Chair comment
Steve Brine MP Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee said:
“Whether it’s the air you breathe or the food you put on your plate, there’s an impact on your health. While we can take action as individuals to stay well, the environment we live in has an enormous impact so what should a healthy place look like?
“This inquiry will be looking at a wide range of factors and asking what steps can be taken to prevent people slipping into ill-health.
“With health and social care services under extreme pressure, this is a crucial moment to identify what can be done to improve health outcomes for people in the longer term. I would argue the future sustainability of the NHS rests on us getting that right.”
Further information
Image credit: UK Parliament/Tyler Allicock