Healthier Lewisham Partnership Board is a partnership working towards health improvement, health promotion and reducing health inequalities in Lewisham

We aim is to enable people to stay healthy, improve social, environmental and physical wellbeing in order that people will avoid illness and treatment in secondary or tertiary care (e.g. hospitals and specialist health services).

Healthier Lewisham is working to improve the health of the whole population. However, we do target our efforts towards those in Lewisham who are in most danger or getting sick or unwell. We are committed to reducing Lewisham’s health inequalities.

Our principal areas of work include:

1. Reducing Lewisham’s Health Inequalities , via:

• Health Improvement Modernisation Plan
• Health Inequalities Strategy (draft)
• Community Development Strategy

In 2003 Healthier Lewisham was asked to develop a process and a strategy for reducing the inequalities in health in Lewisham. Lewisham has high rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy, Coronary Heart Disease mortality and lower then average life expectancy for women and manual groups (see Lewisham Health Profile). In 2004 Healthier Lewisham developed a consultation document for partners and hosted a stakeholders’ event to prioritise the work to tackle health inequalities in Lewisham. The final report will be available in 2005.

2. Running Health Improvement & Health Promotion Programmes

• Local Area Agreement Healthier Communities Programme
• New Deal for Communities (NDC)
• Teenage Pregnancy Strategy
• Stop Smoking Services

3. Co-ordinating Health Promotion and Health Improvement in Lewisham

• National Service Frameworks (NSF)
• NSF Healthy Children
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Prevention
• Mental Well Being

Who is Healthier Lewisham?

Healthier Lewisham is made up of a wide range of organisations operating within the London Borough of Lewisham who have a stake in improving people’s health. It is a partnership board made of people who represent organisations concerned with the health of the ‘whole population’.

• Metropolitan Police
• University Hospital Lewisham
• Lewisham Primary Care Trust
• London Borough of Lewisham
• Voluntary Action Lewisham
• Community Education Lewisham
• Carer’s Lewisham
• Lewisham's General Practitioners
• South London & Maudsley NHS Trust
• Lewisham College

The Healthier Lewisham Partnership Board is currently chaired by Dr Chris Watts, Director of Public Health from Lewisham PCT and Natalie Acton, Head of Health Partnerships & Planning from London Borough Lewisham. The Board meets five times a year and Healthier Lewisham sub-groups meet every two months.

Documents and Reports 

Documents and reports produced by organisations and programmes affiliated to Healthier Lewisham can be found in our Publications section.