Community Health Profiles

Abstract

The health and wellbeing of any population requires a holistic approach that includes the involvement of many agencies and gives ownership to the communities involved. The traditional notion of top-down delivery of health care is no longer acceptable to central governments, who are seeking greater value for money. The increasing return to the principles of public health signifies that a purely medical approach to health cannot by itself resolve the many health problems in increasingly complex cities. Government health strategy documents increasingly recognize the importance of the views of the people receiving services in needs-based service delivery and espouse the involvement of individuals and communities as a key objective in the future delivery of health services (1): To give people an effective voice in the shaping of the health services there needs to be a move away from one-off consultation towards ongoing involvement of local people.... Action on health issues at the community level has increased greatly in recent years, and local communities are now demanding a greater role in service provision and delivery. New partnerships are emerging to plan and deliver services based on local area needs. The Healthy Cities movement provides a focus for such partnerships.