Putting prevention first

Professor Matthew Ashton, ADPH Board Member and Director of Public Health for Liverpool, writes in the MJ on the importance of investing in our communities and places to reverse the rising levels of illness impacting lives across the country.

Pressure on our health and care services is building. More people are living with ill health, putting our frontline teams under immense strain and costing the economy billions. But without tackling the insidious causes of these rising levels, we will never improve the nation’s health.

At last month’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellent (NICE) Conference, I took part in a panel exploring whether creating healthier communities can save the NHS…