Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

Preface
I am delighted to introduce Healthy Futures – the first Regional Health Strategy
for the East of England. Healthy Futures has been developed over the past
twelve months by the East of England Public Health Group (EEPHG) on behalf
of the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) and its partners, all of whom
are committed to reducing health inequalities and improving the health of the
Region’s population.
Currently, our Region is not as healthy as it should be – and comparisons with
other regions indicates considerable room for improvement. Even within the East of England the extent
of health inequalities is large and growing. Evidence shows that people on lower incomes tend to have
poorer health throughout their lives and die younger than their more affluent neighbours, and there is
also substantial evidence that these inequalities are transmitted from one generation to the next.
Healthy Futures is not about health service delivery. Its analysis and proposed actions are based
on the recognition that through their policies and actions, a great many agencies and organisations
can individually and collectively have a major impact on people’s health. It is by ensuring that these
impacts have a positive rather than a detrimental effect that Healthy Futures will succeed.
The main priorities of the Strategy will provide a clear Vision to deliver improvements to health by raising
awareness of health inequalities amongst key partners. The Strategy will be a vital tool in influencing
regional policy making, demonstrating that the responsibility for the health of people in the East of
England is, genuinely, a shared one. Having set out this Vision, we now look forward to our partners
helping us to deliver real measurable improvements.
Alongside Healthy Futures, the Eastern Region Public Health Observatory and the Public Health
Group have developed a Technical Supplement. The Technical Supplement provides background
data and analysis to support the Strategy. It will also be a valuable resource in evaluating and
reporting our progress.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have participated in developing Healthy
Futures. In particular I would like to extend my thanks to Dr Gina Radford, Regional Director of Public
Health (Public Health Advisor to the Assembly), for leading on this Strategy on behalf of the Assembly.
Ermal Kirby
A Regional Health Strategy for the East of England 07