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In the first Wanless Report (Securing our Future Health), attention is drawn to the three enduring goals of the NHS: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment, and the comment is made that the degree to which the public engages with the health service will have a significant impact on these goals, but most particularly on prevention. The second Report (Securing Good Health for the Whole Population) shows how the prevalence of today’s chronic diseases are strongly related to lifestyle factors such as smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol; and confirms the message about the economic and social need for the public to “fully engage”. Both reports stress how crucial public engagement in health issues is at all levels in the service, and warn that people need to be supported to make better decision about their health and welfare. Ultimately, this process is dependent on developing an active partnership between those who provide care and those who receive it. How do we get the “wide ranging action” indicated as necessary by Wanless from health and care services, government, media, businesses, society at large, families and the voluntary and community sectors? During the series we also want to assess the new partnerships with the health industries that will be required, as well as the organisational, training and resource issues which will arise in any transformation of the health services. For further information please click here More Equal Society? New Labour, Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion The institute worked in conjunction with the LSE Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion to develop a project focussing on how far the Government has achieved its aims of reducing poverty in childhood and old age, and tackling individual and area social exclusion in the period since it was elected in 1997. This series of four seminars was designed to complement CASE’s publication of a book to mark the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Centenary. For a report on the proceedings of these seminars please follow the link below. For further information please click here
The Government’s industrial policy supports our science base, and has, in addition, placed great emphasis on skills, education and support for science in order to foster research and development and innovation. In his 2004 Budget speech the Chancellor drew reference to Britain’s “historical record of scientific achievement longer than any other country”. Building on this approach, the Government has recently published a new consultation document, ‘Science and Innovation: working towards a ten-year investment framework’. The Institute ran a series of four seminars which looked at the issue of Science and Technology in relation to Wealth Creation; the Environment; Civil Society and Third World Development. For further information please click here Migration Throughout its history, Britain’s population has been augmented by successive inflows of migrants. Each inflow has made significant contributions to the UK’s economic, social and cultural development. But the debate in recent years has become more negative, has often been confused, and has focused on the costs of immigration rather than its potential benefits. There are now serious difficulties in discussing the differences between immigration, asylum and migration; and in many instances overtones of racism are all too apparent. The Smith Institute ran a series of three seminars looking at these issues. The series was accompanied by a monograph of original essays by key individuals and organisations involved in this area and can be downloaded from the publications section of this website. |
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