Essence of Care

Benchmarks for Promoting Health

Modernisation Agency
Benchmarks for Promoting Health

For the purpose of these benchmarks:

Comparison Group � the aim of the comparison group is to compare and share
practice likely to contribute to attaining the benchmarks

Communities � signifies a group of people living or working in a geographical

area or a group of people who both have a characteristic, cause, need or
experience in common

Person-Centred � the term signifies activities which are based on what is

important to a person from their own perspective and which contribute to their
full inclusion in society. Person-centred planning, discovers and acts upon what
is
important to a person. Person-centred approaches, design and deliver services
and supports based on what is important to a person

Practitioner � refers to any health or social care employee

Partnership � partners may include: individuals, families and carers, groups and
communities, voluntary and statutory agencies and professionals

Individual Needs � include ethnicity, religion, belief, culture, language, age,

gender, physical, sensory, sexual, developmental and mental health needs

Equality � ability to obtain access to health care by individuals or communities

Equity � how fairly resources are distributed throughout a group of people

according to population, not individual need

Lifestyle � a complex of related practices or constrained patterns of daily living

maintained with some consistency in a person or group

Signposting � directing one to

�Specialist� Health Promotion � Public health staff with particular expertise in

health promotion

Sustainable � learning or practices that can be transferred into mainstream

activity

Abbreviations

HEA � Health Education Authority

HIA � Health Impact Assessment - using a range of methods and approaches to

help identify and consider the potential or actual health and equity impacts of a
proposal on a given population

1
Benchmarks for Promoting Health

Agreed person-centred outcome

Everyone will be supported to make healthier choices for

themselves and others

Factor

1.
Empowerment and
Informed Choice
2.
Education for
Practitioners
3.
Assessment of Health
Promotion Needs
4.
Opportunities to
Promote Health
5.
Engagement
6.
Partnership
7.
Access and Accessibility
8.
Environment
9.
Outcomes of Promoting
Health
Benchmark of best practice

Individuals, groups and communities are

helped to make positive decisions on personal
health and well-being

Practitioners have and use their knowledge

and skills to promote health

Individuals, groups and communities are able

to identify their health promotion needs

Every appropriate contact is used to enable

individuals, groups and communities to find
ways to maintain or improve their health and
well being

Individuals, groups and communities are

actively involved in health promotion planning
and actions

Health promotion is undertaken in partnership

with others using a variety of expertise and
experiences
People have access to health promoting
information, services and/or support which
meets their individual needs and circumstances

Individuals, groups, communities and agencies

influence and create environments which
promote peoples health and well being

Health promoting activity has a sustainable

effect that improves the public�s health

2
Factor 1 - Empowerment and Informed Choice

E A
Benchmark of best practice

Individuals, groups
and communities are

Individuals, groups and

not able to make

communities are helped to

decisions on their

make positive decisions on

personal health and

personal health and well

well-being

being

Indicators of best practice for factor 1

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
Individuals, groups and communities have the knowledge, skills and
opportunities to maintain and improve their own, and others health
�
there is evidence of a person-centred approach
�
there is access to advocacy services
�
there is access to interpreting services
�
a comprehensive directory of local health promoting services is available
�
sign-posting people to information and or services can be demonstrated
�
decisions are based on informed choices and opportunities
�
there are opportunities to participate in relevant programmes for example,
�the expert patient� or stop smoking programme
�
there is evidence of directed or self referral to health promoting services
3
Factor 2 � Education for Practitioners

E A
Practitioners do

Benchmark of best practice

not have, or do
not use, their

Practitioners have and use their

knowledge or

knowledge and skills to promote

skills to promote

health

health

Indicators of best practice for factor 2

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
training needs analysis are undertaken in relation to promoting health,
facilitating behaviour change and reducing inequalities in health
�
a range of evidence-based training programmes and materials are available,
accessible and used
�
training records and plans are available
�
health promoting competencies are linked to the Knowledge and Skills
Framework
�
promoting health is integrated into pre and post registration training and
education programmes
�
induction programmes include promoting health
�
personal development plans and personal portfolios reflect health promotion
training
�
best practice is shared and celebrated
�
there is evidence that staff have access to support from dedicated specialist
health promotion staff
�
practitioners can demonstrate an understanding of diversity and its impact
on health
4
Factor 3 - Assessment of Health Promotion Needs

Benchmark of best practice

No assessment
of health needs Individuals, groups and
takes place communities are able to
identify their health needs

E A
Indicators of best practice for factor 3

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
assessment, process and outcomes have been identified
�
assessed needs are recorded and acted upon
�
all stakeholders views and opinions inform the assessment process
�
nationally and internationally available evidence is used to inform the
assessment process
�
where available, evidence-based assessment tools are used
5
Factor 4 � Opportunities to Promote Health

E A
Benchmark of best practice

Opportunities to
promote health Every appropriate contact is used
are consistently to enable individuals, groups and
missed or not communities to find ways to
used maintain or improve their health

and well being

Indicators of best practice for factor 4

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
every contact is person-centred
�
there is evidence of a systematic approach that demonstrates opportunities
are taken to promote health and well-being
�
there is evidence that every opportunity is taken to identify ways to reduce
health inequalities
�
a range of approaches are used to make the most of every contact
�
there is evidence that workplaces promote the health of the workforce
6
Factor 5 � Engagement

E A
Those responsible

Benchmark of best practice

for promoting
health are not

Individuals, groups and

responsive to the

communities are actively

needs of

involved in health promotion

individuals, groups

planning and actions

or communities

Indicators of best practice for factor 5

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
there is evidence of effective partnership working and collaboration in
addressing identified needs
�
priority areas are identified and acted upon
�
there is a person-centred plan that addresses needs and includes goals,
actions and outcomes
�
there is documented evidence of all responses
�
there is evidence that partners are involved in action planning
�
care pathways include health improvement aspects
7
Factor 6 � Partnership

Benchmark of best practice

Health
promotion is Health promotion is undertaken in
undertaken in partnership with others using a
isolation variety of expertise and
experiences

E A
Indicators of best practice for factor 6

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
all opportunities to work in partnership are identified and used
�
the use and development of networks, both formal and informal, can be
demonstrated
�
there is evidence of sustainable partnership working
�
partners contributions are recognised and valued
�
there is signposting to partner organisations that provide health promoting
services
�
there is evidence of policies for protection of health and well-being
8
Factor 7 � Access and Accessibility

E A
Benchmark of best practice

People have no
access to health People have access to health
promoting promoting information,
information, services and/or support which
services or support meets their individual needs

and circumstances

Indicators of best practice for factor 7

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
people can access the services they need
�
there is evidence that barriers to access have been identified and are being
addressed
�
services are provided in settings that are accessible
�
information is available in a way that meets individual needs
�
there is evidence that people are aware of available information and support
�
people are directed to specialist services, such as smoking cessation, exercise
by prescription
�
there is evidence of health equity audits where appropriate
9
Factor 8 � Environment

E A
Individuals, groups,

Benchmark of best practice

communities and
agencies do not

Individuals, groups, communities

influence and create

and agencies influence and create

an environment that

environments which promote

promotes health and

peoples health and well-being

well-being

Indicators of best practice for factor 8

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
individuals confidentiality is respected
�
environmental risk assessments include health promotion perspectives and
action is taken as necessary
�
issues that have an impact on health are considered, for example lifestyle,
culture, transport and housing
�
an environmental culture supports the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, for
example provision of healthy eating options in hospitals, and therapeutic
areas
�
opportunities are used to influence and engage other agencies, for example
schools, social services and voluntary organisations

�
inequalities are identified, acted upon and outcomes evaluated
�
health impact assessments take place for new projects and service
development
�
workplace environments promote health; policies are in place to support
work place health
10
Factor 9 � Outcomes of promoting health

There is no
sustainable change
and public health
information does
not inform the
agenda

Benchmark of best practice

Health promoting activity has

a sustainable effect that
improves the public�s health

E A
Indicators of best practice for factor 9

To stimulate discussion about best practice in your comparison group,

you may find it helpful to consider whether:

�
examples of health improvements are recognised and celebrated and used
to inform the ongoing public health agenda
�
there are structures in place to support local health promoting networks and
methods of sharing good practice and information are implemented
�
outcomes are shared to inform practice and future service delivery

�
a range of information is gathered and reported on, to demonstrate health
outcomes being achieved
�
there are audit programmes which can demonstrate health improvement
�
health equity audit information is used to inform practice
�
research and development activity is undertaken and the results are used
�
sustainable user and community involvement can be demonstrated
�
progress is being made towards meeting key health promotion targets
�
there is a dedicated specialist health promotion function within each area
�
work is evaluated to identify effectiveness and benefits
11
Bibliography

�
Department of Health (2001) The Report of the Chief Medical Officer�s
Project to Strengthen the Public Health Function. London: Department of
Health
�
Department of Health (2003) Tackling Health Inequalities: A Programme for
Action. London: Department of Health
�
Department of Health/Community Practitioners and Health Visitors
Association (2003) Liberating the Public Health Talents of Community
Practitioners and Health Visitors. London: Department of Health
�
Department of Health (2004) Choosing Health: Making healthy choices
easier. London: The Stationery Office
�
Department of Health (2004) The NHS Improvement Plan. Putting People at
the Heart of Public Services. London: Department of Health
�
Department of Health (2004) The Chief Nursing Officer�s review of the
Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting contributions to working with
vulnerable children and young people
�
Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills (2004)
National Service Framework for Children Young People and Maternity
Services. London: Department of Health
�
Department of Health (2004) Equalities and diversity: strategy and delivery
plan to support the NHS. London: Department of Health
�
Department of Health, Department for Education and Skills (2005) National
Healthy Schools Programme. Nottingham : DfES publications
�
Department of Health (2005) Shaping the Future of Public Health: Promoting
Health in the NHS. London: Department of Health
�
Elliott L, Crombie I, Irvine L, Cantrell J and Taylor J (2001). The effectiveness
of public health nursing: A review of systematic reviews
�
Health Development agency/Local Health Commission (2004). Health
Promotion Specialists and PCTs: a unique contribution. London: Health
Development Agency
�
Wanless D. (2004) � Securing Good Health for the Whole Population. Final
Report. London: The Stationery Office
�
Whitehead D. Health promotion and health education: advancing the
concepts. Journal of Advanced Nursing 2004 Aug, vol. 47 no. 3, p. 311-20
�
World Health Organisation (1986) The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion
12
Further copies of this document are available from:
Department of Health
PO Box 777
London SE1 6XH

Or call the NHS Response Line:

Telephone: 08701 555 455
Fax: 01623 724524
e-mail: doh@prolog.uk.com

It is also available to download at

www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance
/
PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle

Printed by S.F. Taylor & Co. Ltd. Stockport. Tel: 0161 429 7200