Today’s first speech from Prime Minister Andy Burnham put prevention at the heart of national renewal, and we welcome his day one commitment to “help people to live well, building a more preventative state”.
That shift matters. At People’s Health Trust, our long-standing goal has been to demonstrate the value of moving to a prevention model that enables health creation – one that acts earlier, closer to people’s lives, and in ways that build confidence, connection and opportunity. We believe that, side by side with 'growth in every postcode', health creation must be a focus and priority for Government.
We also welcome the specific commitment today to “help more young people into work, giving them more support, and more mental health support”. Our Good Work for Young People’s Mental Health programme is doing exactly that. Working with trusted community organisations, it supports young people experiencing mental health challenges to remove barriers and secure meaningful employment opportunities – testing how specialist employment support can be embedded where young people already turn for help.
We also support the commitments to build more council homes, and end rough sleeping, which will require a policy agenda that fits closely with our calls through our Homes for Health and Better Homes Better Health programmes.
If the new government is serious about building a more preventative state, it must invest in the community organisations that make prevention real: organisations rooted in place, trusted by local people, and able to support health, wellbeing and participation together.
Today’s speech rightly recognises that young people’s mental health, good work, and secure homes are not separate policy issues. They are the foundations of health equity – and they are exactly where prevention must begin.