Promoting integration of the health and built environment agendas through a workforce development initiative

Summary 

There is a renewed and growing recognition of the links between public health and the built environment, which has underlined the need for improved joint working between public health and built environment professionals. However, currently there is little engagement between these two sectors. This paper outlines a workforce development initiative that aims to increase capacity for such joint working, through shared learning and reflection between professionals from the built environment sector and those from the specialist public health workforce. This paper demonstrates how shared learning through facilitated learning sets and other activities has identified issues that both hinder and potentially help the greater integration of health into built environment thinking. It documents a number of responses to the issues that have arisen, as well as suggesting ways forward and future work that can help to bring public health and built environment professionals closer together for the benefit of society.

Keywords: Public health, Built environment, Workforce development, Shared learning