Social Model for Health and Wellbeing

A Social Model for Health and Wellbeing (SMfHW) focuses on reducing health inequalities, enabling people and communities to have more control over their health to achieve and maintain the best possible health.  

This model promotes prevention, early identification of disease and timely intervention. A SMfHW advocates that the building blocks of health, including social, environmental and biological factors, can create favourable conditions for good health.  

It also highlights that the prerequisites for health and prospects for health are everyone’s responsibility, including health services, governments, local authorities, the voluntary sector, industry, academia, communities and individuals themselves.  

Our SMfHW approach has an agreed set of principles. These are practical actions that can be taken to support a shift towards a SMfHW.