New five-year partnership to drive improved health outcomes for people in later life

The Centre for Ageing Better and Public Health England (PHE) have joined forces to promote healthy ageing at a national, regional and local level.

The strategic partnership, confirmed through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will use evidence-based public health interventions to help people maintain or prevent deterioration in their functional ability as they age.

There is a longstanding history of collaboration between the two organisations. The new MoU confirms jointly managed resources and leadership over the five-year partnership.

The Centre for Ageing Better will add its expertise on ageing and in how to create evidence-based change to PHE’s evidence-based prevention expertise, data intelligence and insights from its own Productive Healthy Ageing ambition.

The Centre for Ageing Better’s independent voice and PHE’s influence as a national body will also complement the skillset contributed by each organisation.

It is hoped that this influential partnership will help drive action required to reach the Government’s ambition for everyone to have five extra years of healthy and independent life. Joint projects will include creating a consensus and positive narrative on healthy ageing and co-creating an evidence-based resource with recommendations on how to address midlife risk factors.

“Our increased longevity represents a huge medical and public health success. We should take pride in the fantastic achievements that have led to us having longer lives.

“However, despite this, many people spend a significant proportion of those extra years in poor health, or managing a disability which could have been prevented, and there are huge inequalities in healthy life expectancy across the country.

“We must bridge the gap between rich and poor and ensure everyone is given the chance to enjoy a later life which is healthy, active and fulfilling.”

“Having a reason to get up in the morning, something meaningful to do, enough money to live on and friendship in your life are all really important to staying well and ageing well.

“With people living longer in poorer health we all need to work together to support people to enjoy their lives in better health for longer.”

The MoU comes into effect today (Friday, 14 December 2018) and was signed by Lord Filkin, Chair of the Centre for Ageing Better, and Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England. The two organisations will work collaboratively for an initial period of five years, with the agreement to be reviewed annually.