The House of Good: Health - Reimagining Community Assets

On 15th October, members of the ChurchWorks secretariat attended the launch of the National Churches' Trust, 'House of Good: Health' research. The report demonstrated that the contribution of the church to the wellbeing of our communities would cost the NHS £8.4 billion a year to deliver. This is the equivalent to nearly 4% of all UK health spending and the same cost as employing 230, 000 nurses. 

This figure is a conservative estimate for the cost-relief provided by the Church as it includes the wellbeing impact of just four activities: foodbanks, drug and alcohol support, mental health groups and youth groups. Faith groups support community health in a wide variety of ways beyond these four activities, such as through Warm Welcome Spaces. One particularly pertinent example is the response to the Grenfell Fire in 2017, where faith groups were the first on the scene to take in and look after those who were made homeless.

One key way in which faith communities contribute to the wellbeing of the local neighbourhood is through social prescribing. Faith groups offer activities such as running clubs, Warm Welcome Spaces and befriending schemes that can be prescribed to by social prescribing link workers and which are evidenced-based to improve wellbeing. Not only do faith groups offer a support network, and a listening ear but they also offer a holistic access point for a wide range of community support services such as debt advice, exercise classes, parenting courses and support with meeting essential material needs for example through baby banks. 

This means that faith groups are able to play a preventative role in the wellbeing of their communities through enabling individuals to access holistic help at the point of need as well as feel a sense of belonging in a trusted community. As Father Irving Hamer from St Martins, Roath, Cardiff, explained in a video that accompanies the report, ‘If you think back centuries, we were the community centre. We’re here for the community. That’s what we do at St Martins’.’

Improving the provision of healthcare services is vital given the current public health crisis facing the UK. Not only is the NHS under enormous pressure but, for the first time, healthcare records indicate a fall in life expectancy in the UK population. In response, the Secretary of State for Health is emphasising the importance of neighbourhood level, preventative care, and faith groups are therefore an essential asset in meeting the health needs of our nation.

Located in nearly every town and village, churches are an incredible resource for reaching the most vulnerable in society. Yet, the possibility of provision of support and welfare services through the Church is being threatened by the vast number of churches being closed every year. This is deeply concerning for rural, deprived areas, where health services are particularly stretched and lacking resources. In these areas, the Church has historically been a vital hub of additional wellbeing and community support, and closing these buildings will take away this possibility and likely increase the vulnerability of these communities to a greater extent.

If the Secretary of State intends to make a Neighbourhood Health Service a reality, there must be better networking, partnership and planning between faith groups and the local NHS. The potential for faith-groups and Churches to assist in the provision of well-being services must be recognised, and these buildings must be kept open nationwide. As Lord Chartres shared at the report launch event, 'We have an amazing network of community centres, in the form of faith groups, across the UK. We must enliven the imagination of policy makers to see the potential of this asset'. 

A key part of this work is in equipping faith groups and the health sector to collaborate effectively on social prescribing. Join us on 30 January for the launch of our joint research project with Theos into the role of faith and social prescribing to hear our recommendations for next steps.