The Impact of the Economic Downturn on Health in Wales: a Review and Case Study

Acknowledgements We would like to thank Su Mably from Public Health Wales and Natalie Avery from the Welsh Assembly Government for their support in relation to this study. We would particularly like to thank Chris Roberts from the Welsh Assembly Government for his patience and attention to detail with regard to the production and dissemination of this report. In addition we would like to thank Dr Gillian Bristow from the School of City and Regional Planning, Cardiff University for her support and advice. Finally we are very grateful to the public service representatives, voluntary sector staff and policy makers who participated as respondents or discussants for this study. Assembly Government. The unit has a Wales wide remit to: • Support the development and effective use of HIA in Wales through building partnerships and collaborations with key statutory, voluntary, community organisations • Build capacity for HIA through the delivery of training • Provide information and advice to those conducting or interested in conducting health impact assessments • Support communities wishing to undertake HIAs within their locality • Quality assure HIAs undertaken both within and outside of the unit, to assess and improve HIA practice • Raise the profile of HIA within Wales, the UK and internationally by providing web based resources, running training and workshop events, delivering conference presentations and publishing academic papers • Conduct innovative research to inform the development of HIA and health in all policies Cardiff Institute of Society and Health CISHE undertakes methodologically innovative multidisciplinary research with a focus on: • understanding and theorising the determinants of population health and well‐being • the development and testing of interventions and policies to achieve sustainable improvements in the health and well‐being of the public • rigorous evaluation of effectiveness. CISHE aims to lead and facilitate research of international excellence, placing emphasis on tackling health inequalities and ensuring that our research has an impact on policy and practice in Wales and beyond. Abstract The current economic downturn and the austerity measures currently being decided with regard to public spending are likely to impact on people's lives in a number of different ways. The test of how well political administrations respond to such crises will be the extent to which the health and well being of its populations are protected. The lesson of previous downturns is that the social and associated health impacts can lag long after what can be a …