What is population health?

Population health refers to the health status and health outcomes within a group of people. Moreover, a 'population health' approach, is one that looks at all the factors that are determining the health of a population. This approach leverages social prescribing and community action and improvement. It is a proactive approach - looking at data to predict and take action before poor health outcomes occur.

Population health is one of NHS England's core strategic aims for integrated care systems (ICSs):

• to improve physical and mental health outcomes,
• promote wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across an entire population,
• with a specific focus on the wider determinants of health (things like housing, employment, education).

This #KFExplain animation from the King's Fund explains the population health approach.

In this NHS England video, the benefits of a population health approach can be seen. Jane Waddington used to call the GP or 999 every day and spent every day in the front room until professionals in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System used a Population Health Management (PHM) approach to identify and reach out to her through social prescriber.