Towards a world class health mission

Lessons for the new government from international best practice

This working paper was produced to inform the development and implementation of the Health Foundation’s briefing Health at the heart of government. It draws on lessons from the World Health Organization (WHO) model, Working together for equity and healthier populations, and highlights international case studies that are particularly relevant.  

The government has committed to a health mission approach to drive cross-government action on the building blocks of health and achieve a long-term goal of a fairer country, where everyone lives well for longer. This is against a backdrop of the UK having been exposed as less resilient to health shocks than its international peers. 

This suggests the UK has opportunities to learn from and close the gap with international comparators. Reversing these trends requires new ways of working to embed health at the heart of government, and there is a rich pool of international experience on which to draw. Some exemplars provide useful lessons for the government’s health mission and are described in more detail in this paper.

While there is much to learn from international examples and expertise, there is no single blueprint. The task of turning around health and equity in a ‘decade of national renewal’ should combine best international practice with new ways of mission-led working.