Why community development?

There is increasing evidence that bringing people together is good for their health. In addition, working with communities in such a way that their strengths are emphasised, their experience is recognised and their views and outlook is respected, leads to improved services, better health outcomes and maybe less cost.

There has long been good evidence that social networks offer significant benefits for all of us. Being linked to other people seems to confer not only better health but also emotional and economic outcomes.
Community development is one key way of developing and supporting social networks.
The NHS is keen to make Patient & Public Involvement effective across the service. Although the NHS is getting better at listening to what local people are saying to us, we often need support with responding to those recommendations. Community development can become a key approach to participatory democracy.
Community development is one key way of supporting local people in getting their voices heard.
It appears that health inequalities in a rich economy are mediated not only through poverty, but also through isolation and a profound feeling of powerlessness.
Community development is a key way of reducing isolation and supporting empowerment.
Health improvement through engagement and self-care is essential to the functioning of the NHS, as Wanless made clear. Working closely on a long-term, systematic basis with communities is essential to make this a reality.
Community development is a powerful technique for community engagement for health.
Community development is increasingly seen as a coherent response to many key problems both in the NHS and in local authorities. Indeed, local authorities have seen support and development of social networks and Community development as a key part of their procedures.
More from the Socialist Health Association here.
…Communities, which included the greatest number of the most sympathetic members, would flourish best…
Great talk about sympathy in communities and why we care.