Communities
The Government's Choosing Health White Paper said that, 'as the country's largest employer and with a total spend on food, goods and services which represents some 10% of regional economies, the NHS organisation can and must make a significant contribution to the health and sustainability of the communities they serve'.
How the NHS behaves - as an employer, a purchaser of goods and services, a manager of transport, energy, waste and water, as a landholder and commissioner of building work and as an influential neighbour in many communities - can make a big difference to people's health and to the well being of society, the economy and the environment. This also includes tackling health inequalities and ensuring that everyone has equal access to services.
