What is the Mayor doing?

The Mayor has a duty to promote the health of Londoners and to take into account the effect of his policies on their health. He is not responsible for the provision of healthcare but works in partnership with the NHS and others to secure improvements in Londoners' health and to reduce health inequalities in London.

The Greater London Authority Act 2007 has given new health responsibilities to the Mayor of London, in addition to his previous duty to promote health. These include a duty to work to reduce health inequalities. The Mayor is required to develop and lead a London-wide Health Inequalities Strategy.

Living Well in London: The Mayor’s draft Health Inequalities Strategy for London for consultation with the London Assembly was published on 30 January 2008. A public consultation draft will be launched later in 2008.

The Greater London Authority Act 2007 also seeks to:

strengthen current partnership arrangements and strategic leadership to improve health and reduce health inequalities in London
improve the use of Health Impact Assessments to test how strategies, projects and initiatives impact upon public health and health inequalities
ensure ongoing joint strategic work between the Mayor, the Regional Director of Public Health, London’s NHS, and the London Assembly.

Mayor Influencing the NHS

The Mayor has responded to Lord Darzi's review of health services in 'Healthcare for London: A Framework for Action' - see the Mayor's response to 'Healthcare for London' page.

The Mayor has submitted a written response to the Health Select Committee's inquiry to examine the extent to which the NHS can help to achieve a reduction in health inequalities. See the Mayor's response on the health publications page.

Health Issues in Planning: Best Practice Guidance

The Mayor is committed to improving the public health of Londoners. This Health Issues in Planning Best Practice Guidance (BPG) has been prepared to fulfil a commitment set out in the London Plan to work in collaboration with strategic partners to produce additional guidance to boroughs on promoting public health.

This Guidance is aimed at helping local authorities better address inequalities in health through the spatial planning process and to promote joint working between health and planning sectors to improve provision of healthcare for Londoners.

London Food

The Mayor's food strategy, 'Healthy and Sustainable Food for London' was published in May 2006. This is London’s first ever strategy designed to improve London’s food and reduce the environmental impact of the food industry.

Winter warmth

The Mayor backed the Winter Warmth campaign, from Help the Aged and British Gas, which aims to make older Londoners aware of the risks of cold, give them advice on staying warm, and help them avoid prevent cold-related illnesses.

The London Health Commission

The Mayor launched the London Health Commission in October 2000, bringing together organisations from across the city to provide an added drive to efforts to improve health and reduce inequalities. It promotes this action by:

Building partnerships across sectors and organisations
Influencing key stakeholders and policy makers
Providing practical support for local activities

The Health Commission also advises the Mayor on how his strategies can have a positive impact on the health of Londoners over the longer term, and has carried out Health Impact Assessments on the strategies. It has published three annual Health in London reviews.

Alcohol and drugs

The Mayor is working towards reducing the harm resulting from alcohol and drugs in London, and has published policy documents and reports on this subject . He has set up the Greater London Alcohol and Drug Alliance, a new strategic level partnership to help work towards this objective.

Mental health

The Mayor has published a survey of Mental Health Services in London, and a set of fact sheets for employers about mental health in the workplace.

Air Quality

Improving air quality in London, the aim of the Mayor's Air Quality Strategy, will help to address health problems such as asthma.