Healthy Living Centres were established in the late 1990s and early 2000s in areas experiencing health inequalities in Northern Ireland. They take a holistic, community-led approach to identifying and addressing local health and well-being needs through prevention, early intervention, and building social capital. Currently, there are 20 Healthy Living Centres across Northern Ireland that focus on reducing risk factors for chronic conditions like smoking, physical inactivity, stress, poor diet, and substance abuse. The centers face challenges in sustaining local delivery capacity and funding while spreading best practices and maintaining quality standards.

1. Healthy Living Centres
Working Together for Better Health & Wellbeing – Understanding What Works

2. History of Healthy Living Centres
"Healthy living centres will be the local flagships for health in the community,
reaching out to people who have until now been excluded from
opportunities for better health, and being powerful catalysts for change in
their neighbourhoods”.
(Our Healthier Nation, Department of Health, Feb 1998)
 New Opportunities Fund (Lottery Funds) – 14 HLC’s – 2002 to 2007
 Formation of HLC Alliance – 2006
 Legacy Health Boards 2007 -2010 (dropped to 11 HLC’s
 Public Health Agency+ 2010 to present
 2014 to 2017 A network of 20 HLC’s

3. A Healthy Living Centre is a neighbourhood-based, community-led
approach to health improvement providing services and support in
communities experiencing disadvantage and health inequalities to:
 Identify and define the key health and well being issues and needs
impacting on local people
 Design and implement a needs-led approach addressing inequalities in
health and well being, taking a holistic approach and recognising the
wider determinants of health
 Build Social Capital in terms of bonding within communities, bridging to
create and support opportunities and linking to act as a conduit for
better external connectedness
 Participate in and influence wider decision making processes that affect
health and wellbeing

4. Overarching Principles
 Acting as a conduit for better local collaboration, interaction and
connectedness.
 Based in and led from within areas experiencing high levels of
health inequalities in the North of Ireland, both urban and rural.
 Focusing on both individual and community health and well being needs.
 Adopting a Prevention and Early Intervention approach.

5. Delivery Model
 Each HLC will be a catalyst and resource providing leadership to address
at least three of the following key risk factors which lead to the
development of chronic conditions:
o sedentary lifestyles
o Impact of smoking
o stress and poor mental health
o poor diet and nutrition
o alcohol and drugs misuse
 The approach focuses on investing in social capital
 Creative ways of sharing good practice under a bespoke ‘Strengthening
Commonalities’ banner
 Delivery is based on prevention and early intervention strategies and
action plans using strengths-based approaches

6. Challenges & Opportunities
 Local Capacity to Deliver
 Sustainability
 Replicating best practise in other areas
 Maintaining quality standards
 Tendering and Procurement
 Health challenges
 Reform of HSC
 Unsettled political arena
 Silo planning
 Outcomes based approaches
 Community planning

7. Contact details
Danny Power
Healthy Living Centre Alliance
c/o Maureen Sheehan Centre
106 Albert Street
Belfast BT12 6HL
Telephone 028 90 310346
Mobile 07879882292
Email: dannypower1965@gmail.com