14 September 2023

Liz Green – PhD Thesis Defence at Maastricht University

On 6th September, the Director of the Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU), Liz Green, successfully defended her PhD thesis, “Health Impact Assessment (HIA) as a tool to mobilise Health in All Policies”, at Maastricht University and has obtained her Doctorate. This is the first time ever that HIA has been the explicit focus […]

18 July 2023

New Report: Climate Change in Wales: Health Impact Assessment

This health impact assessment (HIA) is a strategic and comprehensive appraisal of the potential implications of climate change on population health in Wales. It provides robust evidence to inform public bodies, agencies and organisations in their preparations for, and responses to, climate change and climate change events. It aims to support adoption of policies and […]

11 July 2023

New report: The health, well-being and equity impact of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement on Wales

This report provides a short summary of the findings of a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement on Wales. This report is a high-level, evidence-based strategic overview. It summarises the main health, well-being and equity impacts that could potentially occur in the short and longer-term following the UK’s […]

14 April 2023

The CPTPP trade deal is a major threat to public health and warrants a health impact assessment (HIA)

A new journal paper has been published in the BMJ with co-authors from the WHIASU team, which looks at the health implications of the UK’s decision to join one of the world’s largest free trade agreements, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The paper recommends that the government should perform a health […]

28 March 2023

HIA Network of Practice – Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) Event

This session for the HIA Network of Practice will be focusing on Integrated Impact Assessments (IIA). Speakers will explore a range of perspectives and experiences of using and designing IIAs. This will include developing an online IIA tool, how to incorporate health, undertaking Quality Assurance, and WHIASU’s own approach. We will then open the floor for […]

14 November 2022

Predicted and observed impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns: two Health Impact Assessments in Scotland and Wales

Health Impact Assessment is a key approach used internationally to identify positive or negative impacts of policies, plans and proposals on health and well-being. In 2020, HIAs were undertaken in Scotland and Wales to identify the potential health and well-being impacts of the ‘stay at home’ and physical distancing measures implemented at the start of […]

16 October 2022

Facilitators, Barriers and Views on the Role of Public Health Institutes in Promoting and Using Health Impact Assessment – An International Virtual Scoping Survey and Expert Interviews

Public health institutes have an important role in promoting and protecting the health and well-being of populations. A key focus of such institutes are the wider determinants of health, embracing the need to advocate for ‘Health in All Policies’ (HiAP). A valuable tool to support this is the health impact assessment. This scoping study aims […]

12 July 2022

New report: Protecting the mental wellbeing of our future generations: learning from COVID-19 for the long term. A Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessment Approach.

This comprehensive Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessment (MWIA) has been carried out by the Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit to identify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated policy responses, on the mental wellbeing of young people aged 10-24 in Wales. The report aims to provide evidence and learning to inform cross-sector policy and […]

24 June 2022

New report: The public health impact of public bodies refocusing on waste reduction and reuse in Wales

The report – ‘Circular Economies and Sustainable Health and Well-being: The public health impact of public bodies refocusing on waste reduction and reuse in Wales’, details how implementing policies to reduce and re-use waste, alongside recycling schemes will have possible significant positive impacts on health and well-being for the whole population of Wales. These include […]