Principles Of The Haz

The following principles, on which the HAZ has been established, were developed in consultation with a wide range of agencies across the Western Area:

• The Western Health Action Zone is committed to combating inequalities in health through a genuine partnership between government, public agencies, communities, consumers and business.
• The HAZ promotes a vision of health based on social justice, human rights and equality, which places health and well being in a social context recognising that ill-health is amplified by poverty.
• The HAZ will identify the needs of the most disadvantaged in society and act to enable disadvantaged people to work collectively with agencies in the public, voluntary and private sectors to creatively resolve problems through practical action, policy development and advocacy.
• The HAZ will influence policy and practice through local action. The HAZ will encourage partnership working which respects the ethos and uniqueness of each participant and which is people-centred, dynamic and transparent. The HAZ will endeavour to add to the work and strategies of partner organisations while ensuring a distinctive agenda in tackling inequalities in health.