Learning from Health Action Zones

Health Action Zones (HAZs) were established in 1997, "to explore mechanisms for breaking through current organisational boundaries to teckle inequalities and deliver better services and better health care, building upon and encouraging cooperation across the NHS" (DoH, 1997). In effect, HAZs were seen as a means of establishing partnerships between health services and other agencies in order to develop and provide effective, efficient and responsive services to promote health and relevant services.

In Learning from Health Action Zones, Linda Bauld and Ken Judge have edited a rich and insightful set of papers based on the experiences, outcomes and lessons derived from Health Action Zones (HAZs). The book is based on a collection of papers presented by senior managers, researchers and academics at a local/national evaluation network conference. Each of the 3 sections of the book is proceded by a foreword written by members of the national evaluation team and the papers focus on key themes as follows:

• capacity for collaboration, which explores issues on engaging communities and partnership working
• learning, which discusses issues pertaining to local evaluation methods, approaches, findings and other forms of local learning
• innovation, which examines progressive projects and programmes cross HAZs