The Royal Society of Medicine, the Faculty of Public Health, the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Royal Society for Public Health have come together to host this major event addressing poverty in the UK.
At this full day hybrid conference, experts from across these leading public health organisations will explore how public health professionals and practitioners can take meaningful local action to address poverty.
The event will feature three key sessions focused on:
Through this focused approach, we will examine the critical links between poverty and health, share best practices, and identify practical solutions. Crucially, this event will provide attendees with actionable insights and strategies to drive impactful change in their own communities.
Join us for a day of collaboration, learning, and commitment to tackling poverty as a public health priority.
An agenda for the day is available below.
By registering for this event, you consent to us contacting you after the event.
Only virtual places are currently available. In-person places are now sold out.
Kevin Fenton, Faculty of Public Health (FPH), William Roberts, Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), Maggie Rae, Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and Sarah Muckle, Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH)
Chair: Kevin Fenton, FPH
Rachel McAdams, Public Health Scotland
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 set four ambitious income-based targets for Scotland to reduce child poverty by 2030, this included interim targets. This placed a duty on the Scottish Government to develop a series of National Action Plans and for Local Government and NHS Boards to work together to develop and deliver annual Local Child Poverty Action Reports. The Local Action Reports are now in their 7th year, and the third and final National Action Plan is underdevelopment. The UK Government are also working on a UK Child Poverty Strategy.
Recognising the importance of reducing child poverty for improving health and reducing health inequalities, public health have been working locally and nationally to support Scotland achieve these targets. Despite signs of positive change, in March 2025 it was confirmed that despite progress Scotland has missed the interim target.
This presentation will reflect on the contribution public health has made to reducing child poverty in Scotland over the last 8 years and where attention should be focused to help Scotland reach the 2030 targets.
Hannah Dean, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
In this presentation, Hannah will outline how the local Council developed a strategy to reduce the impact of child poverty in Blackburn with Darwen.
Julia Bates, Durham County Council and Helen Ball, Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre, Department of Anthropology, Durham University
The intervention address’ some specific impacts of poverty on babies and children aged 0-5yrs, where families cannot afford to buy safer sleeping and home safety equipment for their children.
The intervention is evidence based and provides resources families need including cot, mattresses, bed, bedding packs, to promote safer sleeping and stairgate, corner covers, socket covers, TV strap, to promote home safety, all delivered to the family home on the basis of professional referral.
We have worked with Durham University to evaluate the first year of intervention delivery where the SFLF supported 679 families and in total 988 children in County Durham and we will share the finds of our mixed methods quantitative and qualitative evaluation.
Chair: William Roberts, RSPH
Gareth Morgan, Hywel Dda University Health Board
This talk will focus on the housing work being done in Wales, as seen through a public health and poverty lens. Gareth Morgan will consider issues like indoor warmth, as well as housing quality, affordability and insecurity.
Abi O’Connor, New Economics Foundation
During this talk, Abi will share some tangible examples of how local and combined authorities are able to better leverage their immediate power and resources to improve housing conditions locally. This requires working from the top-down and bottom-up, the latter meaning engaging directly with communities impacted by the housing crisis both to understand first-hand the deep impacts it has, but importantly to co-produce solutions via democratic people-led policy making.
Danielle Butler, National Energy Fuel Action
Fuel poverty affects millions of households in the UK, worsening health outcomes and straining healthcare systems. This presentation shares details of the Warm Homes, Healthy Futures programme: a nationally coordinated network of local services connecting the dots between health, energy and housing and supporting tens of thousands of people to stay warm, safe, and healthy at home. Led by NEA, the programme presents a model for integrating fuel poverty support into public health strategies, improving energy efficiency, preventing illness, and reducing the burden on health services.
Chair: Maggie Rae, RSM
Maggie Rae, RSM and Justin Varney-Bennett, OHID, DHSC and NHSE
The current policy in the UK is to make a shift from an ill health population to a healthier one and shift from a focus on treatment to a focus on prevention. This talk will ensure that participants have the latest information about policy and evidence to enable and action these policy shifts.
Rachel Westbourne, NHS Yorkshire & the Humber
Within the Yorkshire and Humber School of Public Health, work has been ongoing to understand and address poverty as public health issue, and the role of the whole health system in the response required. This project specifically explores the unique role and opportunities of NHS providers in this space, presenting a framework for understanding and taking action on the impacts of poverty across the patient pathway, and a practical toolkit of interventions to enable NHS organisations and professionals to take action in their settings.
Becca Scott, NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB
Alongside process mapping of the whole maternity booking pathway with a digital inclusion, health literacy and Poverty Proofing© perspective, feedback and insights were gathered from over 200 clients and staff to propose a series of recommendations to improve access and experience of care. Alongside the local area's collaborative plan, the learning is enabling the development of the NENC action plan to improve standards for access to maternity care.
David Buck and Julia Cream, The King’s Fund
Over the last few years, The King’s Fund has been developing its interest and activity around poverty and its impact on health and the role of the health and care system in mitigating, reducing and preventing poverty. This session will share some of our findings and reflections, and look to the opportunities and challenges that recent and upcoming policy changes present for the contribution of the health and care sector to poverty and its effects on health, directly and indirectly.
Kevin Fenton (FPH), William Roberts (RSPH), Maggie Rae (RSM)
Kevin Fenton, Faculty of Public Health (FPH), William Roberts, Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), Maggie Rae, Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and Sarah Muckle, Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH)
Session Chair: Kevin Fenton, FPH
Rachel McAdams, Public Health Scotland
The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 set four ambitious income-based targets for Scotland to reduce child poverty by 2030, this included interim targets. This placed a duty on the Scottish Government to develop a series of National Action Plans and for Local Government and NHS Boards to work together to develop and deliver annual Local Child Poverty Action Reports. The Local Action Reports are now in their 7th year, and the third and final National Action Plan is underdevelopment. The UK Government are also working on a UK Child Poverty Strategy.
Recognising the importance of reducing child poverty for improving health and reducing health inequalities, public health have been working locally and nationally to support Scotland achieve these targets. Despite signs of positive change, in March 2025 it was confirmed that despite progress Scotland has missed the interim target.
This presentation will reflect on the contribution public health has made to reducing child poverty in Scotland over the last 8 years and where attention should be focused to help Scotland reach the 2030 targets.
Hannah Dean, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
In this presentation, Hannah will outline how the local Council developed a strategy to reduce the impact of child poverty in Blackburn with Darwen.
Julia Bates, Durham County Council and Helen Ball, Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre, Department of Anthropology, Durham University
The intervention address’ some specific impacts of poverty on babies and children aged 0-5yrs, where families cannot afford to buy safer sleeping and home safety equipment for their children.
The intervention is evidence based and provides resources families need including cot, mattresses, bed, bedding packs, to promote safer sleeping and stairgate, corner covers, socket covers, TV strap, to promote home safety, all delivered to the family home on the basis of professional referral.
We have worked with Durham University to evaluate the first year of intervention delivery where the SFLF supported 679 families and in total 988 children in County Durham and we will share the finds of our mixed methods quantitative and qualitative evaluation.
Chair: William Roberts (RSPH)
Gareth Morgan, Hywel Dda University Health Board
This talk will focus on the housing work being done in Wales, as seen through a public health and poverty lens. Gareth Morgan will consider issues like indoor warmth, as well as housing quality, affordability and insecurity.
Abi O’Connor, New Economics Foundation
During this talk, Abi will share some tangible examples of how local and combined authorities are able to better leverage their immediate power and resources to improve housing conditions locally. This requires working from the top-down and bottom-up, the latter meaning engaging directly with communities impacted by the housing crisis both to understand first-hand the deep impacts it has, but importantly to co-produce solutions via democratic people-led policy making.
Danielle Butler, National Energy Action
Fuel poverty affects millions of households in the UK, worsening health outcomes and straining healthcare systems. This presentation shares details of the Warm Homes, Healthy Futures programme: a nationally coordinated network of local services connecting the dots between health, energy and housing and supporting tens of thousands of people to stay warm, safe, and healthy at home. Led by NEA, the programme presents a model for integrating fuel poverty support into public health strategies, improving energy efficiency, preventing illness, and reducing the burden on health services.
AGM for RSM Section members only
Chair: Maggie Rae, (RSM)
Maggie Rae, RSM and Justin Varney-Bennett, OHID, DHSC and NHSE
The current policy in the UK is to make a shift from an ill health population to a healthier one and shift from a focus on treatment to a focus on prevention. This talk will ensure that participants have the latest information about policy and evidence to enable and action these policy shifts.
Rachel Westbourne, NHS Yorkshire & the Humber
Within the Yorkshire and Humber School of Public Health, work has been ongoing to understand and address poverty as public health issue, and the role of the whole health system in the response required. This project specifically explores the unique role and opportunities of NHS providers in this space, presenting a framework for understanding and taking action on the impacts of poverty across the patient pathway, and a practical toolkit of interventions to enable NHS organisations and professionals to take action in their settings.
Becca Scott, NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB
Alongside process mapping of the whole maternity booking pathway with a digital inclusion, health literacy and Poverty Proofing© perspective, feedback and insights were gathered from over 200 clients and staff to propose a series of recommendations to improve access and experience of care. Alongside the local area's collaborative plan, the learning is enabling the development of the NENC action plan to improve standards for access to maternity care.
David Buck and Julia Cream, The King’s Fund
Over the last few years, The King’s Fund has been developing its interest and activity around poverty and its impact on health and the role of the health and care system in mitigating, reducing and preventing poverty. This session will share some of our findings and reflections, and look to the opportunities and challenges that recent and upcoming policy changes present for the contribution of the health and care sector to poverty and its effects on health, directly and indirectly.
Kevin Fenton (FPH), William Roberts (RSPH) and Maggie Rae (RSM)
Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole St, Marylebone, London, W1G 0AE, United Kingdom
Registration for this event will close at 1:00 am on Thursday 15 May 2025. Late registrations will not be accepted.
The agenda is subject to change at any time
If the event is recorded, we can only share presentations that we have received permission to share. There is no guarantee that all sessions will be available after the event; this is at the presenter’s and RSM’s discretion.
All views expressed at this event are of the speakers themselves and not of the Royal Society of Medicine, or the speaker's organisations.
This event will be recorded and stored by the Royal Society of Medicine and may be distributed in the future on various Internet channels.
