Pursuing health for all in Britain--an assessment

In 1977 the World Health Organisation adopted the strategic goal "Health For All by the Year 2000". The Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organisation has taken important steps toward the attainment of the goal, with the formulation in 1980 of a common health policy and the adoption by the Regional Committee in 1984 of 38 wide-ranging targets. The targets represent a common view of what could be Health For All in Europe and constitute a major challenge which the 33 member states in the European Region have set for themselves. Thus, the targets offer a different way or approach to the building of a local strategy. This paper reviews the extent to which Health For All and its associated targets constitute part of the planning process at district level. At the core of the paper is the results of a survey of health authorities and boards in the United Kingdom which sought details on the extent to which health planners and policy makers have embraced the concept of Health For All in applying it to a local setting. The findings of the survey are discussed within the context of whether or not Health For All should be a centrally driven or locally derived policy. And how the experience in Britain could be of value to others embarking on such a venture.