This report aims to build consensus for action by government and employers to meet the UK's working age health challenge of record numbers of people experiencing ill health that limits the type or amount of work they can do. The report sets out the need for a new approach to work and health, outlining key...

For government to break out of the loop of demand for public services and innovate, it needs to find a way to prioritise prevention over day-to-day expenditure. This paper looks at how to shift the culture of public organisations to think ‘prevention first’ and target spending at activities which promise value for money and improve...

This paper analyses the current constitutional and operational framework for a new classification of public expenditure. The aim is to identify expenditure and encourage the ‘shift to prevention’. It considers three expenditure areas in the United Kingdom: health, homelessness and children’s social care. By differentiating between everyday spending and preventative spending, the government could measure...

This briefing aims to support local authorities in England to maximise their local scope for action to improve health and tackle inequalities by addressing tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food.

This briefing paper is part of Demos’ work on reforming public services and moving towards a more preventative state. The first paper in the series focused on the vision of a preventative state and suggested the idea of Treasury reform to support it. This briefing document is designed to flesh out more about how that...