The Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) has published a guidance document which aims to help NHS commissioners to understand the role leisure can play within health policies.

The publication, entitled, The role of culture and leisure in improving health and wellbeing, is designed to help encourage the NHS to engage more effectively with providers of culture and leisure services.

The document will demonstrate public health commissioners how culture and leisure can provide a cost effective solution to tackling unhealthy lifestyles and help guide organisations and commissioners to contribute to health and wellbeing locally through engaging with the right partnerships.

It will also introduce the structures, frameworks and expected outcomes relating to public health in England.

Ian Varah, chair of CLOA, believes that the culture and leisure sector must position itself as a vital cog in the drive to improve public health.

"Our document highlights the importance of collaborating on the health and wellbeing agenda and is the starting point to further reposition leisure and culture in the current financial local government climate.

"To achieve this, local authorities will need to work closely with their leisure and culture providers, voluntary groups and organisations to support and enable them to welcome people with the poorest chances of good health outcomes."

To read and download the CLOA document, click here.