The report from housing charity HACT - in collaboration with Housing and Health in the East of England around Asthma, Damp and Mould (ADaM) - showcases efforts from an East of England partnership between the shared public health service of Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, and Milton Keynes and housing associations Amplius, Peabody and bpha.

The partnership, which was established in 2022, has been working to tackle health inequalities, by improving access to services and developing new ways of working across sectors in the East of England to address these challenges through cross-sector collaboration.

The report's key findings are:

• Approximately 5.4 million people in the UK receive asthma treatment, including one million children.
• In the East of England, 463,000 people live with asthma, with poor housing costing the NHS £2.5 billion annually.
• The ADaM project aims to enhance data sharing, streamline interventions and promote cross-sector collaboration.

Andrew van Doorn, HACT chief executive, said: ‘The link between housing and health has never been clearer. This report shows us first-hand how a strong collaboration between housing associations, public health, primary health and social prescribing, can drive meaningful change and create long term impact.

‘With the creation of the Neighbourhood Health Services, this demonstrates how creative partnerships with housing can support the major shifts being driven by Government to bring healthcare closer to home, focus on prevention and improves health outcomes. We now have a roadmap for integrating services, sharing data, and ultimately improving the lives of those affected by poor housing conditions.'

Vicky Head, director of Public Health Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, added: 'By further developing our shared insights and working together we can put in place processes that enable better support for residents on this important issue.

'This collaborative and proactive approach will facilitate learning and improvement and help us to ensure we can have a positive and long-term impact. As this work continues to develop, we will keep sharing our good practice and learning across sectors.'

HACT and its partners will use these findings to drive policy change, improve housing conditions, and promote sustained collaboration between health and housing sectors.