New publication on preventing ill-health

15 Apr 2026

Policy@Manchester have released a new publication aimed at health policymakers, focussed on tackling long-term conditions and the drivers of poor health.

The Policy@Manchester team has published Planning for Prevention, a new collection on tackling long-term conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease – as well as the wider determinants of health. 

Drawing on research expertise from across the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Planning for Prevention provides policymakers with evidence-led recommendations on delivering the aims of the 10 Year Health Plan and the National Cancer Plan, and addressing the burden of ill-health more broadly.

Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz is President of the Faculty of Public Health – the professional membership body for public health – and provides the collection’s foreword, saying: “This collection, Planning for Prevention, makes a compelling case that prevention is not an optional add on to healthcare reform, but its essential foundation. Drawing on leading research from across The University of Manchester, the chapters bring together robust evidence on how earlier action grounded in science, equity and system design can reduce avoidable disease, improve population health and deliver better value for the public purse.”

Pieces in the collection include a summary of the evidence on the Diabetes Prevention Programme and what lessons can be learned; the role of new predictive algorithms in preventing ill-health before it starts; and how acting on the wider, socio-economic determinants of health should also be a priority for health policymakers at all levels.

As noted by Professor Daszkiewicz, the Planning for Prevention “offers policymakers, Parliamentarians and health leaders not only a clear diagnosis of the challenges we face, but practical, evidence based recommendations for action.”

Further information:

• Planning for Prevention is available to read on the Policy@Manchester website
• For more information, email: policy@manchester.ac.uk