Community regeneration initiatives are in a good position to respond to health inequalities and improve life circumstances of communities as they have responsibility for changing the wider determinants of health that have an impact on physical and mental health.  Community regeneration processes underpinned by 'Closing the Opportunity Gap' objectives (below) aim to produce 'Regeneration Outcome Agreements' (ROAs) that include health improvement.  The benefits of including health in the strategy are twofold: firstly, the direct benefits of improving a person’s physical and mental health and well being; secondly the indirect benefits through employment, quality of life, levels of stress and the cost of hospital admissions or medicines.

The six 'Closing the Opportunity Gap' objectives:

• To increase the chances of sustained employment for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups - in order to lift them permanently out of poverty.
• To improve the confidence and skills of the most disadvantaged children and young people - in order to provide them with the greatest chance of avoiding poverty when they leave school.
• To reduce the vulnerability of low income families to financial exclusion and multiple debts - in order to prevent them becoming over-indebted and/or to lift them out of poverty.
• To regenerate the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods - in order that people living there can take advantage of job opportunities and improve their quality of life.
• To increase the rate of improvement of the health status of people living in the most deprived communities - in order to improve their quality of life, including their employability prospects.
• To improve access to high quality services for the most disadvantaged groups and individuals in rural communities - in order to improve their quality of life and enhance their access to opportunity.