About the BSPHN

What is the BSPHN?

We are the independent, authoritative voice for behavioural science applied to health-related public sector service delivery in the UK. We represent the voice and interests of those using or wishing to use the behavioural sciences to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and equitableness of services delivering public good, whatever their role and wherever they work.

The BSPHN Mission

Our mission is to is to promote the use of the behavioural sciences to transform health-related public sector service provision to enhance its effectiveness, efficiency, and equity to create a healthier and fairer society for all.

Some definitions

Our definition of ‘health-related’ includes:

• Physical and mental health
• Prevention of disease, distress and disability
• Management of disease, distress and disability
• The wider determinants of health, including:
  • What is the BSPHN?
  • Social determinants
  • Commercial determinants
  • Political determinants

Our definition of public sector service provision includes any individual or organisation that provides services that directly or indirectly influence the health of individuals, communities and populations.

Our definition of ‘the behavioural sciences’ includes any academic or applied discipline concerned with understanding and/or changing human behaviour in context, including but not limited to the following; psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics. Recognising and respecting diversity in the philosophical foundations of each of these disciplines, we believe that the interests of our public services will be best served through seeking ways to collaborate using a philosophy of pragmatism to achieve true interdisciplinary insights.

The BSPHN Strategic Pillars

Our mission is underpinned by four strategic pillars:

Community of Practice

We are developing a thriving community of practice comprising of behavioural and social scientists and those who want to use the insights and methods of the behavioural sciences to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and equitableness of health-related public sector services. Our members include: behavioural and social scientists, academics, health care professionals, commissioners, public health officers, elected members such as councillors and members of parliament, GP’s physicians, pharmacists, medical, surgical and public health consultants and registrars, nurses, health visitors, educators, sexual health practitioners, and health improvement specialists

Capacity and Capability Building

We build capacity across the health and social care sector to use behavioural and social science through training and consultation. We have a range of practical learning materials that can be accessed online and used to train people in a variety of roles on the fundamentals of the practical application of behavioural science. We offer training and consultation on how to develop, implement and measure the impact of behavioural science teams in applied settings such as local governments. We run webinars, action learning sets, and leadership development courses for senior leaders who want to develop their understanding of the potential of behavioural science in their organisations and leverage the insights and methods to improve the equitableness, efficiency and effectiveness of their organisations.

Advocacy

We advocate for the use of behavioural and social sciences to reform policy and service provision relating to health-related public sector service provision to make it more effective, efficient and equitable. We advocate for behavioural and social scientists working in public service roles or providing public sector services to ensure that the interests of behavioural and social scientists working in applied roles are represented and supported in decision making about how to leverage behavioural and social science in public service. We do this by:

• Lobbying and Government Relations; we actively engage with policymakers and regulatory bodies to advocate for the interests of the applied behavioural and social science community, lobbying for initiatives that promote the use of behavioural and social science in public sector service provision, ensure the growth and influence of our sector and safeguard the interests of those working in applied behavioural and social science roles. This involves direct engagement with government officials, submitting position papers, and organizing grassroots campaigns.
• Developing Industry Standards; we will continue to be at the forefront of developing and promoting industry standards and best practices for the evolving practice of applied behavioural and social science in public service roles in order to ensure that public money is spent wisely on services and products that will deliver effective, efficient and equitable public services, to enhance, promote and safeguard the reputation of our evolving sector.
• Providing Resources and Support; we offer
  • Training and education – Providing access to workshops, webinars, and other learning opportunities to enhance members' skills and knowledge.
  • Networking opportunities – Facilitating connections and collaborations among members through events, conferences, and online platforms.
  • Access to specialist expertise – we offer unparalleled access to senior behavioural scientists in applied posts, as well as a variety of special interest groups.
• Promoting Ethical Practices; we contribute to the development of the evolving legal and ethical issues relevant to the practice of applied behavioural and social science by developing codes of conduct and ethics for behavioural and social scientists working in public service roles, promoting awareness of responsible practices and fostering a culture of integrity.

Partnerships

We work with individuals, communities and organisations contributing to the improvement of health-related public sector service provision, including public, private and third sector organisations. We bring disciplines and organisations together in ways that place the insights and methods of behavioural and social science at the heart of attempts to understand and improve health at every level of the health-related ecosystem (i.e policy, service delivery and evaluation).