Anne Milton MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, has praised The NSMC’s ‘excellent work’.

In a letter to mark the successful completion of The NSMC’s three-year work programme for the Department of Health (DH), the minister highlighted The NSMC’s contribution to improving health in England and abroad.

She paid particular attention to The NSMC’s learning demonstration sites programme, in which the organisation worked with ten PCTs and local authorities to develop social marketing pilot projects. She praised the positive outcomes that innovation and partnership working – key project principles – had enabled.

The minister’s letter marked a significant milestone in The NSMC’s transition to a social enterprise. It came as The NSMC launched two important new online tools – the Value for Money calculator and One Stop Shop for research – and prepared for a number of exciting projects in the new financial year.

The NSMC director John Bromley said:

‘As we get stuck into projects as diverse as sustainability in Newcastle and a breastfeeding in Hong Kong, it’s heartening to receive Anne Milton’s congratulations for the work we delivered for the Department of Health.

‘Our partnership with DH has been hugely rewarding and has led to some great outcomes for both The NSMC and our many stakeholders in the health sector. Projects like our learning demonstration sites, as well as the thousands of health professionals we have trained, have enhanced the impact of public health programmes and strategies.

‘The legacy has been to equip The NSMC with deep experience of making the most of behaviour change programmes. We look forward to bringing it to bear on range of new challenges’.

As well as the learning demonstration sites programme, The NSMC’s work for DH included ShowCase, NHS training programme, procurement guide and online planning guide.