A new report highlights how health and care organisations are working together to reduce health inequalities in mid and south Essex.
The ‘Narrowing the Gap’ report sets out what causes health inequalities for communities in mid and south Essex. It also outlines some of the work that NHS organisations, local authorities and voluntary organisations are doing to help support these communities.
In mid and south Essex, people in some neighbourhoods die 10 years earlier than others living less than a mile away and spend many more years living in poor health. There are many factors that contribute to this gap and they go beyond traditional services.
As little as 20 per cent of our health is determined by health services. The remaining 80 per cent is a combination of factors such as the environment where people live, employment and income. These factors are also interconnected as an issue like low income may affect the state of the building people live in or the quality of food they can afford, having an even greater impact on their health.
Dr Sophia Morris, System Clinical Lead for Health Inequalities at NHS Mid and South Essex, said: “Our new report highlights how partners across organisations are collaborating with each other and our residents to address issues affecting people’s health. The causes of health inequalities are complex and it is vital that we all work together to understand people’s experiences in our community. If you have an interest in health and wellbeing across mid and south Essex or the barriers that can prevent access to care, please take a look at our ‘Narrowing the Gap’ report.”
The newly published report also highlights the joint approach being taken by local organisations to address some of the health inequalities issues residents face. The approach focuses on four areas: integrated care system, lifestyles and behaviour, community working and social, environmental and economic factors.
Each theme also includes examples of work which show how the approach works in action. The Essex Pedal Power initiative provides free bikes to encourage residents in disadvantaged communities to adopt a healthier lifestyle and become more active. Run by Active Essex with Essex County Council the project has provided over 1,000 bikes to residents who have cycled over 224,987km.
Another project in Southend aims to support people with their day-to-day difficulties. The St Vincent de Paul Society food market, delivered by Southend-on-Sea City Council with the Food Alliance, arranges fortnightly visits from a mobile food van. The van helps people in deprived areas by offering £15–20 worth of food for just £3.50 and signposting them to further health, social care, housing and benefits support.
Dr Sophia Morris added: “It’s inspiring to see what we have been able to achieve together across all our organisations in mid and south Essex. We still have much work to do, but thank you to everyone across mid and south that have helped to make these projects and ways of working possible.”
You can find out more about these and other projects as well as further details on the approach to reduce health inequalities in the Narrowing the Gap report on the Mid and South Essex ICS website.