New plan for the North's health

Oct 4 2007 by Audrey Barton, The Journal

HEALTH bosses are taking action to transform the health of the people of the North-East from the worst to the best in the country – and they aim to make the transformation within a generation.

The ambitious plan is launched today in a health and well-being strategy.

Better Health, Fairer Health is a plan drawn up by the region’s top public health specialist, Dr Stephen Singleton, to turn things around in 25 years.

Alongside proposals for additional action through the NHS are calls for action across a range of other areas.

The drive will focus on the biggest threats to our health, including smoking, alcohol, obesity and physical activity.

Dr Singleton said achieving change lies with changing people’s behaviour and their environments so it is easier for them to make healthy choices.

“Overcoming our deep-seated problems will require a new approach and a huge amount of concerted effort by a lot of different organisations as well as individuals – but I believe it can be done.

“The final strategy should be the missing piece of the jigsaw in improving health and well-being linking national, regional and local policies.”

The draft strategy will be subject to a wide-ranging consultation and a definitive document is expected early in 2008.

The Audit Commission will also reveal its results in tackling health inequalities in the North-East at the launch event in St James’s Park, Newcastle.

Great gains are already being made in improving health in the North-East but there are still pockets where progress is slow.

Death rates for all causes in the North-East are falling faster than in the rest of England. In addition, both male and female life expectancy in the region rose more quickly than in England as a whole.

The strategy aims to change people’s attitudes to health issues after Fresh, the campaign for a smoke-free North-East threw down the gauntlet with its successful drive to outlaw smoking in the work place and enclosed public places.

Dr Singleton argues that cultural changes are necessary to improve health and well-being in the North-East.

He believes these can be achieved by formal campaigns to alter public perceptions and expectations, and specific lobbying and other work to bring about changes in the law at local or national level. “The most compelling arguments for an ambitious health and well-being strategy in the North-East are those that justify its title.

“We need better health because, measured by life expectancy and our rates of major diseases, this region is the worst in England.

“In itself this seems cruelly unfair, but the argument for fairer health is made more strongly by the even larger differences in health that exist between groups within the region.”

Blyth MP and Health Select Committee member Ronnie Campbell said: “I think we can do this as the mining and shipbuilding culture has gone now.

“We need to change attitudes and get young people to be more responsible. This is the right approach.”

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Village regularly bottom of health tables

IN many ways, Easington, in County Durham, epitomises the region’s health problems after years of heavy industry took their tolls.

The borough has the second worst health record in the country, according to health analysts.

The former Durham pit village has high levels of smoking, heart disease and obesity and regularly comes bottom of the country’s health tables.

Analysts last year pinpointed one of its streets, Oak Road, as the “fattest” in the country, its residents being 22% more at risk of obesity than the national average.

New research by the Audit Commission has found that partnership working is helping to improve the region’s health but more needs to be done to close the gap between the North-East and the rest of England

Of the 16 North East PCT areas 12 exhibit health outcomes which place them among the worst in England, according to the Audit Commission.

Rates for sickness and disability are twice the national average, and the smoking mortality rates are among the highest in England.

There is a high prevalence of obesity, increasing sexual health infection rates and serious alcohol and substance misuse issues.

At today’s consultation for Better Health, Fairer Health the Audit Commission will also reveal its results in tackling health inequalities in the North-East. It has been reviewing how organisations across the North-East work together to address health inequalities.

Key findings from the review are:

• Most people think that progress is being made and arrangements are improving. They have identified where the health inequalities exist and key agencies are working together decide on priorities for those communities or groups of people.

• Despite this many people don’t believe they will meet all their targets for health inequalities. Their plans are not able to tackle all the blockages or fill gaps in services to achieve the results needed to reduce the gap between health in the North- East and the rest of the country.

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Better Health, Fairer Health in a nutshell:

• A greater focus on reducing smoking in pregnancy.

• Funded referrals of patients for lifestyle changes in physical activity and diet.

• A regional office to coordinate action on safe consumption of alcohol.

• Incorporating specific health and well-being objectives into economic and building policies.

• Greater collaboration to support schools in raising educational attainment.

• Concerted action to reduce excess winter deaths.

• ‘Prehabilitation’ for those undergoing heart surgery to teach them about lifestyle changes which may lessen their time in hospital.

• Lobbying to change the law in areas such as food labelling.

• Awareness campaigns to catch cancer, stroke and mental health problems earlier.

• A regional charter for excellent end-of-life care.