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Improving health and wellbeing
21/10/2008
Sustained changes in local public services designed to tackle health inequalities - and which will become models for public service delivery across Scotland - were unveiled today.
Eight high profile test sites are being established to show how services can work better to improve people's life chances, health and well-being.
Public Health Minister Shona Robison visited one of the test sites at Whitecrook in Clydebank which focuses on smoking. Among the approaches being used here are targeted smoking cessation services, work with looked after children, addressing smoking in pregnancy, test purchasing and school-based work.
The eight test sites are:
- Whitecrook, West Dunbartonshire - targeting the high prevalence of smoking in the area
- East Lothian - looking at health inequalities in early years in Prestonpans, Musselburgh East and Tranent
- Govanhill, Glasgow - looking at street level community regeneration, building on local residents' vision of what is needed.
- Blairgowrie - looking at delivering health inequality sensitive services in a rural setting for people with multiple and complex needs
- North Lanarkshire - focusing on sustained employment and barriers to people finding employment
- Fife - focusing on anti-social behaviour in relation to alcohol and underage drinking in Kirkcaldy
- Dundee - focusing on methods of improving wellbeing
- Glasgow City - looking at integrating health into current and future city planning
Ms Robison said:
"No child should be born to fail, or condemned to a life of poor health and poverty, just because of where they were born or their family's circumstances.
"In a 21st century Scotland, I believe it's shameful that, for instance, life expectancy for men in one of the most deprived areas of Scotland is 13 years lower than the national average.
"That's why we need a radical rethink of how we deliver public services to ensure that they meet the needs of everyone in Scotland, particularly those from deprived communities.
"Here in Whitecrook, a wide range of measures are being adopted to tackle the high rates of smoking prevalence and this could reap massive rewards in terms of improving people's health.
"These test sites will be key to taking forward the recommendations of Equally Well and the next step will be the publication of the Equally Well implementation plan."
Councillor Ronnie McColl, COSLA's health and wellbeing spokesman, said:
"I am very proud, as an elected member from West Dunbartonshire, to support the work being taken forward in Whitecrook, which will be vital in reducing the impact of tobacco as a key determinant of ill health. I am absolutely committed to any measure that will improve the health outcomes experienced by individuals and families living in this area.
"More broadly, the Equally Well test sites will give us an important insight into the causes of health inequalities in different communities across Scotland. It is vital that we are able to learn from this exercise and use the knowledge we gain to build new service models. In so doing, we hope to improve the way that individuals engage with local public services, particularly for clients who are most at risk of poor health and wellbeing."
Soumen Sengupta, West Dunbartonshire Community Health Partnership's head of planning and health improvement, said:
"Tackling smoking across all age groups is a top public health priority for West Dunbartonshire. Being an Equally Well test site will be a great help to the work of local agencies and groups committed to driving forward an effective stop smoking programme that supports the wider regeneration of the Whitecrook area."
Equally Well, the report of the ministerial task force on health inequalities, was published in June 2008.The ministerial task force on health inequalities brought together ministers from across the Scottish Government as well as representatives from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
Twenty-nine applications were received to be considered as test sites. The eight chosen core sites will offer a good range of service change, covering all the themes of Equally Well and within both urban and rural settings. The test sites will be delivered using existing resources. In addition, the remaining 21 sites will be encouraged to pursue local changes and take their proposals forward.
Smoking accounts for almost a quarter of all deaths in Scotland. Smoking rates in the most deprived areas are four times higher than in the least deprived areas.