Launch of new project aimed at reducing Scotland’s health inequalities

A new initiative aimed at tackling the “dramatic” differences in health and life expectancy across Scotland will be launched in three council areas this week.

The new Collaboration for Health Equity (CHE) aims to build a “healthier, more equitable Scotland” by addressing the root causes of health inequalities.

Currently, people living in the most deprived parts of the country die, on average, a decade earlier than those in the wealthiest areas.

The collaboration will see councils and health boards in Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire working together with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Professor Sir Michael Marmot, director of the Institute of Health Equity (IHE) at University College London.

Over the next two years the partnership aims to help each area improve its plans for reducing health inequalities and improving the wellbeing of their communities.

This will include supporting them in understanding the actions which will have the greatest impact, and helping them overcome the barriers to implementing these.

A key element of the collaboration is also its role in bridging the “gap” between national policies and their implementation on the ground.

Paul Johnston, PHS chief executive, said: “Our mission in PHS is to see life expectancy increase and health inequalities reduced.

“The circumstances in which we are born, live and work have a huge impact on the length and quality of our lives.

“People born in the most deprived areas are dying, on average, a decade earlier than their wealthier neighbours.

“It’s possible to change this by taking action across the range of factors that impact on health and wellbeing.

“That is what this new partnership is all about.

“We’re determined to see an improvement in Scotland’s long-term health outcomes, and we can do this by uniting partners from across the system including the NHS, local government, community and voluntary sectors, and businesses.”

Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire will each host launch events this week to mark the beginning of the partnerships

These will serve as a platform to engage with the community, share the vision of the collaboration, and kick-start the projects.

Insights from the initiative will also be shared across the country, to ensure all areas can benefit from the knowledge gained.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, director of the IHE, said: “Research in Scotland has demonstrated dramatic differences in health and life expectancy within and between areas in Scotland.

“Progress in improving health stalled after 2010, in Scotland as in other parts of the UK, and health inequalities increased.”

He said the IHE had already done similar work with areas in England and Wales, and that they were “delighted” to be launching programmes of work in three places in Scotland.

He went on: “Each place has vital contributions to make in improving the conditions of people’s lives thereby tackling health inequalities within their area.

“This local action will also inform national system leaders about the most effective ways to develop national approaches to tackling health inequalities in Scotland.

“Put simply, we aim to show that poverty is not destiny.”