Joint attack on health inequalities
A 13-year gap in life expectancy between rich and poor, high smoking rates, rising obesity levels and an ageing population are some of the many problems highlighted in the Healthy Plymouth strategy.
The wide-ranging plan, launched yesterday, urges multiple city organisations to work more closely to address key problems.
It contains a joint call to action by council leader Vivien Pengelly and John Richards, NHS Plymouth chief executive, which states: "Although health is improving for the people of Plymouth, many challenges remain.
"Most stark of these challenges is the fact that, year on year, the gap in life expectancy across the different neighbourhoods of Plymouth gets wider.
"This is unacceptable and to date, as a city, we have failed to address this gap."
Covering the period from 2008 to 2020, Healthy Plymouth has been produced by the city's local strategic partnership, which is made up of statutory, private, community and voluntary organisations.
The publication comes after Plymouth's director of public health Deb Lapthorne last week gave her annual report.
Her paper highlighted that people living in the city's west are much more likely to smoke, drink excessively, become obese and be one of the rapidly increasing number of Plymothians with a sexually transmitted disease.
She too called for action over the 13-year life expectancy gap.
Ms Lapthorne, who presented key findings of the Healthy Plymouth report at yesterday's event, said: "This is the first time the priorities for the city, for health, wellbeing and social care have been brought together. It's real landmark steps."
Mr Richards, who is also chair of the LSP's healthy theme group, said: "We face some real challenges in improving the health and wellbeing of people in Plymouth. In particular, in some parts of the city you are likely to die 13 years earlier than the least deprived wards.
"Across the city as a whole, some 26 per cent of children are overweight or obese, which is a pretty shocking statistic on its own.
"It's not about investing vast sums of money. It's about managing things sensibly and working in partnership.
"However, by working together strategically we can make a real difference."
Healthy Plymouth lists 16 key health problems facing the local population (see panel).
The report states: "In the past we have missed opportunities to work in partnership with colleagues in different sectors, in the community and voluntary sectors to address these key challenges.
"We have also failed to adequately tackle the causes of poor health and not committed enough resources to prevention, health promotion and social inclusion."
It then sets out five priorities to address the challenges (see panel).
The report also draws specific attention to "substantial" inequalities in health and access to services between ethnic groups as well as the challenges of an ageing population and an increasing number of people living with a disability.
It states: "The only way we can address these challenges is if we work much more closely in partnership to explicitly address local needs.
"If we are to address the priorities identified within the strategy we need to work differently. We not only need to work much better in partnership, but we must also be willing to break old habits and ways of working and be prepared to take risks.
"This requires us to be bold and commit to change."
Council chief executive Barry Keel also spoke at yesterday's event, held at Brickfields in Devonport.
He said: "A lot of really good work is already being delivered, but there's more to do. The really big challenge is that, despite our efforts, health inequalities are widening year on year. The 13-year gap is staggering. It's not something we can ignore.
"We need to make a commitment to work together and tackle this. We all have a role to play. The launch of Healthy Plymouth is a real opportunity to look again at our plans."
Councillor Dr David Salter, Plymouth's political lead for adult health and social care, added: "NHS Trusts and the city council are the two main providers of healthcare in Plymouth, so having a combined strategy to work together as true partners is really important.
"Maintaining and improving our health is everybody's business and together with many others who have helped to write this document I am looking forward to helping deliver what it aims for."
The broad action plan outlined in Healthy Plymouth will be developed within the annual plans of city organisations and within the Local Area Agreement, the report states.
Healthy Plymouth draws on the city's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment report, published in February.
The full report is available at www.plymouth2020.gov.uk
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