Health Inequalities

Thursday 24th June 2010, Strand Palace, London, 08:40 - 16:15

Tackling Health Inequalities Through Integrated, Local Action

Overview

With 2010 marking the end date for the current cross-government strategy to tackle the underlying causes and consequences of health inequalities: Tackling Health Inequalities: A Programme for Action, analysed which areas, aspects of the strategy should be strengthened, re-examined, re-worked, reassessed or abandoned? What should be the focus of the next ten-year strategy? Which policies and strategies should it contain?

Health inequalities are the result of a complex and wide-ranging set of interrelated factors. People are more likely to suffer from poorer health and an earlier death compared with the rest of the population if they are on low incomes, in insecure employment, live in poor housing, have lower educational attainment, or are homeless.

In the UK, people are healthier now than they have ever been. However, in spite of this only 11% of the Spearhead Group of 70 local authorities - the fifth of areas with the "worst health and deprivation indicators" among local authorities and the population as a whole – were on track to reach the target set by Public Services Agreement 18. This requires the NHS to narrow the life expectancy of people living within their area by 10% by 2010 compared to the baseline for both males and females in England; 41% of local authorities did not reach this target for both males and females.

The new government is committed to tackling health inequalities. They will provide separate public health funding to local communities to improve their residents' health. They will also introduce a health premium which will allocate more funding to tackle health problems in the poorest areas with the poorest health outcomes.

Agenda

Sir Michael Marmot’s Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England Post 2010 (Marmot Review) was published in February, and with the government committed to narrowing the gap still further in health inequalities between communities living in deprived neighbourhoods and those who live elsewhere, delegates who attend this forum will have an opportunity to feed in to and give shape to policies and strategies to reduce health inequalities beyond 2010.

08:50	Registration and Coffee
09:20	Chair’s Welcome Address Klim McPherson, Chair, National Heart Forum and Visiting Professor of Public Health Epidemiology, Oxford University (CONFIRMED)
09:25	The Marmot Review: Reducing Health Inequalities in England Health inequity: the key challenges to closing the gap in health inequalities Public services: creating the conditions for change From policy to implementation: key priorities Strategy evaluation: key measures and targets Dr Jessica Allen, Project Director, Health Inequalities Review for England (CONFIRMED)
09:50	Questions and Answers Session
10:00	Creating Healthy Communities Supporting councils: Funding healthy communities programmes Partnerships for health: Reducing health inequalities - case study examples Priorities and outcomes: Measuring performance and impact Funding options beyond 2011 Susan Biddle, Joint Head of Programmes, Healthy Communities, Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) (CONFIRMED)
10:20	Improving the Provision of Health Services in Tower Hamlets Tower Hamlets: demography The key health challenges, targets and measures Share learning: support GPs and health professionals to understand health inequalities Identifying and meeting need: assist GPs and health professionals to provide better, equitable services Local Strategic Partnerships: working together to provide integrated services with flexible access Raising awareness: working with communities to understand their right of access to healthcare services, and to run self-management health programmes Key achievements and future developments Dr Ian Basnett, Joint Director of Public Health, for Tower Hamlets PCT and London Borough of Tower Hamlets (CONFIRMED)
10:40	Question and Answer Session
10:55	Coffee and Networking
11:20	Closing the Gap: Key Health Interventions The national picture: Headlines Regional variations Variations between population groups and communities Disabled users, older people and young people BAME communities Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered communities Key health priorities Key health interventions: case study examples Health partnerships: working together to meet the needs of communities community engagement: working communities to redesign the provision of services Professor Chris Bentley, Head of National Support Team for Health Inequalities, Department of Health (CONFIRMED)
11:40	Open Door Policy: Meeting Healthcare Needs Why was Open Door established? One-stop- service: Providing integrated healthcare assistance Drop-in session: Meeting a diverse range of health and social care needs Future developments Anne Taylor, Executive Director, North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus (CONFIRMED)
12:00	Working to Close the Gap: The Importance of a Robust Workforce to Tackle Inequalities How can we maintain recruitment, retention and standards, especially in these lean times? What are the training needs across the spectrum? How can we boost strong leadership? How the Faculty of Public Health can help Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, President, Faculty of Public Health (CONFIRMED)
12:20	Question and Answer Session
12:40	Lunch and Networking
13:40	Healthy Futures: Croydon Croydon: Health inequalities profile Healthy Croydon: our vision Improving health and wellbeing in Croydon: Local Area Agreements - Healthy Croydon Partnership Sustainable Community Strategy Joint commissioning – meeting the needs of children with special education needs, and children with disabilities Health champions: Men’s health Women’s health Health and wellbeing of children and young people Tackling obesity Key success factors: Community support: speaking to and listening to local communities – tackling financial exclusion; meeting housing and accommodation needs Support from councillors and senior officials Steve Morton, Head of Health and Wellbeing, Croydon Council (CONFIRMED)
14:00	The Spirit Level: Tackling the Wider Determinants of Health Inequality Structure and society: why narrowing income differentials can lead to a healthier population? Health of the nation: Health problems attributed to affluence Health and poverty Mental health and wellbeing Dr Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Health Sciences, University of York (CONFIRMED)
14:20	Working With South Asian Communities Understanding the health needs of people of South Asian heritage Working with South Asian communities: designing research to inform the provision of health and social services Practice-based commissioning: to better meet the needs of South Asian communities Communicating public health messages with hard-to-reach groups: Cancer Heart disease, high blood pressure Diabetes ‘Strokes’ Mental wellbeing Dr Kiran Patel, Chair of Trustees, South Asian Health Foundation, Consultant Cardiologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust (CONFIRMED)
14:40	Questions and Answers Session
15:00	Coffee Break and Networking
15:20	The Role of Pharmacists in Reducing Health Inequalities Which services do pharmacies provide to their local communities? Case studies – sexual health and vascular screening Promoting pharmacy services to the local community How do men view pharmacy? Health Forum project and the NPA Ask Your Pharmacist campaign Stephen Fishwick, Head of External Relations, National Pharmacy Association (CONFIRMED)
15:40	Reducing Health Inequalities through Primary Care with a Community Focus Barriers to tackling health inequalities in primary care Improving access to integrated health services for socially excluded and vulnerbale groups Tackling health inequality through community engagement The role of GP commissioning Dr Angela Jones, Chair, Health Inequalities Standing Group, Royal College of General Practitioners (CONFIRMED)
16:00	Questions and Answers Session
16:15	Chair's Summary and Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

Delegates will be drawn from public health consultants and specialists, pediatricians, GPs, service commissioners, academics; teacher, nutritionists and dieticians, men’s health service workers, health researchers, sports development workers, community health workers; health promotion practitioner; nurses, student welfare officers; youth and community workers, heads of leisure and sporting facilities; HR managers, facility managers, heads of equality and diversity.