Creating healthier communities
Apex International Hotel, Edinburgh
Thursday 8 December 2005
Health inequalities' are the differences found in various aspects of health between different groups in society. Over the last 20 years, for most of our population, life expectancy and prosperity have increased and death rates from major diseases have fallen. However, these advances are often restricted to specific social groups in certain parts of the country while people in low income groups and in certain geographical areas continue to experience greater risk of ill health.
This morning practice event brought together practitioners involved in public health and community regeneration to identify common areas of interest, share what works and propose practical action to help 'Close the Opportunity Gap' for Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities.
This event complemented the EuroHealthNet "IN good HEALTH" Conference, part of the UK Presidency Programme
Programme
8.30am Registration,
9.00am How can we assess what works in reducing health inequalities?
Jim McCormick, Director, Scottish Council Foundation
9.20am Why is tackling health inequality so important?
Dr Carol Tannahill, Director, Glasgow Centre for Population
Health
9.40am Practice workshops A
10.50am Coffee
11.10am Practice workshops B
12.20pm Key learning points from the workshops
12.30pm Networking lunch
Practice Workshops:
A: Best possible start in life
Margie Hughes & Sheila Quigley, Starting Well
Starting Well is a partnership between NHS Greater Glasgow, NHS Health Scotland, Glasgow City Council, One Plus, the local community and voluntary organisations.
Starting Well aims to demonstrate that child health can be improved by offering a programme of activities designed to support families and by ensuring parents and children have access to enhanced community-based resources. Since the launch of Starting Well in 2000, over 1800 families have benefited from support on a range of issues from mental health, positive parenting, debt and employment advice. This workshop will showcase how the project has worked with community organisations to help achieve happier parents and healthier children.
Click to download presentation
B: Tackling coronary heart disease and diabetes in black and minority ethnic communities
Lubna Kerr, NHS Lothian
Black and minority ethnic communities face considerably higher levels of diabetes and cardio-vascular conditions than other community members across Scotland. This workshop will explore how awareness raising and community clinics in Edinburgh are trying to address this.
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C: Healthy working lives
Ann Marie Murphy & Lynn Peacock, Routes to Health and Paul McColgan, Community Renewal
This workshop gives an insight into the case management process designed to boost clients through health and fitness intervention back into employment, training or education.
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D: Positive mental health
Allyson McCollam, Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health and Richard Leckerman, Communities Scotland
This workshop aims to explore how mental health improvement can contribute to goals of social inclusion in work with local communities and to identify learning and ideas for action to improve community mental health and well being.
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E: Scottish health, housing and regeneration
Caroline Hoy, University of Glasgow
SHARP - the Scottish Health Housing and Regeneration Project started in 2001 and is due to complete data collection in 2006. The project team are working with some 45 Registered Social Landlords across Scotland - from Shetland to Ayr to Dundee and over 700 households. We are following two sets of households, one set consists of those who have moved into general needs, new build accommodation during the course of the study. The second set have remained in their original homes. This workshop discusses some of the challenges of undertaking such a complex study - and why it was needed, the demands of modern questionnaires and then discusses some of the lessons learnt.
F: Knowing we are making a difference?
Chris Mitchell, Corporate Research, Fife Council and Elspeth Lang, Communities Scotland
Joining up to deliver better health outcomes from joint health improvement and regeneration programmes.
How can mainstream resources more accurately target health inequalities? This workshop will explore three linked pieces of current research in Fife: a long-term tracking project considering regeneration, health and well-being; public health datasets evidencing influence on health and well-being; and a new social justice analysis system, being developed with Heriot Watt University, evidencing need, service activity and spend at the small area level.
Click to download presentation (3MB)
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