Ahead of the NHS's 75th anniversary, North East health bosses announced a £35m investment targeted at improving the health of some of our region's most deprived areas.
The money will back the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB)'s long-term strategy to tackle issues which mean our area suffers "the worst levels of preventable mortality" in the country - in other words, that we die sooner than we should. The money will support a three-year programme which will seek to reduce the health issues caused by alcohol and smoking, provide new ways of caring for our mental health and support those waiting for surgery.
This will involve collaborative working between the NHS and local authorities, schools and voluntary and community sector groups - while "Deep End" GP practices will play a key role. Those are doctors' surgeries located in areas with the highest rates of deprivation, and consequently high levels of illness and ill-health associated with that.
The project will include support for those GP practices to recruit more GPs and improved support for trainees in those areas - and it will also see new staff members in these practices, such as psychologists and social prescribing staff. The idea is improve access to healthcare closer to home.
Also part of the funding is support for patients who may be among the more than seven million waiting for NHS surgery - as part of a "waiting well" scheme which will monitor them and see medics support them to stay healthy while they await a procedure. Services to help people stop smoking and to deal with alcohol dependency be extended - every hospital across the region will have specialist alcohol dependency support.
The ICB earlier this year set out ambitious goals including ensuring that everyone living here has a healthy life expectancy of at least 60, reducing suicide rates and cutting smoking rates to just 5% of adults by 2030.
Dr Neil O'Brien, medical director for the ICB, said: "A strong, shared focus on these issues can make a real difference in people's lives. We've made great progress in areas like stroke, heart attacks and smoking, but we know there is much more to do.
"Lots of factors affect our health - where we live, how we live and the opportunities we have in our lives. That's why it's so important for our whole system – from health and care to schools – to work together and target support where it's most needed.
"t's all part of our vision for Better Health and Wellbeing for All, with a focus on longer and healthier lives for all our people, regardless of what they earn or where they live. This programme is an important step towards tackling those difficult long-term issues."
Dr Claire Sullivan, deputy director of the Government's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), said: "This shows a real commitment by the NHS to reduce inequality and prevent ill health.
"Many groups experience worse health outcomes than the rest of the population, including people who are homeless, have learning disabilities, or come from ethnic minority communities. This plan will improve services and make them more accessible for people who need them most."
