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Wider social determinants

  • Last modified date:
    8 February 2007

Health inequalities are the result of a complex and wide-ranging network of factors. People who experience material disadvantage, poor housing, lower educational attainment, insecure employment or homelessness are among those more likely to suffer poorer health outcomes and an earlier death compared with the rest of the population.

Concerted action to reduce the health gap permeates programmes within the Department of Health and is supported across government.

Working together in co-delivery mode with local government is essential, as virtually all Government programmes have the potential to narrow health inequalities or, indeed, widen them.

Shared priorities have been agreed with local government a Shared Priority for healthier communities and reducing health inequalities.

Local Authorities will, for the first time, be assessed as part of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) on the action they are taking to reduce health inequalities.  Through the ongoing Local Area Agreement process, Local Authorities address health inequalities in their areas.

Government programmes to tackle child poverty, homelessness, teenage pregnancy and neighbourhood renewal form an integral part of DH strategy to tackle health inequalities.

Local government

The Government is encouraging and supporting local authorities to improve the health of their communities and to tackle health inequalities. Local authorities working in effective partnership with the NHS, other public sector bodies and the private, voluntary and community sectors is seen as crucial to tackling the health problems in their areas.

NHS as good corporate citizens

As one of the largest employers in Europe, the NHS has the potential to make a positive impact on the local community.  Good Corporate Citizenship describes how NHS organisations can embrace sustainable development and tackle health inequalities through their day-to-day activities. A new web-based model has been developed for NHS organisations to measure their sustainable development performance.

Creating healthier communities - a resource pack for local partnerships

This is a practical guide which seeks to help drive forward local health improvement and tackle health inequalities. It is aimed at those with an interest in this agenda, in particular Local Authorities, Primary Care Trusts and other NHS bodies, Neighbourhood Partnerships, and Local Strategic Partnerships. It provides information and suggestions on how to address the complex issues surrounding poor health and health inequalities, with a particular emphasis on the need to engage in partnership working.

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Travelling?

For the first time ever, tackling health inequalities is one of the Department's top six priorities for the NHS

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