A Hopeful Future: Equity and the social determinants of health in Lancashire and Cumbria
Executive Summary
Full Report
Lancashire and Cumbria’s health Equality Commission reported in 2022. The report A Hopeful Future: Equity and the social determinants of health in Lancashire and Cumbria - IHE (instituteofhealthequity.org) was published in October 2022, just three months after the new Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board was established and as the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) was forming.
Since publication, local partners have embedded the recommendations into plans in the ICP, ICB, in each of the Health and Wellbeing Boards and through economic development plans including Lancashire 2050. A summary of key areas of progress includes:
- Establishment of a Director level post within the ICB focused on working with voluntary, community, faith-based and social enterprise partners
- Agreement of a set of Health Equity indicators which will be reported on a 6 monthly basis to the ICP
- Continuation of the Anchor collaborative in Morecambe Bay
- Support and networking between NHS Trusts and the ICB to help their continued development as anchor organisations
- Increased focus on ill health prevention – including the establishment of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Tobacco Free Strategy and increased investment in NHS tobacco dependency services
- Continued work to strengthen the Cumbria & Lancashire Public Health Collaborative and joint Leadership group
- Increased joint working between public health and NHS population health at a system level and in each place – for example having a shared programme of work on agreed priorities
- Work to understand the needs of communities and to help address wider determinants
- Strengthened leadership of health equity including strengthening training and development opportunities across public health and continued roll out of the Population Health Academy to improve understanding of health equity within the NHS
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This report is the latest in IHE’s series of work in England examining what local areas can do to implement the right approaches to reduce health inequalities.
The report is based on local evidence presented to the Health Equity Commission in Lancashire and Cumbria, as well as from workshops, interviews and conversations with local stakeholders.
The recommendations present an opportunity to move to reduce health inequalities through action on their social and economic drivers and create a hopeful future for future generations in Lancashire and Cumbria. The recommendations are based on moving from a reactive approach – responding to need and with funding for short-term projects with limited impacts – to implementing system-wide approaches and consistently working with partners beyond the NHS to achieve long-term reductions in health inequalities through action on the wider determinants of health.
Note: IHE continue to work closely with other areas in the UK, including Coventry, Greater Manchester and Cheshire and Merseyside, Luton and Waltham Forest.
As well as places, IHE is also working with the community and voluntary sector, health care organisations and businesses.