A body of evidence acknowledges shared priorities and effective partnerships across the statutory, voluntary and community sector combined with efforts to engage with local people are crucial to tackling health problems. The Health and Wellbeing Partnership (H&WBP) works to reduce health inequalities and bring about change in County Durham. It considers the impact of the wider determinants of health and proproses a range of partnership actions across three key priority areas.
1. Improve Life Expectancy
Nearly a third of the residents of County Durham live in the most deprived areas of England, while about 10 percent of residents live in the least deprived areas. Early deaths from heart disease and stroke and early death from cancers are worse than the England average.
Segmented targeting of gender, age and geographical location is addressed through specific work programs with a focus on:
- Reducing mortality cancer
- Reducing mortality for cardiovascular disease
- Reducing harm caused by alcohol
- Reducing harm caused by drugs
- Tobacco control
2. Reduce Health Inequalities
Men and women from the least deprived areas of County Durham live longer than those from the most deprived areas. Rates of obesity in County Durham are rising in children and adults and are higher than the England average. Obesity is likely to have a substantial future impact on life expectancy (County Durham Joint Strategic Needs Assessment [JSNA] 2009/10).
The H&WBP will provide more equitable health opportunities in County Durham which include programme objectives aimed at:
- Increasing physical activty and leisure uptake
- Reduce levels of obesity
- Improve eating behaviour and improve breast feeding rates.
3. Improve Mental Health and Wellbeing
The third priority is to improve mental health and wellbeing. Compared to the national average, County Durham has significantly higher rates of incapacity benefit due to mental health problems per 1,0000 population. (43.3 compared to 27.5). The number of older people with mental health problems is set to rise considerably over the next 15 years (County Durham JSNA 2009/10).
The programme objectives are to:
- reduce suicides and attempted suicides
- increase social inclusion
- maximise independence
The Partnership recognises that it cannot address the social determinants of health alone and will work closely with all the thematic partnerships of the County Durham Partnership (CDP) on the health agenda. For more informaiton on the partnerships programme delivery please refer to the Altogether Healither Delivery Plan.