Foreward
The past two years have been incredibly challenging and updating our Health and Wellbeing Strategy as we learn to live with, and recover from, COVID-19 is a significant milestone in acknowledging the impact of the pandemic on our residents and across the Borough as a whole.
The inequalities that existed prior to the pandemic have been amplified: in education, training, income, employment, and health; including how they vary by postcode, gender, ethnicity and across generations.
To put it simply, these inequalities equal poorer health and shorter lives, and this is not acceptable. It’s no longer about the additional measures we can take to tackle health inequalities, but about addressing health inequalities in everything we do. We have every reason to be optimistic about the future. I saw at first hand the huge dedication and commitment of the people who live and work in North Tyneside during the pandemic.
The involvement of individuals coming forward to volunteer to help local people, supported by the community and voluntary sector, has been outstanding. Partners across the system in North Tyneside working together with a shared purpose has resulted in stronger relationships both within and across organisations. Barriers that previously may have hindered joint working at pace simply disappeared.
I believe we now have a better appreciation of each other’s work and understand that health is everyone’s responsibility.
This is not a stand-alone document, but it sets the direction of travel, influencing and bringing together the strategies and plans across the system in North Tyneside under one clear vision and approach, to improve health and reduce health inequalities.
The evidence is very clear that the best way of ensuring a long life in good health is to have a good start in life, a good education, a warm and loving home, a safe community, and a job with income sufficient to meet daily needs.
As the ‘Marmot Team’ under the leadership of Sir Michael Marmot at the Institute of Health Equity has been saying for more than 10 years, ‘reducing the gap in health outcomes is a matter of fairness and social justice’.
I firmly agree and believe that everyone should have the same opportunity to lead a healthy life, no matter where they live in North Tyneside, or who they are.
Councillor Karen Clark
Chair of North Tyneside’s Health and Wellbeing Board