YoHr Space - Yorkshire & Humber Improvement and Efficiency Partnership
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Minding the Gap

Workstream:
Health & Well Being - Adult Services
Title:
Minding the Gap
Scope:
 Regional
Funds awarded: 
 £75,000
Lead contact:     
 Geoff Ainsley - geoff.ainsley@bradford.gov.uk
Background:
Health inequalities remain acute across the Yorkshire and Humber region. Recent data from the Department of Health shows little progress in reducing health inequalities in ‘spearhead authorities’. Most Local Area Agreements in the region include health inequality related targets and Health Inequalities is a strategic priority in the 2008 – 2001 RIEP strategy.
 
The regional strategy, in seeking to address these issues through a systematic embedding of a personalised approach, reminds us that this ‘will involve not just focussing on physical health problems. It will involve the promotion of well-being and inclusion through proactively preventing ill-health and by engaging the support of social care, work, employment, benefits, housing, transport and all other elements that build a sustainable community’.
 
The strategy also emphasises that this will require a major cultural shift across all of these areas, and close and effective working across partnerships. Minding the Gap has as its core aim the promotion of the wider understanding of the potential health impacts of these wider services
Delivery: 
Minding the Gap (MtG) is a local authority hosted regional resource that:;
 
  • Supports networking and communication on health inequalities across local authorities in the region.
 
  • Promotes dialogue and sharing of good practice on health inequalities practice.
 
  • Commissions and rolls out analysis of practice and implementation of tools that support local actions to reduce health inequalities.
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In addition MtG is the regional hub supporting the DH Communities for Health Programme – which focuses on community empowerment.
 
Outcomes:
  •  Strengthened engagement at middle management and senior Member and officer level, with regard to Health Inequalities.
 
  • Greater expertise and competence in utilising evidence and policy opportunities to focus local authority resources on reducing health inequalities
 
  • A clearer evidence base on where efficiencies can be generated through focussing on the underlying determinants of health inequalities.
 
  • A shared understanding among a wide range of officers and members in local authorities, and their other partner agencies, of the ways that each can impact on the health and well-being of their local people.
 
  • The clear integration of a “health impact assessment” approach to service developments in Local area agreements and in programme development in Planning, Housing and Highways services in local authorities.
 
  • Improved capacity in senior Members to articulate the health inequalities of their district and increased understanding of the role of council services in tackling the causes of inequalities.
 
  • A more strategic and focussed use of the scrutiny function to effectively add value in relation to health improvement and tackling health inequalities.
 
  • A co-ordinated workforce development programme, enabling the wider public health workforce to address health improvement within the context of personalisation.
 
  • A better understanding, among the majority of local councillors, of the nature of health inequalities and the role of the council and the LSP in mitigating these and improving health and well-being.
 
  • A wider range of health intelligence, effectively shared among partner organisations to improve service planning and delivery, including the systematic use of health impact assessment.
 
  • A formal network for the region’s LINks, associated with the regional network of community health champions developed though Altogether Better
 
Documents / web links: