Progressing work on health inequalities
Health, wellbeing and inequality in Stockton-on-Tees
In Stockton-on-Tees:
- healthy life expectancy for females is 61.5 years and inequality in health life expectancy is 17.6 years (2018 to 2020)
- healthy life expectancy for males is 60.1 years and inequality in healthy life expectancy is 20.4 years (2018 to 2020)
- 5,743 children (14.8%) are in absolute low income families - the rate for England is 15.6% (2022 to 2023)
- 196 women (10.6%) were smoking at time of delivery - the rate for England is 7.4% (2023 to 2024)
- 90% of children are achieving a good level of development at 2 to 2 and a half years - the rate for England is 80.4% (2023 to 2024)
- 24.9% of the population aged 16 to 64 years are economically inactive - the rate for England is 21.2%
- there is a £4,200 gap between the 'mean' and 'median' earnings
- 7.2% of residents reported feeling lonely - the rate for England is 6.8% (2024)
- there is 1.23% green space coverage - the rate for England is 0.79% (2022)
- there are 42 domestic abuse related incidents and crimes per 1,000 of the population - the rate for England is 30 (2022 to 2023)
- the unmet treatment need (opiates and crack) is 40.2% - the rate for England is 57.2% (2023 to 2024)
- 40% of adults who are economically inactive are inactive due to health conditions (2023 to 2024)
Last year's Director of Public Health Annual Report proposed a systematic approach to addressing health inequalities and actions to put this in place. This approach was adopted by the Council and discussed with wider partners. It sets out proposed action across services, the community and civic bodies.
Much work is underway and progress against the report's recommendations is captured below, which we will continue to focus on as set out in the priorities of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy (PDF, 2 MB) and Stockton-on-Tees Plan.
Progress against the 2023 to 2024 Director of Public Health Report recommendations
The following summary captures progress against the recommendations set out in last year's Director of Public Health Report (2023 to 2024) through Public Health actions working across the Council and with partners.
The actions and progress align with delivering all focus areas of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025 to 2030 focus areas:
- All children and families have the best start in life
- Everyone has a healthy standard of living
- Everyone lives in healthy and sustainable places and communities
- Everyone lives long and healthy lives
| We said | We did |
|---|---|
| 1. Adopt Population Intervention Triangle (PIT) approach | Adopted by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Cabinet, Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) Shared at Team Stockton |
| 2. Support Fairer Stockton-on-Tees Framework through focus on wider determinants of health and overlaying inter-related drivers of inequality | New Health and Wellbeing Strategy (HWS) has a focus on wider determinants HWB development has renewed focus on wider determinants as part of deep dive programme Significant ongoing work regarding work and health, food environment, planning and health |
| 3. Co-produce self-assessment against PIT model | Position and progress against assessed and actions progressed throughout the year, to be developed further for example system leadership (HWB), development of Local Plan, work and health programme, monitoring and progress against Powering our Future Communities work, mapping communities assets and networks Updated Joint Strategic Needs Assessment approach implemented and initial priorities agreed Work ongoing to embed links HWS and other strategies such as the Local Plan and Community Safety Plan |
| 4. Consider 'Marmot place' approach locally | Considered with strategic partners and agreed to adopt local approach at this time, based on learning from 'Marmot places' approach Local approach being developed and implemented through:
To be developed further through the recommendations in Director of Public Health Report 2024 to 2025 for example Health in All Policies discussions |
| 5. Explore Local Government Association (LGA) support to address inequality | LGA support secured and implemented on programme of development for HWB, producing a revised Terms of Reference, refined focus and increased emphasis on wider determinants of health and drivers of inequality and inequity LGA Health in All Policies support secured, to be delivered in 2025 to 2026 |
| 6. Adopt an Equity Impact Assessment across the Council | Equality and Poverty Impact Assessment adopted - aspects of addressing health inequality included Work ongoing to embed learning from wider national and regional work on health equity impact assessment, in local approaches Health impact assessment tool designed and implemented across Public Health and Planning teams |
| 7. Adopt sustainable approaches to creating conditions for maximising health and wellbeing and addressing inequalities | HWB deep dive sessions implemented for example loneliness and social isolation, enabling strategic discussion and agreement Embedding health and wellbeing and addressing health inequalities as key issues in strategic plans for example the Local Plan HWB governance review underway to ensure the right forums are in place to agree and monitor strategic approaches to key issues and wider determinants Joint strategic planning on new opportunities to test and learn on wider determinants for example national neighbourhood health implementation programme pilot, embedding research and evaluation with academic partners |
8. Support community-building, focusing on assets and strengths and 9. Embed working with the community in policy | Continuing to work with and strengthen community wellbeing champions' network, working with diverse communities to understand health and wellbeing issues, support community-led activity, and co-design interventions and messaging Proposal to consider community connector network, with joint strategic support from senior leaders across partners (Team Stockton) Commencing work on a different approach to commissioning community activity, working with the VCSE Public Health commissioned a peer advocacy approach working with individuals with complex needs - yielding positive outcomes regarding, for example, treatment, healthcare and volunteering |
| 10. Adopt Making Every Contact Count (MECC) across collective workforce | Workforce training embedded regarding advice, support and brief intervention on issues such as domestic abuse and smoking Embedding MECC to be part of neighbourhood health approach as it evolves |
| 11. Embed PIT model in Council's transformation agenda (Powering our Future) | Early intervention and prevention agreed as a priority area, work ongoing to embed a public health approach Progress as set out in this table |
| 12. Identify and address gaps in our understanding of local communities | As described in actions 3 and 8 above Working with communities embedded as a pillar of the Neighbourhood Health pilot and the new Pride in Place programme in Central Stockton and Portrack |
| 13. Capture impact on inequalities, in monitoring frameworks | HWS impact monitoring approach in development, with addressing inequality at its heart; this dovetails with Council plan monitoring framework Public Health and wider Council work underway on approach to evaluation, particularly qualitative information from communities, with academic partners |
| 14. Embed the PIT approach in a logic model to monitor the HWS | See action 13 above |
