Why do we connect with Public Health?
Understanding the health needs of north west London is important when planning and implementing service change. Connecting Care for Children (CC4C) aims to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities for the children of north west London by promoting healthy living and preventing illness.
CC4C recognises that this effort to improve child health in north west London requires collaboration across different sectors. CC4C has crossed traditional boundaries to bridge these gaps between clinicians, patients, Health Education North West London (HENWL) and the Local Authority.
A Darzi fellow placed at HENWL has recognised the public health activity of CC4C and its impact on child health. Dr Salker has been working closely with CC4C to address the prevention agenda: “Recently I met with a programme manager for Connecting Care for Children. It is a multi-professional community education provider network, based at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which is vastly expanding and is breaking traditional barriers. Their preliminary data is astounding. With this in mind, our joint aim is to significantly increase the public health activity of CC4C. It has the potential to be far reaching and is sustainable. One essential point arose regarding the role of school nurses in CC4C. In order for this to progress we would like to develop strong collaborative links within the Local Authority.”
Table 1 is a summary of health inequalities of children in north west London. Recent data from Public Health England clearly indicates that the average percentage of deprivation across the tri-borough is 24 per cent, four per cent higher than the national figure. In fact, 28 per cent of Hammersmith and Fulham’s child population live in low-income households and receive means testing. This demonstrates that “…the health profiles of the north west London boroughs have wide and varying health inequalities including wider determinants of health. There is further emphasis when certain parameters are compared with England. Therefore the case to invest in improving the health of this population, addressing the wider determinants reducing the health inequalities is valid…”
Table 1
|
No |
Profile |
England |
Barnet |
Brent |
Ealing |
Hammersmith & Fulham |
Harrow |
Hillingdon |
Hounslow |
Kensington & Chelsea |
City of Westminster |
|
1 |
Deprivation |
20.4 |
5.7 |
27.9 |
20.9 |
26.1 |
2.0 |
7.1 |
8.4 |
23.5 |
23.3 |
|
2 |
Children in poverty (under 16s) |
20.6 |
19.9 |
28.1 |
24.6 |
28.9 |
19.7 |
22.2 |
24.3 |
23.8 |
35.4 |
|
3 |
Obese children (Year 6) |
18.9 |
19.1 |
23.7 |
22.7 |
20.1 |
20.4 |
19.8 |
24.6 |
20.1 |
25.3 |
|
4 |
Smoking prevalence |
19.5 |
13.9 |
15.2 |
19.6 |
23.8 |
13.2 |
17.5 |
16.9 |
17.5 |
17.0 |
|
5 |
% of physically active adults |
56.0 |
56.0 |
52.3 |
52.3 |
64.9 |
54.5 |
56.4 |
54.5 |
65.3 |
55.0 |
|
6 |
Hospital stays for alcohol-related harm |
637 |
507 |
518 |
550 |
631 |
462 |
597 |
547 |
426 |
552 |
|
7 |
Recorded diabetes |
6.0 |
5.9 |
7.8 |
6.8 |
4.3 |
8.2 |
6.4 |
6.3 |
4.3 |
4.3 |
|
8 |
Incidence of tuberculosis |
15.1 |
30.0 |
98.3 |
69.1 |
30.7 |
66.1 |
47.8 |
74.4 |
24.0 |
26.9 |
|
9 |
Acute sexually transmitted infections (STI) |
804 |
802 |
1413 |
996 |
1937 |
636 |
965 |
808 |
1652 |
1910 |
|
10 |
Suicide rate |
8.5 |
6.9 |
6.8 |
9.4 |
10.1 |
4.8 |
8.2 |
8.0 |
6.8 |
11.2 |
|
11 |
Life expectancy (male) |
79.2 |
81.4 |
79.9 |
79.2 |
79.1 |
82.0 |
79.9 |
79.5 |
82.1 |
81.1 |
|
12 |
Life expectancy (female) |
83.0 |
84.5 |
84.5 |
84.2 |
83.3 |
85.6 |
83.5 |
83.3 |
85.8 |
85.1 |
|
13 |
Under 75 mortality rate: cardiovascular |
81.1 |
62.1 |
94.0 |
90.8 |
95.8 |
70.4 |
80.4 |
80.0 |
57.3 |
84.2 |
Key
- Percentage of people in this area living in 20 per cent most deprived areas in England, 2010
- Percentage of children (under 16) in families receiving means-tested benefits and low income, 2011
- Percentage of school children in Year 6 (aged 10 to 11), 2012/13
- Percentage of adults aged 18 and over, 2012
- Percentage of adults achieving at least 150 minutes physical activity per week, 2012
- The number of admissions involving an alcohol-related primary diagnosis or an alcohol-related external cause, directly age-standardised rate per 100,000 population, 2012/13
- Percentage of people on GP registers with a recorded diagnosis of diabetes, 2012/13
- Crude rate per 100,000 population, 2010 to 2012
- Crude rate per 100,000 population, 2012 (chlamydia screening coverage may influence rate)
- Directly age-standardised mortality rate from suicide and injury of undetermined intent per 100,000 population, 2010 to 2012
- At birth, 2010 to 2012
- At birth, 2010 to 2012
- Directly age-standardised rate per 100,000 population aged under 75, 2010 to 2012
CC4C believes every child should have the best start in life and the argument for change is unmistakable. CC4C will continue its work across north west London to engage, empower and transform the health of children and families.
