'Tackling health inequalities must be at the heart of health reform in Northern Ireland'

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced a series of planned initiatives for the next six months, including a programme focused on health inequalities

“Addressing health inequalities must be at the heart of health reform and a priority across all parts of Government,” said Northern Ireland's health minister Mike Nesbitt, as he announced a series of planned initiatives over the next six months on Thursday.

Nesbitt indicated that, based on data from England, health inequalities are estimated to cost Northern Ireland up to £1.7 billion every year, including health costs, lost productivity, economic inactivity, and poor educational outcomes.

His primary concern is the impact this has on people in the community, with the 'unacceptable' health gap between women in the most deprived communities and those in the least deprived communities.

“How can it ever be acceptable that women in our most deprived communities can expect to live 14 fewer years in good health than those in the least deprived communities?

“A quarter of the way into the 21st Century, this is simply not acceptable in a first world country,” said Nesbitt.

According to Nesbitt, health inequalities are “a symptom of the wider inequalities that exist in society.”

“Research indicates that only about 20 per cent of health outcomes are related to clinical care. Other crucial factors include economic disadvantage, environment, education and housing,” he added.

The health minister’s planned initiatives over the next six months include a ‘Live Better’ programme focused on health inequalities, aimed at delivering targeted health support to the communities most in need.

This initiative aims to consolidate programmes for intensive delivery in specific communities. It will cover areas such as increasing uptake of health screening and vaccination, supporting mental health and emotional well-being, conducting blood pressure and cholesterol checks, building health literacy, improving social connections, providing nutritional advice, and creating opportunities to be more physical active.

Nesbitt also announced a plan for hospital reconfiguration, set to be published for public consultation this summer. Titled ‘Towards a Hospital Network,’ the paper will serve as the basis for current and future reorganisation of hospital services.

A three-year strategic plan for health and social care will be released in the autumn and cover the remainder of the current Assembly mandate.

Additionally, the health minister announced that, to help refocus and “reboot” health reform, international health expert Professor Rafael Bengoa will return to Northern Ireland in the autumn for a keynote conference and a series of other engagements.

Professor Bengoa chaired the panel that produced the 2016 “Systems not Structures” report on changing health and social care.

Nesbitt said: “I am very pleased Professor Bengoa has accepted my invitation for a visit in the autumn.

“This is not about yet another review of our health service. It’s about helping us assess the important work already undertaken and underway and identifying the key strands of action now required. It is about finding the best ways to accelerate the process of change.

“I believe Professor Bengoa will help reboot the public debate on health reform. Unfortunately, that debate has become increasingly distorted, with reform too often misconstrued as a cost-cutting programme, or a plan to close hospitals. This is damaging the objective of genuine reform which is to deliver better outcomes.”

The health minister outlined his health and social care initiatives in a Written Ministerial Statement to the Assembly.

Recently, the University of Oxford’s Centre for Research Equity (CfRE) inked a historic partnership with key health and social care agencies in Northern Ireland to advance health equity across the region and ensure everyone benefits from healthcare advancements.

The partnership is aimed at improving health outcomes and reduce disparities through collaborative research.

A recent report from the Health Foundation predicted that health inequalities in England will persist over the next two decades, with long-term conditions like chronic pain, type 2 diabetes and anxiety and depression likely to increase at a faster rate in the most deprived areas.

It predicted that people in the most deprived areas would experience major illnesses 10 years earlier than those in the least deprived areas, and also face a threefold higher risk of dying before the age of 70 years.

Overall, the report projected that the number of working-age adults experiencing a major illness could grow from 3 million in 2019 to 3.7 million in 2040. Notably, 80 per cent of this projected increase is expected to be concentrated in more deprived areas (deciles 1–5).