Tackling Inequalities in
Health in Belfast
Caroline Bloomfield, Health Action Zone
Tom Crossan, Belfast City Council
Anne McClean, North & West Belfast
Health & Social Services Trust
1 June 2006
What is the Health Action
Zone?
• A multi-sectoral partnership which
works to reduce inequalities and
promote the health, wellbeing and
safety of the population of North
and West Belfast
What is Health?
• HAZ works on a broad social model of
health, recognising that many issues which
affect health lie outside the health sector,
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Poor housing
Low educational attainment
Unemployment/dependency on social welfare
Impact of conflict
HAZ Council
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Acute Hospitals (Mater, Royal, City)
Belfast City Council
Belfast Education and Library Board
Belfast Inst of Further & Higher Education
Business in the Community
Council for Catholic Maintained Schools
Department for Employment and Learning
Department for Social Development
Eastern Health and Social Services Board
Greater Shankill Partnership
North & West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust (lead)
North Belfast Community Action Unit
North Belfast Partnership
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Northern Ireland Probation Board
Social Security Agency
University of Ulster
West Belfast Partnership Board
The main determinants
of health
General Socio-Economic
Cultural and Environmental Conditions
Living and Working Conditions
Advertising
Work
environment
Housing
Education
Unemployment/
Employment
Social and Community Networks
Crime and
justice
Factors
Smoking
Age, Sex &
Hereditary
factors
Source: Dahlgren & Whitehead 1991
Water and
sanitation
Individual Lifestyle
Taxation
Agriculture
And food
production
Environment
Stress
Inclusion/
Exclusion
Health care
services
The Distribution of Multiple
Deprivation in Belfast:
Noble 2001
Strategic Focus
• Developing effective practice;
• Impacting on mainstream service
development and delivery;
• Ensuring links between practice and
policy
Partnership
• All HAZ work is premised on partnership
working:
– Between statutory organisations
– Between statutory organisations and
community + voluntary organisations
• Often performs a brokering role, facilitating
dialogue between a range of organisations
Development Pathways
A range of organisations working together
with communities in an integrated way,
where: .
– Need is most acute
– Change is most feasible
– Opportunities for multi-agency cooperation are greatest
Ensuring maximum effectiveness and
collaboration
Current Development
Pathways
• Travellers – health and accommodation
needs
• Communities in Schools – making the
school a resource for the community, and
the community a resource for the school
Development Pathways (Cont)
• Integrated Services for Children and Young
People – aims to improve the life chances of
children and young people through creating
new ways of meeting their needs and
delivering services.
• Sexual health – developing a co-ordinated
and joint strategy to promote sexual health
Development Pathways (Cont)
• Neighbourhood – developing a framework
for HAZ partners to participate fully in the
Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy
• Mental Health – taskforce on the prevention
of suicide and self-harm
Prevention of Suicide
and Self Harm
Context
• Growing public/community concern
• Evidence of high prevalence in N&W Belfast
• The need to work together to:
• Raise awareness
• Lobby for resources
• Achieve “joined up thinking” and action
Process of Developing a
co-ordinated and integrated
approach
HAZ Council
Task Group
Working Group Working Group Working Group
Vulnerable
Education
Family Support
Young
People
Working Group Working Group
Self Harm
Communication
Reference Group
Timeframe: April 05 – March 06
Members of Task Group
Ashton Centre
AWARE
Beechmount Community Council
Belfast Education and Library Board
Belfast City Council
Catholic Church
Council for Catholic Maintained Schools
Church of Ireland
Department for Social Development
Eastern Health and Social Services Board
Greater Shankill Partnership
Homeless Support Team
Irish Church Mission
Lenadoon Community Forum
Lenadoon Counselling Programme
North and West Belfast Health and Social
Services Trust (Lead)
North Belfast Community Action
Unit
New Life Counselling
NI Housing Executive
North Belfast Partnership
Politicians
Probation Board Northern Ireland
Tar Isteach
Training and Employment Agency
West Belfast Partnership
Outputs
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Process
Research – better understanding
Draft Report – Proposed Implementation
Recommendations for Action (local and
regional)
– Education
– Vulnerable Young People
– Family Support
– Self Harm
– Communication
Community
Development
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Communities identifying need
Supporting communities
Supporting health initiatives
HAZ being a connector
Challenges
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Joining up policy
Changing environment
Mainstreaming
Keeping people on board
Political and social upheaval
Funding
Influencing outside authority
Contact Details
Caroline Bloomfield
Community Development Worker
Health Action Zone
5th Floor
16 College Street
Belfast
BT1 6BT
Tel: 028 9023 7026
e-mail address:
[email protected]
Web address:
www.haz-nwbelfast.org.uk