Steps are being taken to address Trafford’s huge health disparities.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, cross-county disparities in illness, disease and health status have become even more pronounced.
A recent council report, for example, highlighted that deaths from cancer, diabetes and obesity in north and west Trafford now far exceed those in the borough’s more affluent southern areas.
Poverty is also thought to have “deepened” across Trafford since the pandemic began.
Now the Council says it is acting to address these issues.
(Image: Joel Goodman)
A Health Equality Council report said: “Improving equality in everything we do is a top priority and the uneven impact of Covid-19 has highlighted areas where inequalities urgently need to be addressed. We work to ensure that best practices for equality and inclusion are implemented and mainstreamed across all areas.
“Our poverty strategy aims to address the root causes of poverty in our communities and to help those people for whom the poverty and inequalities they experienced before the pandemic have since worsened.”
To address health inequalities, Trafford Council is taking specific action, including increased access to and uptake of Covid-19 vaccines, cancer screening appointments and mental health support.
(Image: Joel Goodman)
Some of the other measures to be adopted, subject to an executive vote tonight (Monday 24 January), include:
- Improving immunization uptake among ethnic communities and vulnerable populations
- Reducing disparities in cancer screening by population, between GP clinics and PCNs (Primary Care Networks)
- Offer pop up covid-19 vaccination clinics
- Trafford is one of three Greater Manchester locations working with the
Center for Mental Health (CfMH) to try to reduce mental health inequalities in the district – work on this is due to start in the next six months. - Providing training and support on suicide prevention and awareness-raising
- Redesign of the borough’s NHS health check for over 40s, including a possible lowering of the eligibility age for these checks for people from ethnic communities
- Combating smoking habit by distributing tools, quit kits, videos, posters and raising awareness of Trafford’s e-cigarette
- Empower people with disabilities through community projects
- Offer fall prevention courses for older people
- offering active lifestyle options; incl. feel-good hikes and couch groups up to 5km across the district
- Providing adult weight management support services throughout Trafford
- Healthy lifestyle programs and school programs to reduce obesity, which focus on schools with the highest prevalence of obesity, are also being piloted for the district’s children and youth
The new strategy is a joint program between Trafford Council and the Trafford NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and is due to be voted on by the Council Executive from 6.30pm tonight.
