Programme designed by ‘world-renowned academic’ with aim of reducing health inequalities launches in borough

Health inequalities, poor standards of living and discrimination could be a thing of the past in West Norfolk, as a major new programme is launched.Our borough is the first Marmot Place in the county. The programme is named after “world-renowned academic, researcher and campaigner”, Professor Sir Michael Marmot.The strategy was officially launched at Lynn’s Alive Corn Exchange on Wednesday, with key health, political and community representatives gathering to find out more and how they can get involved.

But what does it mean for the future of West Norfolk and what is a Marmot Place?As Norfolk’s first ‘Marmot Place’, West Norfolk is adopting eight evidence-based principles to reduce health inequalities, developed by Sir Michael and his team from the University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (IHE).Health inequalities are the unfair and avoidable differences in health across a population or group.

Speaking exclusively to the Lynn News, Professor Sir Michael Marmot said: “What is happening here in West Norfolk is not surprising, but nonetheless unacceptable. “It’s important to see our work in different places.”The programme is being led by West Norfolk Council in partnership with Norfolk County Council Public Health and Norfolk & Waveney Integrated Care Board. It will tackle health inequalities between communities through action on the “social determinants” of health – those wider, social and economic conditions in which we live, grow, work and age.Over the next two years, working with other partners across West Norfolk, the programme will first identify priorities for system changes, with longer-term aims of helping improve health equity across all sectors, including housing, education, early years, health care, business and the economic sector.

In West Norfolk, around 23,300 people are living in areas that are amongst the 20% most deprived in England.Starkly, the gap in life expectancy between the most deprived areas and least deprived communities is 11.5 years – the largest of any Norfolk district. For example, recent studies have shown that life expectancy for men in North Lynn is 11.5 years shorter than for men in Brancaster, Burnham and Docking.

Life expectancy for women in North Lynn is 7.9 years shorter than for women in Fairstead and Springwood.Councillor Jo Rust, cabinet member for people and communities at the borough council, said: “We are one of few district councils leading a Marmot Place programme in the UK.“With the support of our partners, we are committed to this great opportunity to help improve the healthy life expectancy and life chances of people across our neighbourhoods, including narrowing the gap between the most and least affluent communities and groups.

“We all want to ensure the conditions in which someone is born, raised, lives and works can provide a solid foundation for good health.“As a rural borough, we are particularly interested in the impact of rurality on health and health inequalities. “Drawing on the expertise of the Marmot team, we look forward to working closely with our partners to understand, develop and embed new and innovative ways of working to address the avoidable, unfair and systematic differences. Together we can make a difference to ensure fairer health outcomes and improve lives.”

How did the Marmot Place originally come about?Across the country, there are a total of 50 Marmot Places.The first place to adopt the strategy was Coventry.Professor Marmot said: “Coventry was the first place. What would have happened if we hadn’t gone there, I don’t have an answer to that.

“But the percentage of children the age of five ready for school has gone up. The percentage of young people aged 18 to 24 who are not in employment went down and the proportion of people earning a wage went up. “We have got things moving in the right direction there.”Professor Marmot wanted to get his studies out into the real world.He added: “In the UK, we have a good lot of data to use to provide the framework.“We are delighted to be partnering with the borough council which is one of the few district councils in our growing family of Marmot Places. “We are working with more than 50 places across the UK, which are doing phenomenal work, against huge budget restrictions, to improve local residents’ lives by addressing the social determinants of health (where we are born, grow, live, work and age).”It is particularly challenging to promote health equity in rural areas, as public services, which help ameliorate health inequalities, are less accessible.“Public transport is needed to access schools, GP surgeries and other public facilities. The learning created from King’s Lynn and West Norfolk will form a vital part of our growing knowledge to share with other places on specific actions needed in specific places.”What are the Marmot principles? Professor Marmot explained that one objective cannot be prioritised over another because they are all linked in some way. For example, giving children a good start in life (principle one) links to having good quality housing (principle five), as a child needs a good quality home for a good start in life.These are eight broad policy objectives aimed at reducing health inequalities by improving the conditions of everyday life and reducing socioeconomic inequalities, introduced in the Marmot Reviews:- Give every child the best start in life;- Enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives; – Create fair employment and good work for all;- Ensure a healthy standard of living for all;- Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities;- Strengthen the role and impact of ill-health prevention; – Tackle discrimination, racism and their outcomes;- Pursue environmental sustainability and health equity together.