Report to the People
Public Health in Inverclyde
Of all the statistics that relate to our poor health, the saddest of all must be the number of children who die before their first birthday. In Inverclyde, nearly 100 out of every 10,000 will die within a year of being born.
Overall the health figures are shocking, but not surprising. I must confess that I have used these figures when arguing with government agencies and ministers to help secure European funding and extra assistance to alleviate deprivation and to continue the regeneration of the area.
Disappointingly, there seems to be more debate about the position of our football teams in the European rankings than by our country’s position in the European Health League. (Of which, incidentally, we are bottom.)
If a solution is to be found, we must be prepared for a long haul and to listen to as many voices as possible. This debate is not, after all, the preserve of politicians and the issue of poor public health is a complex one.
In Inverclyde, many of our problems stem from the loss of our traditional industry. Poor health was the final insult in a long line of insults dealt to the people of Inverclyde. With substandard housing, high unemployment, low incomes, crime and inadequate diets, it’s no wonder our health is so poor.
Former Health Minister, Sam Galbraith, was fond of saying, "The best cure for ill health is a job." I had an old friend, on the other hand, who used to say that, "If hard work was good for you, the working classes wouldn’t be allowed to do it."
They are, in their own ways, both correct. If poverty causes ill-health, it is better to work than not. That is why we are addressing health issues by addressing poverty issues. Ill health cannot be tackled in isolation. Measures such as the ambitious 20-year blueprint for ending poverty in Scotland, the New Deal, and the Warm Deal will all help improve our health. Working with our colleagues in Westminster we have also taken 175,000 Scots off poverty pay by the introducing the National Minimum Wage.
Some jobs, though, do damage health. Shorter working hours and other family friendly employment regulations, therefore, have been introduced to reduce stress and the risk of industrial injury.
This is an ideal opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to shine. The Scottish Executive has a commitment to increasing NHS spending year-on-year and an additional £17 million has been allocated to fund a Scotland wide Meningitis C vaccination programme. The Health Minister, Susan Deacon, has launched a comprehensive public health strategy and has prioritised tackling the root causes of poor heath.
Further, Professor Sir John Arbuthnott’s report, Fair Shares For All, has recognised for the first time that deprived areas need more help to improve their health. Money, the report argues, should go where it is most needed and the Health Board have also assured me that they continually review their expenditure, ensuring that funds go to areas and services which will delivers the maximum health gain.
Progress may be slow, but we are already getting results. As the Director of Public Health for the Argyll & Clyde Health Board told me last Tuesday, life expectancy rates are rising, and the number of smokers continues to fall.
The challenge now, though, is to build on this foundation. Only co-operation will help us to finally lay the corpse of Invalid Inverclyde to rest.
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