This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Health care pilots to target most deprived communities
21/11/2005
Measures to strengthen primary health care and reduce health inequalities were announced today.
Up to £25m over three years will be made available for Prevention 2010 - a pilot programme to test what works best before the approach is adopted more generally by the NHS.
Five Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) from the NHS Board areas of Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian and Tayside will be in a first phase of pilots to try out this new approach targeted at deprived communities with poor health records.
Health Minister Andy Kerr said that this new approach will actively seek out those at risk of ill health and offer them access to services and treatments which meet their needs.
Activity will be focused on the most disadvantaged GP practices within each CHP area with the aim of having the first pilots in place during 2006 with more to follow in 2007.
The Minister also announced his support for Counterweight - an obesity management programme. The five CHPs with Prevention 2010 initial pilots will be first to get the advantages of this new programme which will be extended to the whole of Scotland. Up to £1.2 million will be available to support its roll-out.
Mr Kerr said:
"We need to shift the focus of the NHS from illness to well-being, from treating ill health to preventing it. Only by doing this can we tackle the deep roots of health inequality in Scotland and improve health for all.
"The measures I am announcing today build on Delivering for Health, our recent response to Professor Kerr's report. This recognises the importance of local health services, particularly GPs, pharmacists and community health teams, in the drive for health improvement. And it provides a focus for targeting resources where they are needed most - in areas where the risk of ill health is high.
"These pilots will put the anticipatory care approach we want to see, into practice in some of our most deprived communities. These will not be stand-alone - I expect their work to fit with other local action by Boards and their partners, and to add value to the range of work already underway on health improvement.
"Concerted action is needed to change Scotland's culture of ill-health. We are making the right changes to ensure the NHS can meet this challenge."
Key features of the pilots will be:
- additional staff to identify those who may be at risk and offer health checks and risk assessment
- offering treatments and referral to community and other NHS services, with regular monitoring and follow-up
- nationally-commissioned evaluation to monitor impact
- clear targets for outcomes and outputs
In deciding where to site initial pilots, the Executive has used the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and focused on Board areas with high concentrations of the most deprived 15 per cent. The five CHPs will be identified after discussions with the relevant NHS Boards and partners.
Funding will come from existing health improvement budgets. Up to £25 million will be allocated with details to be negotiated with the Boards concerned.
Counterweight: a primary-care led obesity management programme which has been evaluated over the last six years across the UK. Patients with particularly high Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) - identified within their GP practice - will be invited to enrol. They will be screened and managed through a series of appointments with weight management advisors. The programme for each patient lasts a year with continuing follow up. The approach has been shown to get good results in areas of deprivation, with sustained weight loss over time in patients of all socio-economic backgrounds. Health professionals will receive comprehensive training and support from the Counterweight team through a Weight Management Advisor.
Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) were established by NHS Boards following the National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2004. They are key to the modernisation of NHSScotland and joint services, and have a vital role in partnership, integration and service redesign. They provide an opportunity for partners to work together to improve the lives of the local communities which they serve.
CHPs provide a focus for the integration between primary care and specialist services and with social care and ensure that local population health improvement is placed at the heart of service planning and delivery.
CHPs have a key role to play and will work with their local community and partners to:
- prevent ill health
- identify and treat physical and mental health problems
- ensure they reach those most at risk of ill-health and who have the poorest life circumstances
- refocus delivery of services and initiatives to improve access to and uptake of services
- work to ensure health improvement is integrated into the work of all those involved in the CHP