The difference in health expectations between those living in Merseyside and those living in the rest of the country are stark. This is very closely connected to the high levels of inequality in the area, with the latest census data showing that 32.7% of households in Liverpool are deprived in some form.
deprivation is reflected by the fact that Liverpool’s communities are experiencing cancer rates at starkly higher levels than the national average, as found in a recent report we conducted at North West Cancer Research. This showed that in Merseyside, which is the most deprived county in the North West, liver cancer cases are 75% higher than the national average, while Lung, trachea and bronchus cancer rates are 59% higher and oesophagus cancer is 39% above the norm.
To help understand the complexities surrounding this issue, we arranged a roundtable with a number of experts from Liverpool’s health, politics, charity and academic worlds. During this discussion, they reflected on what needs to be done and how we can work towards achieving a cancer-free future. An opening topic was the fact that cancer is tied to people’s genetic backgrounds, environment, housing, income, lifestyles, experiences and the communities they live in. Therefore, effective cancer prevention and treatment as well as wider health promotion requires the medical world to holistically understand these core determinants of health.
On this, Dan Carden, MP for Walton, said: “While we have a health system that is only looking at how we treat illness, and the final stages, and how we prescribe a certain drug to deal with a certain symptom, I don’t see any possibility of restoring society and community to what it could be.” The other attendees agreed and remarked that not only are accurate assessments often very difficult but it’s important not to only focus on what can be measured and risk overlooking that which can’t.
Jane Corbett, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Fairness and Tackling Poverty said that a key problem with current measuring methods is that “to get the money, you have to put forward a case that includes outcomes and what you are going to measure”. For Jane this is counterintuitive, as local people should be involved in co-producing “what the outcomes are going to be so that they’re part of the solution. But currently to get the money, you must predefine something”.
Working effectively within communities was agreed to be a vital aspect of tackling health challenges. This means understanding Liverpool, its residents and how to communicate with them, such as language requirements, communication channels, messaging, and barriers to confidence in public sector organisations. Dr David O’Hagan, GP at Brownlow Heath practice in Kensington, said: “We need our primary care professionals to become part of our communities. Increasingly, as primary care networks get bigger, we’re no longer seen as being part of these communities but, instead, we’re seen as being overloaded.”
The need for long term investment in the most deprived areas was mentioned as particularly crucial. In addition, the groups that are working to improve health outcomes must have confidence in the longevity of the support and finances they receive. Education and information sharing is another vital pillar of tackling this issue. This includes school-based learning as well as commitments to life-long learning opportunities for everyone. Importantly, education isn’t just the responsibility of schools, as charities, local authorities, and medical organisations should all help ensure that the right information is circulated throughout Liverpool’s communities. The roundtable concluded by agreeing that the unbalanced nature of the UK’s health landscape means that urgent, localised support is required to align Liverpool’s deprived communities with the rest of the UK.
The difference in health expectations between those living in Merseyside and those living in the rest of the country are stark. This is very closely connected to the high levels of inequality in the area, with the latest census data showing that 32.7% of households in Liverpool are deprived in some form.
This deprivation is reflected by the fact that Liverpool’s communities are experiencing cancer rates at starkly higher levels than the national average, as found in a recent report we conducted at North West Cancer Research. This showed that in Merseyside, which is the most deprived county in the North West, liver cancer cases are 75% higher than the national average, while Lung, trachea and bronchus cancer rates are 59% higher and oesophagus cancer is 39% above the norm.
To help understand the complexities surrounding this issue, we arranged a roundtable with a number of experts from Liverpool’s health, politics, charity and academic worlds. During this discussion, they reflected on what needs to be done and how we can work towards achieving a cancer-free future.
An opening topic was the fact that cancer is tied to people’s genetic backgrounds, environment, housing, income, lifestyles, experiences and the communities they live in. Therefore, effective cancer prevention and treatment as well as wider health promotion requires the medical world to holistically understand these core determinants of health.
On this, Dan Carden, MP for Walton, said: “While we have a health system that is only looking at how we treat illness, and the final stages, and how we prescribe a certain drug to deal with a certain symptom, I don’t see any possibility of restoring society and community to what it could be.”
The other attendees agreed and remarked that not only are accurate assessments often very difficult but it’s important not to only focus on what can be measured and risk overlooking that which can’t.
Jane Corbett, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Fairness and Tackling Poverty said that a key problem with current measuring methods is that “to get the money, you have to put forward a case that includes outcomes and what you are going to measure”.
For Jane this is counterintuitive, as local people should be involved in co-producing “what the outcomes are going to be so that they’re part of the solution. But currently to get the money, you must predefine something”.
Working effectively within communities was agreed to be a vital aspect of tackling health challenges. This means understanding Liverpool, its residents and how to communicate with them, such as language requirements, communication channels, messaging, and barriers to confidence in public sector organisations.
Dr David O’Hagan, GP at Brownlow Heath practice in Kensington, said: “We need our primary care professionals to become part of our communities. Increasingly, as primary care networks get bigger, we’re no longer seen as being part of these communities but, instead, we’re seen as being overloaded.”
The need for long term investment in the most deprived areas was mentioned as particularly crucial. In addition, the groups that are working to improve health outcomes must have confidence in the longevity of the support and finances they receive.
Education and information sharing is another vital pillar of tackling this issue. This includes school-based learning as well as commitments to life-long learning opportunities for everyone. Importantly, education isn’t just the responsibility of schools, as charities, local authorities, and medical organisations should all help ensure that the right information is circulated throughout Liverpool’s communities.
The roundtable concluded by agreeing that the unbalanced nature of the UK’s health landscape means that urgent, localised support is required to align Liverpool’s deprived communities with the rest of the UK.
