GCU to create new partnership to tackle health inequalities

Researchers are to spearhead the creation of a new partnership to help support ongoing efforts to address health inequalities in Lanarkshire.

Experts from Glasgow Caledonian University plan to create a consortium with the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary and community sector, to better understand the socioeconomic factors that shape the health and wellbeing in the area.

Academics will study the profound impact that deindustrialisation has had on towns and villages as part of the £200,000 project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

It's hoped the project will result in the creation of a community research consortium that will bring local groups together with key decision-makers in the public sector to determine how future research funding to address health inequalities should be allocated.

Professor Michael Roy, of the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health at GCU, said: "We know that health is often much poorer in former industrial areas, and this is especially the case in west central Scotland. Lanarkshire was previously very focused on heavy industry, including coal mining, and steelworks.

"We are planning to build a consortium drawn from communities and around the public sector. This will eventually be able to make decisions about what research is needed to tackle the profound health inequalities that have blighted Scotland for far too long.

"Ultimately we will be looking to improve public health within some of the most deprived communities in the UK. This requires creating the conditions for meaningful partnership working, a vital ingredient to making a long-lasting and tangible difference."

Soumen Sengupta, Director of Health and Social Care for South Lanarkshire, speaking on behalf of the health and social care partners, said: "Early intervention, prevention of ill health and addressing inequalities is a key, ongoing priority for our staff and partners.

"Building on the strong track record across all our teams, we are delighted to be part of this collaborative approach which further strengthens our collective organisations' links between leading universities in terms of research and innovation."

The project, entitled Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Disparities, will combine approaches involving health economics, sociology and social policy, history, and epidemiology.

The GCU team will be led by Professor Roy, with Professor Rachel Baker, Professor Cam Donaldson, Dr Gillian Murray, Dr Janet Greenlees, and Marissa Collins as co-investigators, alongside NHS Lanarkshire, North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships, Glasgow Centre for Population Health, and the University of Glasgow.