Partnership’s success in tackling health inequalities
Partnership working and targeting by GP practices has helped lead to a success in identifying people at risk of stroke and heart attack.
Around three-quarters of people who take a blood pressure test at sessions organised by partners in a part of the Amber Valley have been found to have high or very high blood pressure.
This compares to the estimated undiagnosed hypertension rate of one in three people.
Those people have been signposted to further services, support and treatment, including “move more” classes held in local community halls so they can make lifestyle changes together with a group.
The “community model of health referral” has been developed by Amber Valley Borough Council, working together with Active Derbyshire and other partners
Arch Primary Care Network (PCN) is also a key partner through its work on behalf of nine GP practices in Amber Valley and it has received funding from the partnership to help support its work.
The “community model of health referral” has been celebrated recently through a video (above) that features people who organise and take part in the events.
Jodie Cook, development lead with Arch PCN, appears in the film to explain how people are referred to the exercise groups, which include walking indoors and chair based exercise.
She said: “We have nine GP practices in our PCN and they send a text to their patients to invite them to a health and wellbeing drop-in event.
“We are targeting people in their 30s to their 60s because they are at greatest risk.
“People respond positively because the invitation is personal to them and they come along to a market stall type event where there are a number of people from different organisations.
“Live Life Better Derbyshire has people there to do the blood pressure checks, but there are also people from Derbyshire Carers, from Active Derbyshire, from Amber Valley Borough Council’s exercise team, from Derbyshire Healthcare to talk about mental health, and from the Job Centre and Citizens Advice.
“Places Leisure has also supported us by offering the use of its leisure centres as meeting places.
“Because it’s in a community setting it encourages people to have a conversation about their lifestyle and issues that may make things difficult, such as housing, debt, alcohol or mental health.
“We have run events also at weekends and we plan to run them in the evenings so we can get working people along.”
Amber Valley has pockets of deprivation, including Somercotes, Ironville, Riddings, Alfreton and Heanor. In these places life expectancy is up to 11 years lower for men and 13 years for women compared to other parts of the borough.
Most events held since the programme started last June have been in Somercotes Village Hall, along with three in Heanor and Ripley.
They have been attended to date by 802 people, of whom 368 had their blood pressure taken. Of these 27 were found to be very high, 150 high and 109 “pre high”.
Those who are “very high” are referred immediately to their GP, while others are signposted to a pharmacy and offered advice and support in addressing lifestyle issues.
Jodie added: “It’s the partnership working between all of that has made this work. The message from GP practices really helps to motivate people to come along and that means the organisations that can help people live healthier lives can reach people who they otherwise wouldn’t reach.
“Our GPs want to identify those people who have very high blood pressure because it’s such a risk factor.
“Everyone can also benefit from the lifestyle support, gentle exercise, and help in dealing with issues that affect their health such as debt and housing.”