New partnership aims to deliver a fairer and healthier county
A major new programme designed to make Oxfordshire a fairer and healthier place has been formally launched with a visit by world-renowned academic, researcher and campaigner, Professor Sir Michael Marmot.
Organisations across Oxfordshire are joining forces with University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (IHE) on a two year Marmot Place project, which will tackle health inequalities in local communities.
Marmot Places are local areas that adopt the evidence-based principles and methodology developed by Sir Michael and his team to tackle the social determinants of health and reduce health inequalities.
Although a small number of other places in the country have become a Marmot Place, Oxfordshire will the first county council area to do so.
Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Becoming a Marmot Place represents a commitment by the council towards reducing health inequalities.
“This new partnership will greatly benefit many lives in Oxfordshire and significantly advance our long-term goals of alleviating major health disparities and fostering healthier, more active and safer communities.”
Drawing on extensive data collected over many decades by IHE director and esteemed epidemiologist Professor Sir Michael Marmot, the programme seeks to ensure that 'social determinants' –the conditions in which someone is born, raised, live, work, and age – provide a solid foundation for good health.
The partnership aims to evaluate and build on existing work, measure and tackle rural inequality and utilise research to find innovative solutions to tackling health inequalities.
The new collaboration was launched with an event on 25 November in Rose Hill in Oxford, with an appearance from Professor Sir Michael Marmot himself. Organisations from across the county – ranging from NHS, county and district councils, universities, businesses and voluntary sector – also attended and signalled their commitment to this new partnership work.
Sir Michael said: “Despite being a county of relative wealth and good health we know that is not the experience of all. The conditions in which many people are living harms health, particularly the least well-off and those of ethnic minority groups, who may experience racism and discrimination. The work we are launching today seeks to address the underlying causes of these problems and promote health equity for all.”
In Oxfordshire, the Marmot programme will both complement and build on the work already taking place locally to improve the health of people of all backgrounds, particularly those from disadvantaged communities.
By joining forces with the IHE, Oxfordshire organisations will also now be able to draw on the added expertise of the Marmot team at the IHE as it seeks to deal with those inequalities.
The new link-up will also help prioritise local resources, guide commissioning and inform bids for relevant funding, all with the support of partners from the NHS, academia and the third sector.
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