Key Facts
Inequalities in Health
Inequalities in health within the city are also stark. For example, while a boy born today in the city might expect to live to 70, this estimate alters dramatically depending on socio-economic circumstances. A boy born in an affluent area is likely to live 14 years longer than one born in a deprived area.
Health Behaviour
Trends in health behaviours will have an impact on future disease and mortality levels. While smoking levels have reduced, other behavioural trends are less promising. Obesity levels have risen to the extent that in Greater Glasgow, a fifth of males and almost a quarter of females are now estimated to be obese, with well over half classified as overweight. Another major concern relates to alcohol. There are estimated to be more than 13,500 ‘problem alcohol users’ resident within Glasgow City. Since the beginning of the 1990s, there has been a striking increase in numbers of alcohol related deaths and hospitalisations across Scotland and this increase has been particularly pronounced in Glasgow. Approximately 300 Glaswegians die of alcohol related causes each year.
Illicit Drugs
The impact of illicit drugs is a major issue in the city. Glaswegians made up over a quarter of all Scots dying from drug related causes in the eleven year period, 1996-2006. It is estimated that at least 11,000 problem drug users live in Glasgow.
Living Environments
The impact of living environments is important for people’s health and wellbeing. Despite improvements in overall housing conditions and dramatic decreases in levels of overcrowding, housing-related problems persist for considerable numbers of residents. Road traffic usage continues to rise and is a concern in terms of sustainability and health for the city, eg pollution/air qualty issues.
Children
Children are the future of any city, thus, the relatively high number of children being brought up in potentially problematic environments (e.g. as children of substance misusers, in care, in workless households) is a concern, as are the levels of childhood obesity, poor dental health and potentially harmful behaviours (smoking, drinking, drug taking)
The Economy
The health of Glasgow’s economy is vital to the health of Glasgow. Efforts to raise income levels among those on the lowest incomes, to reduce the city’s ‘workless’ population and to improve skills and education levels would be protective for health, and help prevent further widening of health inequalities. The effect of the ‘credit crunch’ on Glasgow’s economy and in turn on health in the city is a key issue that needs to be monitored and understood.
In summary, while trends in some of Glasgow’s health problems are moving in a positive direction, other new issues have emerged, particularly in relation to alcohol, drugs and weight gain. Glasgow has high levels of deprivation concentrated in pockets across the city and this strongly influences Glasgow’s continued poor health.
Projects
The Council is involved in a number of structures and initiatives to improve health and tackle health inequalities in Glasgow. They include:
Community Health & Care Partnerships
From April 2006, 5 Community Health and Care Partnerships (CHCPs) have been operating across the City, integrating some Social Work and Health Care services. CHCPs are based in the west, east, north, south west and south east of the city. They play a key role in:
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delivering better services;
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improving health;
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addressing the city’s health inequalities; and
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contributing to social renewal.
Health Commission
A Health Commission was established by the Leader of Glasgow City Council in 2008 to look at how the city’s partners could work together to improve health. The Health Commission has called particularly for all services to focus on children and the early years and for greater engagement with communities in decisions that affect their lives and health.
2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games have the potential to deliver a positive health legacy for Glasgow’s communities. A health impact assessment of the Commonwealth Games has been undertaken by the Council and its partners to help to inform such a legacy.
Health Improvement
Glasgow has a Joint Director of Public Health, appointed in conjunction with the NHS to lead on health improvement policy for the city. Key policies have recently been developed for Glasgow on tobacco, alcohol, and healthy weight. The Council has also appointed an Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing to provide political leadership on health issues for the city.
Equally Well Strategy
In summer 2008, Glasgow had two bids to establish ‘test sites’ accepted by the Scottish Government through its Equally Well strategy on health inequalities. These aim to take innovative approaches to tackling health inequalities and to learn more about how to do so successfully. One of the test sites is focused on neighbourhood engagement in the Govanhill area of Glasgow and the other is a city-wide programme to incorporate health considerations into the planning process.
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
The Glasgow Centre for Population Health is a research and development centre that works across the boundaries of research, policy, implementation and community life to shape a healthier future for Glasgow and Scotland. It is a partnership between the Council, Scottish Government, NHS Board, and University of Glasgow. The Centre brings together people with different perspectives and draws on the experiences and insights of a wide range of people and organisations in order to stimulate fresh thinking and new approaches to improve Glasgow’s health through programmes which:
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develops a better understanding of health in Glasgow;
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evaluates the health impacts of local strategies; and
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will lead to new ways of enhancing population health in the 21st century.
Health Service
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is the biggest health authority in Scotland, caring for a fifth of the country’s total population (just under 1.2million people). NHSGGC has a budget of £2.2 billion and provides a wide range of healthcare services for people living within the Glasgow City Council boundary, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire, East Dunbartonshire and parts of North and South Lanarkshire. For further information on NHS services in Glasgow, go to: http://www.nhsggc.org.uk/
2009 brings the latest phase of Glasgow’s £1 billion hospitals modernisation programme to fruition with the opening of the New Stobhill and New Victoria Hospitals. These provide state of the art accommodation for day surgery, diagnostics, day care and outpatient services.
Living Environments
The Council is working in partnership with private and public sector agencies and local communities with a view to regenerating neighbourhoods taking account of a wide range of factors which can improve the health of the population, including the design of new places, accessibility and proximity to services. The East End Local Development Strategy has been produced using an innovative health impact assessment methodology involving the community and will feed into the positive regeneration of the Clyde Gateway project area, Scotland’s number one urban regeneration priority. The development strategy and supporting development policies in City Plan 2 will help to ensure that health impacts are taken into account in new developments.
Useful Links
For further reading on Glasgow’s health, go to the following resources:
For further reading on the East End Local Development Strategy, go to: