Designing for Health Equity

It was a measure of just how important an event this was, that many of us found ourselves braving the hottest day on record to attend the launch of the Red cross UK’s report: Designing for health equity

Hosted by Baroness Nargund (who has spent decades working on issues of health equity) we also heard from the Red cross’ Executive director Lisa Hollins , Sharon Hodgson MP, and the inspirational Sir Michael Marmot. Designing for heath equity highlights the incredible and wide reaching impact the Red Cross has made in the UK. The intersectional drivers of health inequality, but crucially also on how best to address these going forward. Outcomes were mapped according to the recommendations in the 2010 Marmot Review :

• Give every child the best start in life

• Enable all children young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives

• Create fair employment and good work for all

• Ensure healthy standards of living

• Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities

• Strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention

• Tackle discrimination, racism and their outcomes

• Pursue environmental sustainability and health equity

And all achievements examined through the core Marmot principle of proportionate universalism which states that services and resources should be universally available whilst also proportionate to need and disadvantage. As Professor Marmot stated

“I don’t call this a postcode lottery , what is happening is utterly predictable and we know how this turns out...when looking for solutions optimism and pessimism imply certainty , but hope is fears opposite”

There is certainly room for such hope as now Over 60 local authorities or 43% of the uk population is delivering change based on the key Marmot principles, and indeed have now  become self declared “Marmot places.”

The work of the Red Cross on the ground has embedded these values through initiatives with communities and the voluntary sector, through business, healthcare and faith groups. All driven by shared values to demonstrate living and breathing proportionate universalism in action; one person or one group at a time

Aware of the intersecting issues before us and  the challenge throughout the country it was also conversely a room of optimism . Sir Keir Starmer’s commitment to

“amplify the approach of Marmot cities , to ensure that children have the best start possible and to empower people to take responsibility for their own health “

must surely be the foundation for us all in the Labour party .

The Government has already made huge progress via the lifting of the two child benefit cap the roll out of the best start hubs , free school meals and our youth guarantee to name just a few achievements. But it is that shared vision alongside the on the ground work of the Red cross and others , the guiding principles of Professor Marmots review, and a room full of very warm but very determined people that left me feeling , there is indeed hope.