How are we addressing social class issues

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has a long history of involvement in income inequality, poverty and social issues as a way of reducing health inequality.

We are currently developing a strategy on economic and social inequality to ensure that we are doing all we can. The strategy will cover-

1. Making sure that class and poverty do not act as a barrier to getting help from health services
2. Making sure that health workers understand people’s experience of class and poverty to ensure that we do not discriminate or make people’s problems worse.
3. Supporting local projects which understand issues around class and poverty and can support people in their community
4. Making sure that the NHS can give people support with the social issues which affect their physical and mental health. This might include linking people to advice on benefits, finding work or coping with the effects of illness.
5. Making sure that the NHS is fully involved in making local communities healthier places to live and work.

Because the NHS cannot tackle these issues on its own it needs to work with other agencies like local authorities, voluntary organisations, the police, Job Centre Plus and others. For this reason the NHS is a partner in Community Planning and a whole range of other multi-agency partnerships.

Local health and social care partnerships mean that staff work together to give people support with health and social issues to reduce health inequality.