Equally Well strategy

Who are our communities?

Our communities make North Tyneside a great place to live, work and visit. The COVID-19 pandemic showed how powerful community action can be and how much can be achieved by harnessing the skills, strengths, and resources of communities.

Our communities in North Tyneside are diverse and we know that some of them face more challenges than others:

• In North Tyneside, a fifth of our residents live in the 20% most deprived areas in England. Deprivation is closely linked to poor health outcomes and educational attainment
• In-work poverty is an issue and many families are living on very low incomes – children living in absolute poverty increased to 19% (2019/2020)
• Around 6,600 in-work families received Tax Credits, as a combination of Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit (2017/18)
• The number of people claiming Universal Credit increased by 90% during 2020/21, there are 18,847 claimants as of September 2021. Over a third of claimants are in work
• 6,642 people were in receipt of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) out of work benefits for health reasons. This is 5.2% of the 16-64 age group
• Many residents (14%) are struggling to afford food and rely on foodbanks
• The number of people aged 85 is projected to increase by 15% by the year 2030 and they are likely to have increasing health needs
• At least 10% of North Tyneside residents do not have access to the internet or only have access for TV-associated benefits
• Levels of smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity are higher than the national average across North Tyneside

What do we mean by ‘Communities’?

When we talk about ‘Community’ as a term in this strategy we mean the relationships, bonds, identities and interests that join people together or give them a shared stake in a place, service, culture, or activity.

Distinctions are often made between communities of place or geography and communities of interest, or those with protected characteristics – for example a diabetes patient user group; or by identity – for example LGBTQ+; or affinity – for example a faith group, as the methods we use for engaging and reaching people may differ.

Different groups in communities can experience health inequalities, for example people with specific characteristics – including those protected in law, such as sex, ethnicity or disability, or socially excluded groups, such as people experiencing homelessness

For example, research shows that:

• People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBTQ+), for example, experience higher rates of poor mental health, including depression, anxiety and self-harm, than those who do not identify as LGBTQ+
• Older females are more vulnerable to becoming socially isolated
• People who are homeless have an average life expectancy of 44 years

Working with communities

Community life, social connections, supportive relationships and having a voice in local decisions are all factors that underpin good health.

Attempts to tackle inequalities must be done in collaboration and equal partnership with those affected.

It is important that all partners, including communities themselves, understand their potential. The assets within communities, such as the skills and knowledge, social networks, local groups and community organisations, are building blocks for good health.

North Tyneside has a proactive and varied Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector and their skills and knowledge, social networks and community organisations are vital building blocks for good health and wellbeing. We will increase opportunities to listen to and engage with residents and co-produce meaningful approaches that are:

• Strength-based, building on the skills, knowledge, experience, networks and resources that our residents and communities bring
• Built on equal relationships, where individuals, families, communities and statutory organisations have a reciprocal relationship
• Aimed at connecting people to community resources

What do our communities tell us?

The vision and ambitions for this strategy have been developed through engagement with a range of partners and, in particular, our Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector (VCSE) and with residents

A series of engagement activities, including the annual ‘State of the Area’ event, has provided some rich data about the key challenges facing some of our communities and ideas about what could have the biggest impact on improving health and wellbeing locally

Some of the main themes identified were:

• Poverty and income: restrict fair and equal access to opportunities and choice
• Education and skills: the biggest factors that can aid social mobility
• Influence and control: communities must have their voices heard and be involved in shaping interventions or support
• Connectivity and social networks: informal and formal social networks are crucial to health and wellbeing, for example befriending, volunteering, support groups
• Safe communities and spaces: some younger and older people often feel less safe in their communities
• Digital inclusion: we need to help all communities to become capable of using and benefiting from the internet and technology

Despite recognition that there is a huge amount of activity already happening across North Tyneside to address inequalities, several system issues were also identified:

• Some duplication of effort and an appreciation of the need to be more joined up in our approach
• Workforce challenges across the system, for example with recruitment, retention and retirement in some sectors
• Short-term approaches and contracts mean that it is difficult to embed approaches or services that are working and making a difference
• Having access to good quality information about where to go to get help, how to help yourself and how to access services when appropriate
• Measuring success and understanding if we are ‘closing the gap’