A series of essays by Professor Sir Michael Marmot and other leading experts provides new insights into resolving the health and social care crisis.
The collection shines a spotlight on the scandal of people with learning disabilities held in long-stay hospitals, rising drug and alcohol deaths and other major issues requiring urgent government action.
The writings are published by Turning Point, a social care organisation which supports over 187,000 people a year with alcohol, drug and mental health issues.
Michael Linnell, who runs Greater Manchester’s Drug Information System and advises nationally on new and emerging trends, and Dr Richard Piper, chief executive at Alcohol Change UK, are among contributors to Health and Care Futures: An Essay Collection.
Public health leaders have called on the upcoming NHS 10-year plan to prioritise action to strengthen the health service response to alcohol harm. This follows alarming figures published at the end of last year, which showed in just the last four years, there has been a shocking 42% rise in deaths in England caused solely by alcohol.
Dr Richard Piper argues in his essay the importance of protecting children from all forms of alcohol marketing and the need for alcohol-free drinks to be advertised as substitutes for alcoholic beverages, not in addition to drinking alcohol.
Other highlights and key messages from the essays include:
- The vital role of community, voluntary and social enterprise organisations in public service delivery. Patricia Hewitt warns of the negative impact of trying to meet 21st century needs with a 20th century model of health and care.
- A call to cut delays in moving people with a learning disability and autistic people from long-stay hospitals back into the community, as outlined by Professors Jon Glasby and Robin Miller from the University of Birmingham.
- Professor Marmot and Dr Jessica Allen from the UCL Institute of Health Equity emphasising the need for a more just society to achieve health equity. They detail the role of ‘Marmot cities’ – places where the impact of policies and services on health equity are considered before they are implemented.
The book also features commentaries by people who have first-hand experience of the health and social care system. Heather, who turned to alcohol after being raped as a teenager, says the referral system needs to be improved and that GP surgeries should provide advice on services that can help with dependency.
Health and Care Futures focuses on themes including the critical role of political and personal leadership; of collaboration and partnership; and the importance of social justice, solidarity and inclusion.
Turning Point says the essay collection underlines the importance of working together to mobilise the current complex, fragmented health and care system.
The social care organisation adds that coordination across systems is the way to deliver services that meet people’s needs, as close to home as possible with an emphasis on prevention and early intervention alongside treatment pathways.
Turning Point chief executive Julie Bass said: ‘Health and social care faces many challenges including widening health inequalities, stigma, and the emergence of synthetic opioids in the drug supply.
‘These are complex problems that require cross agency partnerships that draw on the insight created by lived experience alongside the expertise of health and care professionals.
‘This is the key to creating the conditions in which everyone can thrive, moving forward in their lives with hope and purpose, whatever challenges they face.
‘The shared experiences and insights in these essays show change is possible.’
Click here to download a copy of Health and Care Futures: An Essay Collection.
This blog was originally published by Turning Point. You can read the original post here.
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