North East Lincolnshire has officially become a ‘Marmot Place’, an area following eight ‘Marmot Principles’ to tackle health inequalities across its population.
An event held at Blundell Park on October 6 saw more than 180 people from over 80 community groups, charities, and local organisations come together to discuss how they could embed Marmot principles into their work.
The event hosted speakers including Professor Sir Michael Marmot and his Institute of Health Equity colleague Dr Jessica Allen, Navigo CEO Simon Beeton, and Chief Executive of North East Lincolnshire Council, Sharon Wroot.
A ‘local stars’ panel welcomed Canoe River Cleaner Jim Elliott, Dr Idee Charles of The Health Gospel, and Littlecoates Primary head teacher Nev Wilkinson, sharing insights into the work they do and how the Marmot approach can help the wider community.
Across North East Lincolnshire, the health gap between more affluent communities and those that are more deprived is significant. Females in parts of East Marsh, for example, have a healthy life expectancy of 49 years while in parts of Waltham, it is a little over 70. For men, a healthy life expectancy of 48 years is the average in parts of East Marsh while in parts of Waltham it is almost 70 years.
The ‘Marmot Approach’ is to address disparities such as this by focusing on root causes, better early childhood support, looking at health gaps, encouraging residents to speak up and help design local solutions, tackling discrimination, and for organisations and charities to be more cohesive and to work less in isolation.
Marmot does not focus on healthcare alone but has a more holistic view of addressing adequate housing, better education, employment opportunities, the environment, and the chance to play – no matter how old you are!
A success in other areas of the country, Professor Sir Michael Marmot said of his initiative: “It’s wonderful, it’s inspiring, it’s evidence of local people, local practitioners, local government, the voluntary and community sectors saying, ‘we can make a difference’!”
Lynn Andrews, Head of Nursing at St Andrew’s Hospice, commented at the event: “It is a really good opportunity to work together. No one organisation can do this on their own – we need to look at it as a collective to have any benefit to the population.
“I think in North East Lincolnshire we are in a really good position. We have been working in a health and care partnership for years and there is already that commitment around the table for working together and being more equitable to everybody. I think it will be ongoing and I am looking forward to seeing how being a Marmot Place progresses.”
Christopher Cook, a senior public health officer at North East Lincolnshire Council and Marmot lead, explained: “As Marmot plans advance, the Council will be developing a training package to help local organisations understand the approach, and how they can put it into practice. We will also develop clear outcomes to help us understand what success looks like and whether we are making a difference.
“The launch marks the beginning of a long-term commitment to reducing health inequalities and creating the conditions for everyone in North East Lincolnshire to live a healthy and fulfilling life.”
Whilst at the launch, the group also showed their support for Grimsby’s Town of Culture bid – GY28! For more information and to back the bid yourself, visit GY28 – Grimsby’s bid for UK Town of Culture 2028
Anyone looking to get involved or discuss what being a Marmot Place could mean for their organisation can contact [email protected].
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