Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has developed and launched a new local Health Index tool to provide insight into population health at a ‘much more local level’.
The trust has developed the tool using the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Health Index and data from Northumbria Healthcare, Northumberland County Council, North Tyneside Council and other local NHS organisations. It provides anyone with population health information for each small neighbourhood, with the trust commenting that “the Index will crucially allow the trust to address the healthcare needs of the local population”.
The Index is split into three categories: healthy people (health outcomes); healthy lives (health-related behaviours and personal circumstances); and healthy places (wider social, economic and environmental drivers of health). Each category can be segmented into topics such as mental health, economic and working conditions. The segmentation goes further into 56 specific indicators of health, including obesity, alcohol misuse and air pollution.
Dr Pearson-Stuttard, Chair of the trust’s Health Inequalities Programme board, said: “Our prototype local Health Index makes clear the large variations in health and the drivers of health across the Northumbria population. Health Index scores range from 108 in Whitley Sands and Darras Hall to 92 in Blyth. The differences are even larger when looking at the domains of the Health Index – healthy people, healthy lives and healthy places – with a 24-point difference between the most and least healthy areas for health outcomes (the healthy people domain).
“Generating data about the health of our population at very small areas, that groups residents into 328 small areas of 1500 people, allows us to see the variation in health need, and the inequalities in the drivers of health, in much greater detail than before. While there are statistical challenges to overcome in future versions of the local Health Index, we hope that this could provide a framework for local health systems, including integrated health systems, for targeted action to address inequalities in health in a more effective and timely manner in the future.”
Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive of Northumbria Healthcare, commented: “The development of the local Health Index is testament to the power of collaborative working. It also clearly demonstrates our trust’s commitment to tackle health inequalities, continually improve the services and care we provide to our patients and improve the health and wellbeing of the local communities we serve.
“Having the ability to understand in detail how and why health differs between different communities across our patch gives us very valuable and powerful insight allowing us to help improve peoples’ lives and target healthcare interventions where they are most needed.
“This information will allow health leaders, clinicians and other partners to have informed and real-time discussions about health. I would like to thank everyone involved in helping to develop the local Index and look forward to further developing its use.”
The local Health Index can be accessed here: https:/
The trust also shared an overview video of the Index below:
