Projects Tackling Health Inequalities Face Financial Meltdown
Tue., November 07, 2006. 12:37.
Greens call for strategy to secure key services
The battle to tackle Scotland's major health problems is being hindered by a funding crisis in community projects that deliver unique services, Green MSPs will argue in a parliamentary debate tomorrow (Wednesday) (1, 2). Greens will press Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm for a national strategy on community health projects to ensure that they are allocated adequate and secure funding.
The warning follows the chief medical officer Dr Harry Burns' annual report, released yesterday, which confirmed that alcohol and obesity remain the top public health concerns and that, "people living in deprived areas have a significantly shorter life expectancy than those in more affluent areas”. As well as tackling immediate health needs, community health projects address underlying causes of health inequalities that conventional health services are not equipped to challenge.
Greens MSPs have been contacted by staff concerned that projects were either going to fold, or that they were not operating in the way that they should due to insecure funding. Various projects across Scotland are in precarious funding situations, especially in Glasgow, but are too scared to speak out for fear of jeopardising future funding options.
Mr Ballard, Green Lothians MSP, said, "Funding duties are being passed between local authorities, NHS boards and the newly created community health partnerships leaving no-one in charge and no-one willing to take responsibility. The Executive continues to claim that issues such as obesity are a national priority, yet ministers are doing nothing to make sure that these issues are being tackled on the ground.
"Community health projects are efficient and effective. They tailor services and can really reach those in need, yet they are being left to function on shoe-string budgets, lurching from one financial crisis to another. It's time the Executive coughed up the cash so that both taxpayers and those who use the projects really benefit.
"A national strategy on community health would give the sector the standing it deserves - until there is a clear requirement for local authorities and health boards to support and protect the sector, they will always be bottom of the list when funds are being allocated."
Representatives from various community health projects will be attending the debate. Many are concerned over the increasing sense of fragility across the sector due to funding uncertainties, and many have to identify, secure and manage a wide variety of short-term funding sources.
Glasgow projects that have already closed after their funding was slashed include the Maryhill Community Health Project, which focussed on helping new mums, and North Glasgow Community Health Project, which provided services such as an oral health project. Four other Glasgow projects have had funding cuts so severe that they are going to be forced to merge.
An example of the excellent work community health projects is the Edinburgh Community Food Initiative (3). The Initiative runs innovative and effective programmes such as the Snack Attack project which supplies free and subsidised fruit to all 106 council sector primary schools and special needs establishments in Edinburgh.
Notes
1. Member's business debate in the Parliament at 5pm on Wednesday 8 November.
S2M-05045 Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): That the Parliament--
recognises the great importance of community health projects in tackling the health problems that our nation faces; believes that community, independent and voluntary sector organisations addressing health inequalities play a crucial role in meeting the Scottish Executive’s targets on health improvement; in particular, congratulates the Edinburgh Community Food Initiative on 10 years of working to remove barriers to a healthy diet by consistently developing innovative and effective programmes such as the Snack Attack project; notes that the future of this project, like many others, depends on its ability to continue to identify, secure and manage a wide variety of short-term funding sources; notes with concern the sense of fragility across the sector due to the uncertainty inherent in the funding system, and considers that the Executive should show much greater support to community health projects and act to reduce the financial insecurity that they are forced to face.
2. General background info:
Community health projects are defined by the national network for CH as: "community, independent and voluntary sector organisations addressing health inequalities" They generally operate in deprived areas, note the importance of community involvement.
- most projects are funded by a mixture of NHS, Executive and local authority money, meaning they spend lots of time managing funding streams and new initiatives, dealing with bureaucracy
- The NHS is restructuring to create Community Health Partnerships (not the same as Community Health projects) which are basically a new level of management designed to co-ordinate care in a geographical area and link up social services, primary care etc. It means that the way funding is coming to some community health projects is changing, and there is concern that it is having a negative impact.
- Because they are community/voluntary sector run, most projects only get 1-3 year funding at a time which puts workers under a high degree of stress as well as being inefficient in terms of start-up costs, short-termist planning etc.
3. See Snack Attack on the Edinburgh Community Food Initiative website.
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.