For people living in Scotland's most deprived areas
life expectancy is 13 years less than those living in the least deprived areas.
NHS Health Scotland is working to reduce these stark health inequalities
and holistically improve public health. Julie MacDonald visited Glasgow to find out
more about their local and national work.
>> Julie MacDonald: For decades there's been a huge effort to heal Scotland's health divide.
Nowhere is the gap more visible than in the powerhouse city of Glasgow.
Health inequalities across Scotland are growing and since the 1970s
there's been irrefutable evidence that the problem is getting much much worse.
But, it is a challenge that's starting to see
some progress being made.
I'm taking a trip with Director of Public Health for NHS Health Scotland
across the city of Glasgow to find out more about the problem here
that's repeating itself across the country. >> Dr Andrew Fraser: Health inequalities is a lost potential.
Lost potential for people leading happy, healthy lives.
Lost potential for the country and for the communities.
>> Julie MacDonald: We start our journey in the deprived area of Bridgeton
in Glasgow's east end, ending up in affluent Jordanhill
following Glasgow's life expectancy map. >> Dr Andrew Fraser: There are dramatic differences, and we look
initially at life expectancy so a child born here - A boy born here
currently can expect to live into their mid 60s.
So they get to, what we think is retirement age, 63, 65
and half of their friends have died here. a boy born in Jordanhill can expect to live
till their late 70s. In Jordanhill, they can expect to go another
13-15 years. >> Julie MacDonald: I head to the city centre to meet Gerry McLaughlin
Chief Executive of NHS Health Scotland one of the organisations trying to reduce
health inequality across the country.
>> Gerry McLaughlin: We want a fairer, healthier Scotland and that's essentially what we're working
towards so a much fairer distribution of those life
chances those life outcomes, even in a city as developed
as Glasgow. Quite clearly, the way in which we distribute
our resources across the city, are really quite different.
>> Julie MacDonald: Making sure every person has equal access to support that goes beyond their health problems
is the key to solving this health crisis. And a thriving Money Advice Service here
in one of Scotland's hospitals, the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow
is improving lives. For young Mum, Kirsty Telfer, whose twins
were born at 27 weeks and are still in the care of the ward
getting financial advice and care from the team here has been a lifesaver.
>> Kirsty Telfer: One of the nurse's suggested just coming over here to see
if there was anything they could do to help. They were very friendly, they were very welcoming.
They can give you grants, they can help set up with your child benefit
your tax credits, you know, you've got enough on your plate
with the boys, you know, you don't want to be worrying
about money as well. >> Julie MacDonald: Frances McGuiness is a family support worker
at the hospital. >> Frances McGuiness: It's a very unique service.
Probably one of the biggest things we do is emotional support
to parents and carers. It could be to do with money, if you've got
problems with money and then in that case we'll refer them onto
the Money Advice Service attached to this service, so it means that
the families don't have to go outside the hospital.
Anything they need, they can get inside the hospital.
>> Julie MacDonald: NHS Health Scotland supports projects like this
because evidence shows that linking patients with an advice service
works to change health inequality so when patients and carers here were asked
about their biggest worries whilst they or their family member was sick
it was finance and not health itself, that was their biggest stress.
>> Kerry McKenzie: The money and debt advice projects were set up and that is a partnership between
the NHS here in Glasgow and the advice sector.
And what that means is that there is an advice worker
who's based here in the hospital as part of this hospital's service
and nurses are asking patients about their money worries
when they come in, and referring them to the Money Advice Service.
>> Julie MacDonald: Partnerships between the NHS, private, and third sector
are starting to bear fruit in Scotland and the hope is that by tackling
more than just a person's physical health this decade's old health divide will be broken
for good.