08-07-2025
Social and economic factors having negative influences on health in North East
A doctor's prescription pad can be 'useless' when it comes to combating social and economic contributions to ill health, councillors have been told. Councillors from across seven regional local authorities gathered at Gateshead Civic Centre on Monday for a presentation on the state of the region's health and economic disparities.
Previous reporting has highlighted alarming statistics on life expectancies and the average weekly earnings per council area.
According to the NHS's presentation, not one council area in the LA7 (Gateshead, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham, Newcastle) matched the national average weekly earnings of £566. In addition, only Northumberland matched the national average life expectancy for women, 83.3 years. All council areas fell below the national life expectancies for men.
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Councillors were informed that health can be influenced by wider social issues, including environment, employment and economic success.
Medical director at North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), Dr Robin Hudson said: 'I trained at Newcastle University medical school a long time ago, and one of the things I realised over the last ten to fifteen years, is my medical qualifications are useless when it comes to poor housing, pollution, diet.
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'With lifestyle we can have a bit of influence with smoking and healthy weights, but actually the tools in my tool box are very limited. If you look at health outcomes, only about 20% of the time it is related directly to the quality of care people receive at hospital or GPs. 30% is to do with lifestyle, so alcohol, smoking and healthy weights.
'50% is to do with wider social determinants, like employment. Good employment. All those things which we know make people happy and feel involved in their communities.'
However, Dr Robin went on to say the work of social prescribers can often help patients where a strictly medical response is not appropriate. Such prescribers can offer help and advice on societal influences on people's health and wellbeing.
Dr Hudson continued: "Social prescribing has been really popular over the last eight-nine years, they work in GP practices. So when I have a prescription pad that is useless, because I don't know anything about debt management, a social prescriber does.'
The presentation also went on to highlight the work of the Voluntary Organisations' Network North East, in helping to combat wider inequalities that affect patients' health in the region.
