Rochdale Borough Council's Public Health and Communities Department: embedding equity, diversity and inclusion
The core aims of the Equality Act 2010 are an important part of the work our Public Health and Communities Department carries out.
The core aims of The Equality Act 2010 are:
- Protecting people from discrimination.
- Promoting equality of opportunity.
- Fostering good relations.
The work of our Public Health and Communities Department, particularly the development of a Health Inequalities Framework for 2024-25, reflects these aims by co-producing tools that support equity, diversity, and inclusion across the council and local system.
Using the tools produced through our Health Inequalities Framework we aim to:
- Raise awareness of health inequities.
- Highlight how health inequalities are connected to protected characteristics and disadvantages.
- Take steps that aim to make sure everyone has health equity and justice.
Examining health inequalities in the borough
In 2019, we were ranked as the 15th most deprived local authority, out of 317 local authorities. This highlights the urgency of addressing health inequalities in the borough.
The borough of Rochdale faces significant challenges, including:
- Life expectancy: a gap of 10.7 years for males and 8.2 years for females between the most and least deprived areas.
- Health behaviours: higher rates of smoking (13.1 per cent), low fruit and vegetable intake (23.4 per cent), and obesity (73.3 per cent).
- Overlapping disadvantages: factors such as poverty, caregiving responsibilities, and mild to moderate mental health disorders disproportionately affect certain demographic groups, including those with protected characteristics.
Our Health Inequalities Framework will help us to understand and, take action to reduce, these unfair differences while making sure everyone is included, regardless of their culture, economic status, or accessibility needs.
Our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) helps us to understand health, and other inequalities in the borough. View our Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)
Addressing health inequities in South Asian communities
A tailored health check programme for South Asian residents aged 30-39 is an example of equity, diversity and inclusion in action.
This tailored health check programme addresses:
- The fact South Asians are more likely to have cardiovascular issues at an earlier age.
- How we can respect different cultures by offering support using culturally appropriate methods and speaking the same language.
Every year, 850 health checks are carried out in the borough, improving the South Asian community's early detection and intervention rates.
Prevention and anti-poverty strategies
Our Prevention Strategy and Anti-Poverty Strategy reflect our commitment to equity by:
- Drawing on people's personal experiences to guide our services and methods.
- Focusing on making long-lasting changes by tackling the underlying causes of inequalities.
The Anti-Poverty Strategy, for example, includes a foundation group of residents with lived experiences, making sure our actions remain inclusive and impactful. The foundation group helped shape new policy actions such as targeted food security initiatives for families with disabled children.
Inclusive public health commissioning
All of our commissioned services, including health visiting and school nursing, are designed to promote equity by:
- Collecting and studying people's background information to improve how we create services.
- Making sure everyone has equal access and giving extra help to people who are often overlooked.
For example, the Living Well programme’s team is made up of 30 per cent Asian staff, who between them, speak 6 different languages. This helps us to make our outreach and engagement equitable.
Regular Sustainability and Equality Impact Assessments guide our decision-making. Sustainability and Equality Impact Assessments make sure we always consider how our decisions help to make our services equal and sustainable. More about Sustainability and Equality Impact Assessments
Making Every Adult Matter
Our work with the Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) initiative shows how different forms of inequality can come together to make problems worse.
Our efforts to address racism, ableism, and other systemic issues are driving:
- Behavioural and systemic change.
- Collaboration across health, housing, and community systems.
For example, the MEAM network has helped homeless people find stable housing by using methods that are anti-racist and consider past trauma.
Working co-operatively to shape our services
Our Cooperative Engagement Approach aims to make sure that marginalised voices are central to our policies and services
We work with different groups to encourage teamwork and inclusive practices, such as:
Sustainable Development Goals
The efforts of our Public Health and Communities Department align with our sustainability goals.
Our vision for equity, diversity, and inclusion
The work of our Public Health and Communities Department helps us achieve our goal of equity, diversity, and inclusion by removing unfair practices and creating a sense of belonging.
By following the Equality Act and Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the Public Health and Communities Department's work promotes inclusivity, representation, and justice in all their plans and services.