Case studies

Support from Partners in Care and Health (PCH) focused on re-shaping the work of the health and wellbeing board (HWB) following a period when it lost some focus; changes made to way meetings are organised; council say board is now in “really good place” and praises way PCH peers brought new ideas to the table.

Coventry and Warwickshire’s health and wellbeing boards (HWB) had been meeting jointly for a number of years; Partners in Care and Health (PCH) brought in amid concern this partnership work was duplicating the move towards integrated care systems; focus of the HWBs and integrated care partnerships sharpened thanks to fresh perspective and challenging questions posed by PCH peers.

Partners in Care and Health (PCH) peers provided support to improve integrated working at place; workshops were held leading to two workstreams on admissions avoidance and discharge to assess. The new director of adult social services says the process helped her hit the ground running.

The London borough approached Partners in Care and Health (PCH) to undertake a peer challenge to look at how public health resources were being utilised. The Director of Public Health saw the peer challenge as an opportunity to further develop place-based partnership working. The process has helped the council know what is working and where it needs to do things. differently.

Partners in Care and Health (PCH) worked with 10 councils in the East Midlands Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) Network to improve partnership working and address common public health challenges. The Directors of Public Health and their teams completed the public health strengths and risks self-assessment tool in two stages. A range of new workstreams have now been launched; and the councils also report the support has had the added benefit of helping prepare for CQC inspections and appraisals.

Rotherham requested Partners in Care and Health’s (PCH) support to undertake the public health strengths and risks self-assessment tool. The work identified a series of strengths and challenges from community engagement to supporting members which are now being addressed. The support comes ahead of a three-day regional Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) peer review later this year.

For Cheshire and Merseyside, as with many Marmot Places, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked collective action across the region’s nine local authorities to address and tackle existing and deepening health inequalities.

In 2019, the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, already conscious of the persisting health inequalities across its region, commissioned the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) to help establish a Marmot City Region, focussing on reducing health inequalities in the social determinants of health.

Coventry became the first ‘Marmot City’ in 2013 after approaching the UCL Institute of Health Equity for support in reducing health inequalities in the city.

Every Marmot Place is different. Factors such as geography, demography or the economy impact on the social determinants of health and in turn the local population.