Reducing inequalities

Here is an explanation of our Reducing Inequalities theme as set out in Strategic Plan for Fife (2016-19)

Key Aims

  • We will ensure our health and social care services contribute to reducing inequalities in health.
  • We will work with people across the different localities in Fife to improve their experience of health and wellbeing, positively contributing to reducing inequalities.
  • We will work with our Community Planning Partners to improve equity of access and provision
    of services to maximise opportunities for people experiencing inequality.
  • We will ensure that people have access to appropriate housing and housing adaptations to enable independent living.
  • We will work with partners to offer financial advice to people who use our services to ensure that they are in receipt of full entitlement of benefits.
  • We will work to reduce inequalities in access and uptake of health and social care services for people living in deprived circumstances.
  • Spread and embed poverty reduction initiatives within housing, social and health care settings relating to financial inclusion, digital inclusion, fuel poverty, employability, volunteering and befriending.
  • We will work with our employability partners to ensure that every opportunity is explored to help people into work.
  • We will work with the Fife Housing Partnership to reduce level of homelessness.

What we intend to do

We will work to ensure that services are responsive and sensitive to people who are covered by equalities legislation. The protected characteristics are Age, Disability, Gender, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion and Belief and Sexual Orientation. The key areas of activity include:

  • Ensuring that our approaches to engaging people within our localities reflect equality and diversity within each community
  • Developing the joint working with community planning partners across the seven localities to ensure that locality plans for the Partnership are aligned to the Community Plans
  • Actively supporting the priorities set out in the Health and Wellbeing Plan for Fife
  • Working to make the changes necessary to meet the requirements of the Local Housing Strategy.

Impact of what we intend to do (2016-19)

These actions will support and demonstrate progress on:

  • Increased focus on prevention, self-management and shared decision-making to improve general
  • health and wellbeing in the population and reduce health inequalities
  • Achieving better quality relationships between people using services and those providing them
  • Greater impact of health and social care services for people living in the most deprived
    circumstances.