Also in September:
8 September 2009
NHSG/135/09
Representatives from the Aberdeenshire Community Health Partnership Committee (CHP) will meet tomorrow, September 9, in Huntly to discuss how best to tackle health inequalities in Aberdeenshire.
Participants will learn about the findings emerging from the latest rural inequalities research in Aberdeenshire and current NHS Grampian work. They will be asked to identify tangible action to improve health and access to services for the most vulnerable people living in Aberdeenshire.
Professor Valerie Maehle is Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Care at Robert Gordon University, and Chair of the CHP.
She said: "Todays activities are critical to the future work of the CHP and offer the opportunity to determine solutions that have the potential to make a step change in the approach that is taken to dealing with health inequalities in Aberdeenshire."
The workshop is being held in Huntly so that participants can visit the recently opened community kitchen at the Linden Centre. Completion of the kitchen marked several years of work by Huntly Food and Health Group, a community based action group made up of representatives from a wide range of services and organisations.
While the kitchen is predominately about food, it also offers the means to address a broad range of health challenges including health inequalities, social inclusion and cohesion.
It was opened by Siobhan Ingram of Taste the Nation at the Huntly Hairst on September 5. It will be formally endorsed by the CHP at the workshop in recognition of the efforts of local people and services working together to tackle local health and social issues in new and innovative ways.
Financial support came from Huntly Community School Network, Marr Community Planning Group, Aberdeenshire Childcare Partnership and Aberdeenshire Community Planning Committee.
Aberdeenshire CHP manages a wide range of community based health services and in partnership with local councils. It provides a focus for the integration between primary care, specialist services and social care to ensure that local population health improvement is placed at the heart of service planning and delivery.