Get Rich or Die Young

The recent BBC documentary "Get Rich or Die Young" did much to stimulate debate around health issues in Stockton on Tees.

External causes of health inequalities are many and varied and require everyone to work together.

Nutrition advice and cooking skills need to be taught from a young age, awareness of and recognition of the early signs of stress and mental health issues in young people, with sufficient resources available for help to be provided quickly and effectively.

For many people living with debilitating conditions, simple advice as to how best to "self-manage" the situation can make big differences.

There is a wide range of health advice and screening programmes available but the take up rate can be low and work needs to be done to understand the reasons for this.

We need a National Health Service that doesn't just get involved when there are problems. We need a National Wellbeing Service that starts when babies are still in the womb, offering health advice to expectant parents and following through until the child reaches reception age when schools and local health clinics would take on the role of monitoring growth and development.

There was an opportunity for all Stockton councillors to discuss the issues raised by the study carried out by Public Health England at the full Council meeting in July but instead, the meeting was cancelled as it was felt by council leaders that there was nothing important to discuss. What could be more important than the health and well being of our residents?