Greater North Kent partners seek to help improve physical and mental health outcomes and tackle health inequalities in North Kent through concerted attention to social and economic determinants of health, and working with NHS partners to shape the design and delivery of healthcare services to respond to residents’ needs.

Areas of GNK activity include:

• Investigating North Kent residents’ experience of access to healthcare, particularly primary care. GNK published two reports on this topic in February 2023 (see Resources).
  
  
• Exploring where local authorities could play a more influential part in shaping the Integrated Care System’s strategies and action plans.
  
  
• Investigating ways to streamline and secure greater certainty in decision-making over provision of new healthcare facilities and services to support new development and growth.
  
  
• Researching improved models of provision, incorporating knowledge transfer and best practice from elsewhere.
  
  
• Working with partners to identify where resources could be more effectively channelled to preventative activity and initiatives targeting social determinants of health.
  
  
• Case-making at appropriate levels, including lobbying Government, for additional resources and policy/regulatory/legislative changes to enable provision better matched to need.