A ten-year plan to spearhead social regeneration in some of the most deprived areas of Medway and Swale has been launched.

Members of Medway’s volunteering, social care, health care, housing, education, and industry sectors met at a conference last week aiming to raise living standards and health of its residents.

Speakers highlighted that only 20% of person’s health is influenced by the healthcare they receive, the remaining 80% is down to factors like housing, diet, income and job status, community safety, and education.

The conference was arranged by the Medway and Swale Health and Care Partnership (MSHCP), which joins together local health providers and helps them better connect with the commissioners so they can adapt care to local circumstances.

The goal of the social regeneration project is to make the health care system in Medway and Swale more efficient by reducing the work needing to be done by individual operators through collaboration.

It also seeks to reduce the strain on the NHS by improving resident’s general health earlier so problems requiring medical attention don’t develop further along the line.

Speaking at the event, Ashley Hook, chief executive of social homes provider mhs homes, said poor quality housing and the effect it has on people’s health represents a £1.4 billion cost to the NHS every year.

Similarly, Dr Natalie Goldring, head of public health intelligence at Medway Council, presented data which showed how deprivation and other factors impacted on life expectancy.

It showed that between some wards of the Towns there is a difference of 10 years for the average life expectancy.

Nikki Teesdale, director of delivery for MSHCP and host for the event, said there was no excuses for inaction and the meeting was to spark concrete plans for improvements.

She said: “We’ve all been to conferences where everyone talks about working together and agrees about the importance of collaborating.

“Then we all go back to our silos and have to deal with our separate crises and nothing changes - that will not happen here.

“Social regeneration goes beyond being just an abstract idea or a concept; it is a call to action, a commitment to rebuild and revitalise the very fabric of our society.

"Our social regeneration strategy is a 10-year ambition to reimagine our systems, structures, policies, and processes to better serve the needs of Medway and Swale."