We must do more to address this imbalance. We aim to deliver real change, using insights from our linked data & practical work with our health and care system to ensure population health is for everyone.

What are Long Term Conditions?

Long-term conditions or chronic diseases are conditions for which there is currently no cure, and which are managed with drugs and other treatment, for example: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis and hypertension.

Long-term conditions are more prevalent in older people (58% of people over 60 compared to 14% under 40), in more deprived groups (60% more people in the poorest social class than the richest social class and 30% more severity of disease) and among black people. 

What are we doing about it?

Care City is based in London’s poorest borough and exists to improve health and the determinants of health. That means it’s our job – in partnership with many others – to tackle poverty and racism, and the insidious connections between them. Across our work, we seek to open up access to healthcare, and lower barriers of stigma, language, place, cost and culture.

Through our Care City Cohort linked dataset (data from across 5 settings of care – hospital, primary, community, mental health and social care), we can see the part that race and racism plays in il-health. We will keep measuring and sharing this gap, and we hope to see it close.

As an organisation, our mission is not defined by racial injustice, and we don’t seek to pretend otherwise. However, unless we stand together with people and partners across Barking and Dagenham to tackle it, we cannot hope to achieve the mission that does define us; creating a happier, healthier older age for everyone.

For an example of our work to open up access to healthcare for people with long-term conditions, read here about our Test Bed programme.