A London Health Commission report issued last week paints a bleakpicture of the health of the capital's children and says chronicovercrowding is a key factor.
The commission, set up by the Mayor of London to develop a strategy toimprove the city population's health, advises children's health servicesnot to ignore investing in areas such as housing and unemployment infavour of narrow "lifestyle" approaches.
The report found almost a third of all dependent children in London wereliving in overcrowded conditions, more than twice the average forEngland and Wales.
More than half of all 15- to 18-year-olds live in households withoutenough rooms in inner London, where overcrowding is three times thenational average.
Overcrowding can increase the risk of emotional and mental problems, andincreases the likelihood of tuberculosis and poor health inadulthood.
Though children's trusts were at an early stage in involving housingpartners, she said local authorities needed to use local area agreementsto "legitimise a more flexible approach", since housing, health andother partners were bound to work together.
Closer working could mirror models such as those developed by HealthAction Zones, where families access benefit advice on given days attheir local GP practice, she added. A housing worker who knew the sectorwould be more effective than GPs and health visitors writing ad hocletters of recommendation to housing services, she added.
Frank O'Friel, head of integrated children's commissioning at the LondonBorough of Ealing and Ealing Primary Care Trust, said it was vitalhousing and children's services had a dialogue to enable the sectors toinfluence each other. The west London borough has worked housing intoits children and young people's plan, has a housing representative onits child protection committee and an occupational therapist basedalongside housing workers at the local authority.
"Many children's trusts are struggling to make links with housing and alot of authorities aren't even talking to each other," said O'Friel.
"The problem is a failure to engage with the issue."
- www.londonshealth.gov.uk.
