Individuals and organisations across Newcastle are being urged to work together to help improve local people’s health.
In 2025 Newcastle City Council partnered with University College London’s Professor Sir Michael Marmot in a multi-year effort to better the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
And now others are being invited to get involved in achieving that aim, by joining the city’s new Fairer Healthier Newcastle network.
Alice Wiseman, the director of public health for Newcastle, said: “Health equity may sound like an abstract idea, but it is really about fairness – making sure everyone has a genuine chance to live a healthy, fulfilling life.
“When children are supported to get the best start, when people can find good work, stay warm at home, feel connected and valued, and look after their mental and physical wellbeing, the whole city benefits.
“Of course, while we have made an encouraging start, this kind of change is not something that is achievable overnight, nor is it something we as a council can do alone.
“That is why this new network is so important – It is about Newcastle coming together to listen, learn, share what works, and coordinate our efforts so that we can make a real and lasting difference to people’s lives.”
Working together for the benefit of everyone
As outlined to Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee in January, the new network – hosted on an Institute for Health Equity’s website – aims to provide a city-wide forum where members can discuss ideas and share progress and how best to have a positive impact.
It builds on the positive work by the council, NHS, charities, community and voluntary organisations, police, schools and universities, which has included:
- providing thousands of free books to children born in the city since May 2025 through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
- an expansion of the Connect to Work programme of supported employment to help people with additional needs access and sustain meaningful jobs
- investment in specialist support for staff in the city’s Wellbeing Hubs, to help them stay both physically and mentally healthy
- a new city-wide strategy to support people to be more active
- cross-party backed efforts to reduce stigma, particularly around mental illness and physical disability
- practical, tailored help to make homes warmer and more energy efficient, and to reduce fuel bills
Join the Fairer Healthier Newcastle network
Whether you are a community leader, frontline worker, volunteer, or represent a local organisation, you have a role to play in the new Fairer Healthier Newcastle network.
Joining it is free, and as well as a chance to connect with who care about fairness and wellbeing, it offers:
- resources, workshops and webinars
- somewhere to share knowledge, data and learning
- a chance to coordinate action across the city
For more information and to sign up visit the Health Equity Network website.