Welcome to the Liverpool City-Region Health is Wealth Commission website.

The Commission has been established to examine the growing gap between the City-region’s booming economic performance and its worsening public health status; to look at why this might be happening and to make recommendations as to what might be done to help improve the situation.

As Chair of the Commission, I am delighted that we have been able to recruit a team of highly capable, passionate and committed Commissioners, who reflect a wide range of public and private sector interests, and who bring their own unique specialisms, experience and understanding to the task at hand.

The Commission will consider written and oral evidence from a range of witnesses as we develop and refine our thoughts and ideas towards the publication of our final report in September 2008.

We are keen to ensure that we have access to the fullest possible range of evidence to inform our deliberations, and as such I would encourage you to submit your thoughts, input and feedback via our consultation form. A pdf of the consultation form can be downloaded. Alternatively, for a consultation pack, please contact the team with your ideas

Treatments which could be used:

Discrepancies in mental healthcare between rich and poor are especially evident where the NHS is unable to provide treatments. For example, erectile dysfunction treatments can be important for combating low self-esteem issues in younger men who suffer from impotence, but are not always offered on the health service. Having impotence often induces psychological problems such as depression stress or anxiety in men and can lead to a vicious which is difficult to come out of. Those able to afford a private prescription can overcome their problems more easily, however those unable to seek medical help may be left to deal with erectile deficit and consequent personal problems alone.

The taboos surrounding impotence issues also contribute to an inability to address the issues at hand. Changing public perception of erectile problems is key to encouraging men to get face to face treatment rather than seeking cheaper alternatives online such as Tadalafil, Vardenafil or the well established Pfizer sildenafil citrate 100mg dosage - otherwise known as Viagra. The fact remains that these tablets are expensive pricing out otherwise deserving members of the public.

Other expensive treatments include cosmetic improvements. Many people with body issues turn to plastic surgery as a means of fixing the parts of their body which make them feel depressed: overweight people may choose liposuction or liposculpture, and bald men will take Propecia Finasteride hair loss prevention tablets or opt for a hair transplant; older women may used botox or collagen filler to keep wrinkles at bay. Cosmetic treatments often need to be carried out more than once or on an ongoing basis meaning they are not accessible to all.

The government has pledged to close that gap between rich and poor and address the unfairness of postcode dependent healthcare. The postcode lottery – where the level of medical care you receive, the medicines you have access to, the waiting time for treatment, etc – is a major factor of inequality in prescribing. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was set up to even out discrepancies in our health service and decides which drugs are made available on the NHS by weighing up the pros and cons of providing a particular treatment versus something else. However many believe the service is flawed and that this negatively impacts on patient care. Patients living in the Liverpool area still continue to suffer from discrimination because the council cannot afford to suppl the same level of care as can be found in wealthier nearby areas such as Cheshire.

There are particular health issues which plague the Liverpool area affecting both adults and children such as obesity. These problems are widespread require immediate attention as they will soon become too big for the Liverpool Primary Care Trust to cope with. Currently servizi medici possono prescrivere Xenical Orlistat pillole dimagranti to just those patients who are obese and at risk of weight related health problems, however more must be done to prevent people from having to seek medical treatment in Liverpool’s already financially stretched healthcare centres. The Liverpool PCT has set up a health promotion service designed to address the causes of the city’s growing obesity problem combining awareness campaigns, group support sessions and local medical services.

Video recordings, minutes and documentation emerging from all of the evidence sessions are available to view in our “Interactive” section and you can also find out more about our Commissioners, our National Advisory Panel, partners, stakeholders and supporters.

I very much hope that you enjoy your visit to the site today; that you find it to be a useful and accurate source of information and that you will make a return visit in the future.

We will aim to keep you updated with the very latest news about Commission, its progress and key developments, and to keep you fully engaged with the evidential and deliberative process as we move towards the publication of our report.

With your help, the Commission can make a real difference in the development of our City-region, to our health status, to our economic productivity and – ultimately - to our future quality of life.

Susan Woodford OBE
Chair