Chatham Central and Brompton have been found to have the lowest life expectancy in Medway by ten years
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00:00 Once a rich maritime town, today Medway is becoming more diverse.
00:06 The health inequalities are extreme, with the centre of Chatham having the lowest life expectancy for males at 73 years.
00:15 I'm not really surprised, yeah, because I think we just need to actually meet other standards of other cities.
00:23 It's quite a run down area, so yeah, it seems to get left, not a lot put into it.
00:30 It's difficult to manage everything like health, because I'm facing that problem in this area.
00:38 But if you were going to live further up the line on the 151, well your life expectancy would improve.
00:46 Every ward has been analysed by Medway's public health intelligence team. Just look how much it increases as you head towards Cuxton, where it's 83 years old.
00:59 The life expectancy 10 years greater than the start of the route.
01:03 So why is it so high compared to Chatham? After all, the inner city area is right next to the hospital.
01:10 While 80% of a person's health is influenced by non-medical factors such as housing, income and job status, deprivation in Chatham is high, many travelling to this soup kitchen.
01:23 I moved into a shanty accommodation for various reasons, and just struggled from there.
01:32 Still a lovely town, don't get me wrong, still a beautiful town, but the homelessness is getting out of hand.
01:37 I'm here with my daughter, but through Tracy and Neil when I was homeless, it was them that helped me out.
01:44 We're all struggling, so we all have to get on, don't we?
01:50 The charity started five years ago, and every month seeing an increase in the number of those they support.
02:01 There's food poverty, there's clothes poverty, digital poverty, digital inclusion, there's all these different things these days.
02:06 There's so many different problems, just to rent a house alone.
02:09 You have to be earning a lot of money just to go and rent a house.
02:12 They're in a never-ending cycle of bailiffs, debt, I can't see people getting out of it quickly.
02:18 So heading back on the 151 to Cuxton, why is life expectancy better down the line?
02:26 Cuxton is more of an affluent area, but is that all?
02:30 When you're coming off the bus, the first thing you notice is how much more greenery and open space there is here compared to Chatham.
02:38 Those who come to this community group are in a position where they're able to volunteer their time to keep the village looking beautiful.
02:52 Everybody knows each other, and whilst that might be intrusive to some people, I think it's a great social support.
03:00 Because if you haven't seen Mrs Jones for a while, you know, somebody's out there looking for her,
03:06 because you don't disappear into a vast estate. I think that support is vital.
03:13 The community spirit here is clear.
03:20 So, Mr Green's space. You can see why people would want to be here.
03:25 Now if I was somebody living in Chatham Central and Brompton, and I wanted to improve my health outcomes,
03:30 is it as simple as jumping on that bus and heading up to Cuxton and Horning, or somewhere else on the line?
03:37 The move wouldn't instantly make that difference, because some of the factors are factors to do with the person themselves,
03:43 but definitely they'd be in a situation where there's more green space around them, they're likely to have a better house,
03:48 may even have better access to health services and other services.
03:52 So yes, making that move upmarket, shall we say, would have a positive effect on health,
03:58 but they've got to be able to afford it, and there's a lot of factors preventing that happening.
04:02 And Medway Council say they have a 10-year plan to spearhead social regeneration.
04:08 It's about getting more affordable housing, we know we have to do that.
04:12 We've got a pilot licensing scheme happening so that we take people out of properties that are being used for private rent,
04:21 particularly not all landlords, but some, where they're taking housing benefit and people are in poor conditions.
04:26 We want to stop that and send a message we've got better expectations.
04:30 We've got a really big development plan for Chatham that includes new play spaces, nice new places to gather,
04:38 and we've had a big consultation about that.
04:40 Bringing investment to Chatham could see investment plattering for the more affluent areas,
04:46 to improve the inequality seen in the other wards.
04:49 I think what we need to be careful of is that we don't all come down to the same level.
04:54 We need to raise those areas up to the level.
04:57 When you take the GP practice in Cutchden and Halling, it's a family practice,
05:02 and everyone speaks very well of them, no problem getting appointments,
05:07 unlike in other areas where you sit on the phone for hours on end.
05:12 Well, the factors which have led to the differences in life expectancy have been influenced over decades,
05:18 and the further you live up the 151 route, the greater your opportunities will be.
05:24 Changes won't come overnight, and it's not the first time social regeneration has been proposed,
05:31 but speaking to people at this soup kitchen, they say that desperation is increasing,
05:37 and change is needed more than ever.
05:40 It's too complicated.