Bridging the Health Gap: Responding to Brighton’s Health Count Survey
The 2024 Health Counts survey highlights some stark health inequalities across Brighton and Hove.
Published by Brighton & Hove City Council in partnership with the University of Brighton, this decade-on-decade survey lifts the lid on how our city is really feeling - physically, mentally, and emotionally – and it’s a mixed picture.
Just 56% of adults in the most deprived areas say they’re in good or better health - compared to 76% in the least deprived areas - and one in four people are living with obesity. While many residents say they feel healthy, 24% reported low happiness scores and a third of people in more deprived areas had experienced suicidal thoughts in the past year.
It’s a reminder that health isn’t just about what happens in a doctor’s appointment. It’s shaped by income, housing, mobility, mental wellbeing and access to care - all of which vary widely across our city.
At The Hove Practice, we’re listening and we believe we have a crucial role to play in helping our local community.
Private care can’t fix everything, but it can support better access
We don’t pretend to be a solution to systemic health inequality. But we do know that timely access to care, a trusted GP and personalised advice can make a meaningful difference to someone's health journey – particularly those who feel stuck between long waits and limited options.
Every day we support people who are managing early symptoms, following up on health concerns, or simply taking a more proactive approach to their wellbeing. We’re deeply aware this is a privilege, but one that shouldn’t feel out of reach.
We’re working to become more accessible
That’s why we’ve already made some changes and are planning more. It all started with our relocation to a high street location - to make our clinic more visible, more welcoming and easier to access. We know we can’t remove all the barriers, but we really believe we can make it easier for more people to take that first step. That’s why we’re working behind the scenes to offer more flexible ways to pay in the future. These include:
Payment by instalment options, via Klarna
Membership schemes so people can spread the cost of ongoing and preventative care
Guidance on using insurance or employer health benefits to offset the healthcare costs
Everyone deserves to feel well and to feel seen
The Health Counts survey shows us where the cracks are. As healthcare providers, our job is not to criticise the system, but to strengthen the support around it.
That means helping those who can access private care to do so in a way that’s clear, kind and clinically sound - while continuing to support a wider conversation about what good health access really means in Brighton & Hove.
Whether you're managing a long-term condition, wanting to prioritise prevention, or simply seeking answers sooner, we're here to support you in any way we can. Contact our Reception Team on 01273 733830 or pay us a visit at our Practice at 86 Church Road, Hove – we’d love to see you.
You can also browse our website www.thehovepratice.co.uk for more information about our approach to healthcare and the services we offer.