Limerick interagency leaders meet Mayor of Manchester in ongoing efforts to establish Health Equity Region
NOVEMBER 10, 2025: A TEAM of interagency leaders from Limerick met Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, in Dublin as part of continued efforts to establish Ireland’s first ever Health Equity Region.
The Limerick Health Equity Oversight Group*, comprising senior leaders from more than a dozen organisations and agencies in Limerick and established by Limerick City and County Council and HSE Mid West, met with Mayor Burnham and Manchester City Council leader, Bev Craig, to learn about Manchester’s work to reduce health inequalities, including its eight years as a Marmot Place.
This followed an informative meeting with Mayor Burnham, Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram, leaders of the UK medtech, and members of the Oversight Group who held a roundtable discussion on the Irish healthcare landscape.
A Marmot Place is a framework—created and pioneered by UK Public Health expert, Professor Sir Michael Marmot—that enables local authorities, public services, and organisations to prioritise the reduction of health inequalities in the community.
The vision is to create a fairer, healthier Limerick by addressing the social determinants of health (SDH), which is a shared priority for Limerick City and County Council and the HSE. SDHs are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, and live. Examples include housing, employment, and education. This approach is recognised and supported by the World Health Organization.
The Oversight Group will commence its work focusing on the Marmot Principle of giving every child the best start in life. It is one of eight principles**.
The initial focus will be in South and North Limerick City, including the city centre, which covers a population of 75,986. Of this population, 36.4% are disadvantaged. In Ireland, the degree of disadvantage is determined by education, employment, housing, and family status. Those living in extreme disadvantage has nearly tripled between 2016 and 2022, according to the latest CSO Census data.
The only two ‘extremely disadvantaged’ electoral districts in Ireland, are within this relatively small area. People living in disadvantaged circumstances are known to have poorer health, and shorter lives. The Oversight Group has been established in order to collaborate with communities to improve their health outcomes.
Manchester is one of many cities in the UK to also have adopted a Health Equity approach to collaborative community-focused action. The aim of this week’s roundtable discussion with Mayor Burnham was to gain useful insights into how Limerick can adopt an internationally-recognised framework of co-producing public services with the community, with the ultimate goal of reducing health inequalities and learning from Manchester’s long standing track record in this area.
Mayor Burnham, who served as Health Secretary, spoke about the importance of place-based solutions and community engagement for designing health initiatives, in addition to having equal partnerships between statutory agencies and community and voluntary sector.
Mayor of Limerick, John Moran and HSE Mid West Regional Executive Officer (REO), Sandra Broderick met in December 2024 to agree on this long-term vision. Limerick City and County Council and the HSE are co-sponsors of this programme.
Comments from Mayor of Limerick, John Moran: “I cannot as a leader stand passively over the record we have in Limerick when it comes to health inequalities between our communities. We know we need to push for braver action. This is another small step towards that process and ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, has equal health opportunity in Limerick. When I met Mayor Burnham in Manchester on a previous engagement earlier this year, I was struck by not only how much he shares my passion for addressing inequality, but the progress Manchester has made in doing it. I think Mayors see these problems more clearly in their cities than national ministers can. I was thrilled to welcome him to address the group and share thoughts and ideas. I would again like to thank all participants of the group, particularly the HSE, who along with ourselves in Limerick City and County Council are truly grasping the nettle in beginning this work.”
HSE Mid West Regional Executive Officer, Sandra Broderick said: “It was an invaluable experience to learn from a global leader Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham in building a healthier, fairer city. The challenges facing our population’s health and wellbeing demand more than healthcare interventions alone. The work of the Oversight Group to date clearly highlights the need for an interagency, community-centred approach to better support our most vulnerable citizens.
“This presents a vital opportunity to unite our efforts and ensure our actions truly reflect the needs and aspirations of the people we serve. We are committed to supporting Mayor John Moran, in making the Mid West an even better place to live, work, and learn. The Mid West Region should aspire—like Manchester—to become Ireland’s first designated prevention demonstrator area: one that leads with vision, focuses on prevention over treatment, and breaks the cycle of ill health caused by socioeconomic disadvantage. We must be bold and persistent in our pursuit of fairness, ensuring resources and opportunities are aligned to the needs of our population.
“Now is the time for us to come together — to reimagine what’s possible, to give every child a healthier start in life, and to create a region where wellbeing and opportunity are woven into the fabric of every community. Together, we can make the Mid West a place that not only grows, but thrives.”
Limerick Health Equity Oversight Group Chairperson, and Regional Director of Public Health, Dr Mai Mannix: “The Mid West region has the highest proportion of social disadvantage in the country, with many communities in Limerick City still suffering extreme disadvantage. These communities are significantly more likely to need emergency care or treatment for chronic illness due to the burden of their environment, including high unemployment, housing instability, food poverty, low education, mental health, addiction and more. These are social determinants of health which must be addressed in order to tackle health inequalities in their communities. By focusing on children initially and primarily, we are ensuring greater supportive and nurturing environments that will benefit them, their families, and their next generation.”
Limerick Health Equity Oversight Group Vice Chairperson, and Limerick City and County Council Director General, Dr Pat Daly: “Limerick City and County Council is committed to playing our part in addressing health disparities across the city and county in whatever way we can do so. By bringing together partners from health, community and ourselves in local government, we are creating a collaborative framework that ensures every person in Limerick has access to the supports they need to live well. I am proud of the progress we have been making since this group was formed and I’m confident that, together, we can deliver lasting change for all communities in Limerick.”
