Father and daughter walking across a street
Many of the underlying health risk factors for COVID-19 are the result of poor conditions associated with the social determinants of health. Interventions to tackle health inequalities need to reflect the complexity of how these inequalities are created and perpetuated.

Levelling up: Equality in health, inclusion and opportunity

Tackling health inequality is core to the NHS Constitution, values and purpose. A person’s chances of enjoying good health and a longer life are influenced by the socio-economic circumstances in which they are born, grow, work, live and age.

Inequalities in health harm individuals, families and communities – and they are expensive to the public purse. Since 2010 improvements in life expectancy in England have stalled and the amount of time people spend in poor health increased.

We are seeking to design programmes delivered across a system requiring multi-agency coordinated interventions with all partners and providers, in order to achieve broader socio-economic and health and wellbeing outcomes.

Together we will share knowledge, evidence and insights to increase visibility and influence on social equity and equality issues relevant to health. Through this approach, we aim to provide solutions that help tackle wider social problems affecting communities and that are sustainable in the long term.

How Core20Plus Connectors are targeting health inequalities

Hear the latest about how the Connectors programme is taking shape under the Core20Plus5 push to reduce healthcare inequalities with community-based action

Speakers:
  • Mary Hill, Head of Policy: Healthcare Inequalities Improvement, NHS England
  • Charles Kwaku-Odoi, Chief Officer, Caribbean and African Health Network
  • Sarah Sweeney, Head of Policy, National Voices
  • Merron Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, The Health Creation Alliance

How do we ensure that primary care providers have a voice in Integrated Care Systems?

Andrew Fenton, Transformation Director is joined by Dr Rupa Joshi, GP and Co-Clinical Director of Wokingham North PCN; to discuss how COVID-19 has brought health inequalities back into focus and working in partnerships to support patients across the whole community.

Services

More about this area of work at SCW

We all want people to stay healthy, happy, and independent for as long as possible. This means reducing the chances of problems arising in the first place, and when they do, supporting people to manage them as effectively as possible.