Publications and guidance:

• The NHS Oversight Framework 2025/26 has now been published and describes the approach to assessing ICBs. NHS trusts and foundation trusts. This 1-year framework sets out how NHS England will assess providers and ICBs, alongside a range of agreed metrics, promoting improvement while helping identify quickly where organisations may need support.
• With the rollout of the weight loss drug, Tirzepatide, officially commencing on 23 June within the NHS, there is a new NHS campain to support regional and ICBs communications teams in managing local communications around access to Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) acoss primary care settings. The campaign resources include a communications toolkit, FAQs, briefing note, narrative and social media assets (to follow).
• The World Health Organisation have published a toolkit of policy options for promoting walking and cycling, highlighting the multiple benefits that promoting and enabling safe walking and cycling for recreation and transport can bring to individuals, communities, the environment and the economy.
• The Evaluation of the Better Care Fund Supprot Programme 2023 to 2025 is now available. This was a process evaluation with elements of impact evaluation at a local level, covering design and delivery, learning and potential for scaling, and outputs and outcomes.
• The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, marking a significant milestone in improving healthcare for people with a learning disability and autisic people. The Oliver McGowan mandatory training on learning disability and autism is the governments preferred and recommended training package to support CQC-registered health and social care providers meet legal requirements.

Prevention:

• Statistics on women's smoking status at time of delivery (SATOD) for England Q4 24/25 have now been released and are the final publication using SATOD data set. From Q1 2025/26 the data will come from the Maternity Services Dataset so sub-ICBs (or other commissioning entities) will no longer need to submit data to SATOD.
• A new report, 'Change in food purchasing behaviour and the impact on diet and nutrition: 2021 to 2023', provides information on trends in the purchasing of food and drink. It examines changes in purchasing behaviour and presents the impact on overall sales and changes in type of food purchased and its nutrient content.
• The results of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) 2019 to 2023 are now available. The NDNS is designed to assess the diet, nutrient intake and nutritional status of the general population. The sample is designed to be nationally representative for use by UK governments to monitor progress around achieving diet and nutrition objectives, and to develop policy.
• The King's Fund have published an insight and analysis peice on prevention. This examines what is meant by prevention, the types of prevention, who's usually involved in the doing and some of the barriers around why there's not more focus on it.
• Sport England has published a new horizon scanning report, identifying the emerging trends and issues in society, the economy and technology that will impact the future of sport and physical activity. The report highlights the challenges and opportunities and also includes a template that can be downloaded to apply trends to help with strategic planning.

Health inequalities:

• Public Health Scotland have collated a list of anchor institutions case studies, which colleagues may find helpful to read through.
• The recording from NHSE's latest Health Inequalities Improvement Forum is available on the FutureNHS website. The meeting covered items on the NHS Race and Observatory (RHO) strategy and the Patient Safety Healthcare Inequalities Reduction Framework.
• Institute for Fiscal Studies have published a report on the short and medium term effects of Sure Start on children's outcomes.
• The NHS Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme has created a number of resources to support people in non-custodial community settings, under the supervision of the Probation Service and a key inclusion health group. The resources utilise the Core20PLUS5 framework for reducing healthcare inequalities, with the aim of preventing ill health. The resources produced include five animations and posters on heart health, lung conditions, cancer, mental health and stopping smoking. Teams can download and share these resources here.
• NHS RHO have also shared a report and toolkit on communications and engagement with Jewish communities across England. The report offers several recommendation and the toolkit provides co-produced resources to support implementation.
• The Good Things Foundation have shared learnings from a research and co-design project on belief and trust barriers to using digital health services
• 'The Opposite of a Siege Mentality' report on collaborative action in Inclusion Health offers the learnings and opportunities for positive change that have arisen from the Inclusion Health Learning Programme.
• The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has launched an 'Inequalities Challenge' funding opportunity for cardiovascular disease (CVD), aiming to invest £50 million into innovative new research in CVD to tackle preventable causes of heart disease.

Training, learning opportunities and events:

• Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) Programme Development Toolkits are ready to use now and are available here. These toolkits have been designed to support Band 5 nurses and their employers in the journey to becoming a SCPHN qualified Health Visitor or School Nurse. The toolkits provide a framework to support Band 5 nurses in achieving full SCPHN registration and include a competency framework, career pathway, guidance on additional learning, and facilitate successful applications to the SCPHN programme.
• Recruitment for the fourth cohort of NHS England's Core20PLUS5 Ambassadors Programme will open on 14 July 2025 (closing on the 12 September 2025). The Ambassadors programme is looking for people working in the NHS and across Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) or wider in local authorities, the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector or industires who; are commited to improving access, experience and outcomes; have strong links to Core20PLUS5 communities; work in underserved areas, including rural and coastal regions. Introductory webinars are being hosted for Cohort four: 8th July and 10th July. Interested individuals can apply by completing the expression of interest form (available from 14 July). Hear from current and previous ambassdors here. If you have any questions please email: england.core20plusambassador@nhs.net
• SE regional Public Health group are hosting a webinar around the learnings from CVD Prevention Local Incentive Schemes in the region. The webinar will take place on Thursday 31 July at 10:00-11:30. If you would like an invitation, please contact: southeast.preventionandinequalities@nhs.net

Other useful links:

• A narrative review on the medicalisation of public health is available on ScienceDirect. The review offers recommendations emphasising interdisciplinary strategies to address the upstream determinants of health.
• Patient Information Forum have teamed up with Ipsos to launch a film exploring health misinformation and supporting individuals to help verify healthcare information.
• Local Government Association have shared the framework for the High Impact Change Model approach, which uses data and intelligence to support whole system decision making.
• The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) has published a return on investment guide, which gives practical advice on how finance staff can help to measure ROI, especially for health inequalities and preventative programmes. Alongside this guide, finance professionals can also access range of free e-learning modules aimed at tackling health inequalities.

Publications and guidance:

• NHS England has published the Patient Safety Healthcare Inequalities Reduction Framework. This framework outlines five principles to reduce patient safety healthcare inequalities across the NHS, providing practical guidance for NHS teams to create inclusive, safe care environments through improved communication, staff training, better data collection, community involvement, and targeted research.
• UKHSA colleagues have published a report that provides a high-level description of the current state of inequalities in health protection in England. The report focuses on 3 main dimensions of inequality: people living in different areas of deprivation; people from different ethnic groups and geographical inequalities. There are chapters on infectious diseases, environmental hazards, inclusion health groups and economic cost estimates, and the report acts as an example of how we can illustrate the distribution of inequality. 
• NHS England have released an improvement framework centred on community language translation and interpreting services. It is designed to support the provision of consistent, high-quality community language translation and interpreting services by the NHS to people with limited English proficiency.

Prevention:

• There have been several updates to data profiles on Fingertips
  • Obesity profile: May 2025 update
  • Public Health Outcomes Framework: May 2025 data update
  • Health trends in England (includes health trends on a range of risk factors, disease prevalence and outcomes)
  • Child and maternal health profiles: May 2025 update
• Single use vapes ban 1 June 2025: From 1 June 2025, it is illegal for businesses to sell or supply all single-use vapes. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has issued guidance and a digital toolkit for businesses.
• Resharing useful resource available on FutureNHS: 2 films commissioned by NHSE designed to support and promote the NHS Acute Inpatient Tobacco Dependency pathway
• Drinkaware have partnered with Andy's Man Club and Chris Kamara to produce a video promoting discussions around alcohol use amongst men.
• Alcohol Change UK have released findings from a study linking drinking habits to higher rates of anxiety and depression
• Royal College of Psychiatrists report on co-occuring substance use and mental health disorders (CoSUM), which identifies significant gaps in the care of individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health (CoSUM) disorders within UK health systems.

Health inequalities:

• Colleagues in North East and Yorkshire region hosted a session on recording Ethnicity and why it matters which is available to watch via FutureNHS
• Tackling Health Inequalities: Seven priorities for the NHS
• Coastal Navigators Network (CNN) have released a report Rising with the Tide: Improving Coastal Health in England that showcases scalable interventions to tackle the root causes of poor health and economic exclusion in coastal communities.
• The Centre for Ageing Better have published a report on the State of Ageing in England in 2025 which highlights inequalities in the context of age
• The Health Foundation have shared findings from research on UK mortality trends and international comparisons
• The WHO have published their World report on social determinants of health equity which includes recommendations for actions on the social determinants of health equity

Training / learning opportunities / events:

• South East Maternity and Neonatal webinar - Born in the right place. Monday 23 June at 9:30-12:00. Register here.
• ASH will be delivering a webinar on delivering hte shift to prevention in the NHS. Tuesday 17 June at 11:30-12:30. The webinar will explore the changing role of ICBs in response to the government's priority to 'shift to prevention' and will be chaired by Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund. The keynote speaker will be Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHSE. The session will take tobacco control as the case study for what can be achieved and highlight the opportunities to accelerate progress in preventing the major drivers of poor health and health inequalities. Register here.
• Gambling Harm Reduction Funding Call. 12 June at 14:00-14:45. The meeting will serve to introduce the Community Investment Programme, a key initiative of the Network to Reduce Gamblng Harms in Great Britain. During the event, there will be an outline of how organisations can access a funding envelope of u to £1,000,000 for community-focussed initiatives. Funding opportunities are with a view to support work that increases community resilience to gambling-related harm and embeds prevention and support for gambling harms into existing programmes, policies, and services. Register here.
• NHS Impact are hosting a virtual lunch and learn exploring health inequalities in high-intensity use of emergency services and improvement strategies to address them. 10 July 2025 at 14:00-14:50. Guest speaker Kate Griffiths from the British Red Cross will discuss key findings and insights from the latest report, nowhere else to turn. Register here.
• Community Language Translation and Interpreting Framework webinar. Thursday 26 June at 11:30. Professor Bola Owolabi invites you to an informative and interactive session as we launch the Community Languages Translation and Interpreting Framework for Action for the NHS. Regsiter here.
• Join the MSK health inequalities community of practice. Thursday 3rd June at 12:30. Are you working to tackle inequalities in MSK health? Join the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance's (ARMA) monthly community of practice for presentations, discussions and peer support. Register here.
• The NHS ConfedExpo 2025 is taking place on the 11 and 12 June in Manchester. The Expo covers a range of topics spanning prevention and health inequalities.

Other useful links:

• The King's Fund have published a policy brief on improving clincial coordination of multiple long-term conditions. This includes some thoughts on what commissioners and system leaders can do to enable clinical coordination.
• Raise awareness during cervical screening awareness week on 19-24 June by downloading a range of leaflets about cervical screening and the HPV vaccine.

Publications and guidance:

• New Neighbourhood Health guidelines 25/26. This publication gives details on; the new approach to neighbourhood health, making a start on delivery and summary of requirements for 25/26.
• NHS physical activity 'postition statement' on how the NHS can harness the benefits of physical activity. This publication outlines 'four ways forward' on how this can be achieved.
• NHS Public Health Functions agreement for 25/26 relating to Section 7a services has been published.
• Government launches call for evidence on men's health with a view to launching England's first ever men's health strategy.
• The Scientific Advisory Commitee on Nutrition (SACN) have published an updated evidence summary on processed foods.

Prevention:

• Updated deadline for Swap to Stop Expression of Interest 2025/26. The closing date for expressions of interest for the Swap-to-Stop scheme has been extended to Wednesday 7 May 2025. Contact Jason.Mahoney@dhsc.gov.uk or swaptostop@dhsc.gov.uk with any questions about the scheme.
• ASH have released a Roadmap to a Smokefree Country setting out the actions they believe are needed to end smoking in a generation.
• Sport England have shared their Active Lives Adult Survey November 2023-24 Report which includes data around people's engagement with sport and physical activity. The report has detail on levels of activity, muscle stength, types of activity, attitudes and how physical activity influences outcomes.
• The Local Government Association have shared a case study from Suffolk County Council around how they are using public health data to reduce alcohol availability and tackle health inequalities.
• Research report on no and low alcohol products shows the current and future trends in the consumption, sale and purchasing of alcohol-free and low-alcohol productsin Great Britain, 2014 to 2023.
• Public Health, East Sussex County Council have conducted an Evaluation of their East Sussex Alcohol Care Team. It has since been confirmed that East Sussex ACT has secured a 6-month extension in funding, with the intention of transitioning to a substantive service as part of East Sussex Healthcare Trust. Please see here for either the summary of the evaluation or the full version.
• Action on Salt have published a report on Crisps, Nuts & Popcorn and the opportunities around reformulation of these products.

Health inequalities:

• NHS Confederation have published a report on alleviating child poverty with a focus on the critical role of ICSs can play in the government's child poverty strategy.
• The Health Foundation has a range of useful data resources on health inequalities which may be helpful in supplementing other data.
• The Black Health Inequalities Summit was hosted on 26 March 2025. Resources from the event and the full stream are available online.
• The Health Equity Toolkit has been created in Newham but is available more widely to support service commissioners, designers and providers to analyse how equitable a service is.
• The Together Project aims to improve maternity care and outcomes offering resources to support parents with learning disabilities.
• Health Equity Evidence Centre published a report on the evidence around Anchor Institutes which includes recommendations on what works in practice.
• The Mental Health Foundation have released an updated report on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees in the UK.

Training, learning opportunities and events:

• Obesity Pathway Innovation Work - Innovate UK are looking to help shape new and innovative community-based care pathways to improve access to weight management services. A recording of the original webinar to launch the work can be found here.
• The Health Foundation is hosting a webinar 'How can we tell more powerful stories about health and health inequalities?': 20 May 11:00. Register here.
• Watch the NHS Confederation recording on 'Health inequalities - the benefits of community engagement' exploring the impact of proactive patient engagement. Find the slides and recording here.
• Also on the NHS Confederation 'Addressing the wider determinants of health - exploring the impact of social prescribing on health inequalities'. Covers how the increased skill mix provided by the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) enables general practice to support patients with the wider determinants of health. Watch the recording here.
• Centre for Homelessness Research and Practice (CHRP) based at the University of Southampton are organising a conference showcasing the diverse voices, innovative projects, and research that push the boundaries of what's possible in homelessness support and intervention. 11 June at Mary Ward House in London. The full agenda will be released in May but will cover all of the following in relation to homelessness: Neurodivergence, climate, gender specific challenges, workforce development and co-creation. Register for the event here. Any queries can be directed to chrp@soton.ac.uk.
• Applications to join the Population Health Fellowship's 5th Cohort are open until 27 June 2025. This opportunity supports improving the physical and mental health outcomes and wellbeing of people, while reducing health inequalities within and across a defined population.

Other useful links:

• British Red Cross have analysed attendance at A&E in Dorset to highlight the importance of addressing health inequalities.
• Report on the direction of AI Innovation in the UK from the Institute for Public Policy Research and how AI might be useful. There is a case study included specifically on Public Health which may be of interest.
• The South East School of Public Health have published their annual report showcasing its public health and wider public health workforce development programmes and activities.

A message from Professor Bola Owolabi, Director - National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, NHS England

The success of NHS ConfedExpo earlier this month truly highlighted how healthcare inequalities improvement has moved centre stage. Around a quarter of all sessions focused on tackling inequalities — clear evidence of its ever-growing importance. 

On Wednesday, I joined the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in Blackpool where he spoke about the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan’s focus on addressing health inequalities. This moment confirmed what we have known all along – our shared purpose and tangible action is making a difference. 

The day before the speech, I travelled across Sheffield on the 83 bus route with BBC’s Naga Munchetty. Despite the stark disparities across the city, we are starting to see the dial turn on tackling health inequalities and can be optimistic in the enormous progress being made to reduce the life expectancy gap.  

On World Sickle Cell Awareness Day on 19 June, I attended the launch of the NHS Race and Health Observatory's Sickle cell comparative review to inform policy report at the House of Lords. This seminal report contrasts sickle cell care with other rare genetic diseases and presents evidence-driven recommendations to tackle inequalities. 
 
I welcome the report’s recommendations in striving for better data, better support and better treatment for sickle cell patients. We are making great progress, such as through gene-editing therapy and the recent investment in cell exchange therapy. But alongside this, we need to work to ensure every sickle cell patient receives the exceptional healthcare they need and deserve.  

As many of you know, this will be my final newsletter as I prepare to leave NHS England on 4 July for my new role at the Care Quality Commission. Together, we have built something truly remarkable – our Core20PLUS5 approach has become embedded across the NHS, we have worked to include our health inequalities metrics in the NHS Performance Assessment Framework, and healthcare inequalities has moved from the periphery to the core of NHS priorities. 
 
None of this would have been possible without the tireless commitment of our NHS colleagues, partners, and most importantly, the communities we serve. Our shared vision of exceptional quality healthcare for all through equitable access, excellent experience and optimal outcomes will continue to guide this vital work. 

As we look forward to the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan, there is ample opportunity to make continued impact in giving a voice to the seldom heard and shifting rhetoric into real-world change. 

With my deepest gratitude and very best wishes, 
Bola 

Latest updates

Health inequalities sessions at ConfedExpo

On 11 and 12 June, the Health Inequalities Improvement Programme headed to Manchester to attend ConfedExpo - the UK's leading health and care conference, bringing together over 5,000 healthcare professionals.

Hannah Baird, Sara Javid and Aoife Molloy from the team all delivered panels and presentations on topics such as high intensity use, leadership in health equity, and the Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme respectively. While Professor Bola Owolabi led sessions on closing the health inequality gap in rare diseases, implementing the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and discussing how reducing health inequalities will shape the future.

As a team, we were heartened to see the high attendance at these sessions and the great contributions from the audience with innovate ideas around ending health disparities.

Watch the catch-up sessions here.

What Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia can teach us about community, choice, and carriers

A blog has been published exploring how genetic counselling can empower those who may be carriers of inherited blood disorders. The author, Dr Rossby Awadzi, is a GP trainee and Sickle Cell Clinical Fellow at NHS England with a passion for red cell medicine.

Read the blog and share with your networks now

Professor Bola Owolabi visits Fleetwood Primary Care Network to see how mental health initiatives are helping children and young people to thrive

On 10 June, Professor Bola Owolabi visited Fleetwood Youth Hub and two local schools to hear more about the 'Thrive' initiative, and how joint working across health and education is working with regard to children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Speaking about her visit to Fleetwood, Professor Owolabi said: “This is a wonderful example of neighbourhood health in action, built on community voices, powered by partnership, and delivered with commitment and authentic leadership.”

Read the full press release

Watch Professor Bola Owolabi visit Thistlemoor Medical Centre

Professor Bola Owolabi visited Thistlemoor Medical Centre in Peterborough on 21 May to open its new Health Pod and Endoscopy Unit. 

The award-winning centre has used an inclusion health approach to narrow the health inequalities gap in its local community, constantly pushing the frontiers to provide exceptional quality healthcare for all through equitable access, excellent experience and optimal outcomes.
 
Hear from Professor Owolabi about her visit. 

NHS England and Pathway launch report on inclusion health for homeless

Homeless and inclusion health charity Pathway has launched a report, 'The Opposite of a Siege Mentality - Collaborative Action on Inclusion Health'. Funded by NHS England, it draws on the experiences and insights of local health systems across England working to tackle extreme health inequalities. 

Professor Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, said: “No single organisation, profession or sector can reduce health inequalities for inclusion health groups in isolation...The multiple interacting causes of social exclusion and ill health in inclusion health groups require cross-sector, interagency working within ICSs, and through strategic coproduction with people with lived experience.”

Sickle cell patients to get better treatment after £9 million boost

Patients with sickle cell disease are set to benefit from quicker and more accessible treatment thanks to major upgrades to life-saving technology. Backed by a £9 million investment from NHS England, the government is set to transform apheresis services - a specialised set of treatments which remove harmful components from a patient’s blood - by funding more specialist treatment centres, as well as expanding access to cutting-edge technology.

Find out more

Fourth cohort of Core20PLUS Ambassadors opens 14 July

Recruitment for the fourth cohort of NHS England's Core20PLUS Ambassadors Programme will open on 14 July.

We are looking for people who are working in the NHS and across Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) or wider in local authorities, the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector or in industry who:
are committed to improving access, experience and outcomes
have strong links to Core20PLUS communities 
work in underserved areas, including rural and coastal regions

Please notify your networks to help us spread the word. Recruitment opens 14 July and closes 12 September 2025. Interested individuals can apply by completing the expression of interest form (available from 14 July).

If you have any questions, please email england.core20plusambassador@nhs.net

Return on investment (ROI) guide and e-learning modules available

The Healthcare Financial Management Association has published a return on investment guide, which gives practical advice on how finance staff can help to measure ROI, especially for health inequalities and preventative programmes.

Alongside this guide, finance professionals can also access range of free e-learning modules aimed at tackling health inequalities. Further courses for all NHS staff on reducing healthcare inequalities in sickle cell disease and the Core20PLUS5 approach are on the NHS Learning Hub.

Core20PLUS5 health on probation animations and posters

People in non-custodial community settings, under the supervision of the Probation Service, are a key inclusion health group. They experience significant health inequalities with multiple disadvantages.

To support them, the NHS Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme has created a number resources linked to the Core20PLUS5 framework for reducing healthcare inequalities, with the aim of preventing ill health. The resources produced include five animations and posters on heart health, lung conditions, cancer, mental health and stopping smoking.

Download and share these resources to help tackle health inequalities faced by people in probation settings in your local area.

Download the resources

Home testing kits for lifesaving checks against cervical cancer 

The government is to offer home-testing kits as part of the cervical screening programme under its upcoming 10 Year Health Plan. Women and people with a cervix across England who haven’t come forward for vital health checks will be offered home-testing kits as part of the cervical screening programme under the upcoming 10 Year Health Plan.

Find out more

The Oliver McGowan Code of Practice: Transforming Care for People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People

The Department of Health and Social Care has launched the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice, marking a significant milestone in improving healthcare for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is the government's recommended training package. Over 3 million people have already completed the first part and there are now more than approved 2,700 trainers delivering interactive sessions for part 2 nationwide.

NIHR: Be Part of Research - How you can help

'Be Part of Research' is National Institute for Health and Care Research's (NIHR) flagship initiative to encourage public participation in health and care research.
The campaign  focuses on increasing participation from under-represented communities, ensuring research benefits and works for everyone. The campaign highlights the importance of research and the people who make it possible. Increased participation helps the NHS develop treatments, technologies and services that work better for everyone.

Reasonable adjustment patient flags

NHS England is introducing changes to Reasonable Adjustment Patient Flags.  The Learning Disability and Autism – Health Improvement team is proactively onboarding local IT suppliers by asking them to read the Developer Catalogue - Patient Flags and register their interest to begin onboarding the Patient Flag API register. 

News from our partners

NHS RHO launches sickle cell comparative review report

NHS Race and Health Observatory has launched its Sickle cell comparative review to inform policy report, revealing striking inequalities often reflected in the experiences of patients living with sickle cell, and providing evidence-based recommendations to tackle inequalities. 

£50m funding call to tackle inequalities in cardiovascular disease

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has launched an ‘Inequalities Challenge’ funding opportunity for cardiovascular disease (CVD), aiming to invest £50 million into innovative new research in CVD to tackle preventable causes of heart disease. 

Good Things Foundation report: Belief and trust barriers to using digital health services

Good Things Foundation has published Belief and trust barriers to using digital health services: learning from a research and co-design project. The report explores how concerns about privacy, data use, and quality of care affect people’s willingness to engage with digital health services.

The King's Fund: New five-year corporate strategy

The King's Fund has delivered a new five-year strategy that represents pressing issues where a big shift is required to deliver positive change for people. Find out what Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive of The King's Fund, thinks about the new vision for people and patients. 

NHS SCW produce report on the Core20PLUS Connectors programme

NHS South, Central and West (NHS SCW), in collaboration with NHS England's Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, has released a report covering the full scope of the Core20PLUS Connectors programme. 

Men's Health Strategy for England: call for evidence

The Department of Health and Social care is calling for evidence to inform a Men's Health Strategy for England. The closing date for comments is 17 July 2025.

The Strategy Unit: Scoping a Health Needs Assessment for Adults on Probation in England

A report from The Strategy Unit explores these issues around health inequalities for people under supervision of the probation service. It sets out recommendations for commissioning and delivering a national health needs assessment to address the data gap and support local health needs assessments for the probation population.

Doctors of the World UK launches 'Safe Surgeries' toolkit

Explore the 'Safe Surgeries' toolkit for clinicians that provides practical guidance, useful tips, and signposting to further resources to support clinicians to deliver informed, compassionate, and person-centred care to those navigating the asylum system.

Digital Poverty Alliance launches inquiry into digital inclusion and health

The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) has launched its Inquiry into Digital Inclusion and Health. A call for evidence is open until 30 July to understand how digital exclusion is shaping outcomes, and to inform the changes needed to make digital health truly inclusive. 

Events and webinars
Addressing belief and trust barriers in accessing digital health
Tuesday 1 July - 12:00pm | Online 
Join this important conversation on digital inclusion and trust in healthcare, following the recent release of “Belief and trust barriers to using digital health services” by Good Things Foundation (GTF). The GTF invites you to an online event exploring the concerns that prevent many people from confidently using digital health services - and how we can address them together.
Register via Eventbrite.

NHS IMPACT lunch and learn: high intensity use of emergency departments
Thursday 10 July - 2:00pm - 2:50pm | Online 
Join this interactive session to hear about the British Red Cross' work to better support people who frequently attend emergency departments. It is hosted by Professor Amar Shah.
Register for free now.

Artificial intelligence events
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ambassador Network is holding a couple of events on AI usage in healthcare. Join the AI Ambassador Network which will automatically register you for the meetings.
Introduction to AI: Concepts, everyday usage and best practice - An AI Ambassador Network spin-off session, 30 June 2025, 11.00 - midday
Monday 30 June - 11:00am | Online 
David Wilcock – NHS London Central and West, will introduce AI from concepts through to usage scenarios. 
AI Ambassador network meeting: National perspectives on AI and more
Wednesday 2 July - 10:30am | Online 
Featuring guest speakers Dominic Cushnan, Deputy Director for AI and Sarah Culkin, Deputy Director of Data Science, NHS England. 

Have you seen?

Professor Bola Owolabi at The Health and Social Care Committee's meeting on Black Maternal Health, alongside representatives from the Royal College of Midwives, the Department of Health and Social Care, and more. Watch it on parliamentlive.tv.
 

A message from Professor Bola Owolabi, Director - National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, NHS England

I hope you had a restful Easter break. 

At the end of March, I had the pleasure of co-chairing a joint NHS England and Nuffield Trust roundtable on addressing inequalities in children’s oral health.

We heard examples of best practice about supervised toothbrushing in schools in Sittingbourne, innovation in Suffolk and in Blackburn with Darwen, where oral healthcare and dentistry is being made available to the most deprived communities through courageous leadership and strong partnerships. 

The recently announced funding for supervised tooth brushing schemes is a powerful enabler for initiatives such as these and strengthens our ambitions to reduce health inequalities in oral health as outlined in the Core20PLUS5 approach for children and young people. 

On 8 April, I visited the recently opened Brixton Blood Donor Centre in south London. The need for more people to give blood - especially those of Black Caribbean and Black African heritage -has never been greater. The centre is exceeding expectations on the number of donors coming through its doors, thanks to the brilliant work of our colleagues at NHS Blood and Transplant. 

The service demonstrates how we can create services that are culturally competent, equitably accessible and genuinely responsive to people’s needs. When we involve people in designing their care, it works.  

Blood donations provide life-saving treatment for those with inherited blood conditions. On 8 May, we will mark International Thalassaemia Day. The work of donation centres such as Brixton are vitally important in reducing health inequalities for people living with thalassaemia. Encouraging donations from all communities enables closely matched blood donations that reduce the risk of adverse reactions in people needing regular transfusions. 

I wish you a productive and successful month ahead. 

With best wishes, 
Bola

Latest Updates

Professor Bola Owolabi visits community-designed blood donor centre

On 8 April, Professor Bola Owolabi visited the newly opened Brixton Blood Donor Centre in south London. The centre has been designed to welcome the local community to give blood by creating a friendly and comfortable community environment.

Professor Bola visited the fantastic team on the ground who are championing Black heritage donors and driving more genetic testing and future blood matching. 

Keep your eyes peeled for our video of the visit coming soon!

Reducing healthcare inequalities in cervical cancer

NHS England has published 'Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 - plan for England', which sets out how improving equitable uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening can help eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.

One of the five themes, reducing inequalities, aims to address barriers to vaccination and screening services for underserved communities and supports the 'early cancer diagnosis' clinical area of focus of the Core20PLUS5 approach.

How physical activity can reduce health inequalities

NHS England has produced a resource on harnessing the benefits of physical activity that highlights the evidence base for embedding physical activity across systems and communities.

It empowers health and care professionals to reduce inequalities in health outcomes and align clinical pathways to the Core20PLUS5 approach by promoting physical activity.

Editorials raise awareness of sickle cell disorder

NHS editorials on sickle cell disorder (SCD) have been featured in Pride, African Voice and The Voice publications.

Featuring perspectives from both clinicians and patients, the articles raise awareness of SCD and encourage blood donation to save lives.

Podcast addresses health inequalities in primary care

Primary care colleagues including GPs, practice managers and community pharmacists have shared how digital technology is being used to address known health inequalities by increasing access to NHS services.

Listen to the podcast, or read the transcript, for episode two on the NHS England - North East and Yorkshire website.

Campaign resources available for International Thalassaemia Day

NHS England has created campaign resources for International Thalassaemia Day on 8 May to help you raise awareness of the condition. To request a copy, please email england.sicklecellreview@nhs.net.

Entries open for HSJ reducing healthcare inequalities award

Has your NHS organisation worked in an innovative or creative way to reduce healthcare inequalities, especially those which align with the Core20PLUS5 approach?

The Health Service Journal Awards 2025 is calling for entries to its 'Innovation and Improvement in Reducing Healthcare Inequalities' award before the deadline of 30 May.

Start your entry now on the HSJ Awards website.

News from our partners

Eight insights into Core20PLUS5 Connectors system change

The Health Creation Alliance has published 'Sustainability Leading to System Change Report', which highlights the value of the Core20PLUS5 Connectors programme and contains eight insights into how systems can help continue service redesign and system change.

NHS Race and Health Observatory strategy 2025-2027 published

The NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO) has published its strategy for 2025-2027.

Incorporating feedback and engagement from partners, stakeholders, patients and communities, it frames more equitable healthcare with robust and co-designed ambitions.

Read the strategy on the NHS RHO's website

Community-led project to reduce health inequalities publishes report

Community-led project Partnership for Black People's Health, hosted by Queen Mary University of London, has published a report on the importance of engaging Black African and Black Caribbean communities in research to reduce health inequalities.

Bridging Hearts: addressing health inequalities in heart health

The British Heart Foundation has published 'Bridging Hearts: addressing inequalities in cardiovascular health and care', which considers how level of deprivation, sex and ethnicity can impact a person's cardiovascular health. 

The Safety Gap report: addressing inequalities in sensory impairments

The Patient Safety Commissioner has published 'The Safety Gap', a report which addresses safety and accessibility challenges faced by patients with sensory impairments when using medicines and medical devices.

Select committee report: 'England's Homeless Children' released

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has released a report considering the experiences of homeless children in temporary accommodation.

NHS Confederation publishes alleviating child poverty briefing

NHS Confederation's 'Alleviating child poverty' briefing explores the critical role integrated care systems can play in the government's child poverty strategy.

Stroke Association report reveals inequalities in lifechanging treatments

The Stroke Association has published 'Unlocking potential: a bold vision for stroke care in England', which considers some of the outstanding challenges for the NHS and its partners in ensuring equity of access to lifechanging treatments.

Events and Webinars

NHS ConfedExpo 2025 agenda now live: book your pass today!
11 and 12 June 2025 | Manchester Central

Join over 5,000 peers and system partners at NHS ConfedExpo, the UK’s leading health and care conference.

The agenda lists over 170 sessions including thought-provoking keynotes, panel discussions and interactive workshops. Professor Bola Owolabi, director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, is taking part in a number of panels and there will be a health inequalities theatre across both days.

Book your pass today. NHS, local authority and wider public sector staff are eligible for a free ticket. 

The King's Fund: Tackling health inequalities: mission impossible?
Tuesday 6 May 2025 | The King's Fund, London W1G 0AN

This conference will discuss how those working in the health and care system can make a difference to inequalities, particularly in context of the government's plans to develop a 10-year plan for health.
You can book your place here.

HSJ Reducing Health Inequalities Forum
Monday 19 May 2025 | Park Regis, Birmingham

Join leaders across the healthcare spectrum to focus on embedding health equity through the lens of the government's upcoming 10 year health plan. This year's agenda emphasises the need for a cohesive, long-term approach to address health inequalities.

Register for your place now.

Have you seen?

Dr Brenda Hayanga's blog on the challenges of accessing high-quality, disaggregated ethnicity data, and how innovative methods can be used to reduce racial and ethnic health inequalities. 

You can read the blog post on the The Race Equality Foundation's website.

A message from Professor Bola Owolabi, Director - National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, NHS England
On 9 March we marked a UK-wide COVID-19 Day of Reflection, remembering the tens of thousands of people who lost their lives in the pandemic. With underserved communities disproportionately affected due to different factors, the day reminded us of the importance of understanding the uneven impact of such health emergencies.

The day was also a chance to pay tribute to the unrelenting, selfless and intensive efforts made by NHS and healthcare staff to save lives. The NHS response to the pandemic felt the full gaze of public scrutiny, and our brilliant people rose to the challenge. 

During this time, we developed many innovative approaches to care, from mutual aid agreements between organisations to the greater use of virtual appointments. It is important that we continue to apply these lessons to evolving priorities, to ensure no one is left behind by our services.  

Earlier this month, I joined the biennial Sciana Global Health Leaders Network in Copenhagen to explore innovative approaches to public health. It was great to hear from Dr Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation’s Regional Director for Europe, about the strategic challenges we all face – another reminder that there can be no global health security without global health equity.   

This week, I attended two important summits that addressed health inequity. The Black Health Inequalities Summit was a great chance to reflect on some of the inspiring ways that communities are developing local solutions to tackle health inequalities. And my panel session at the UK Health Security Agency conference allowed us to imagine a future model health system with health equity embedded at its core and how we can make this a reality.               

Lastly, most of you will have seen recent news about NHS England. With this background of organisational transition, I can assure you that our team will continue to champion and deliver vital healthcare inequalities improvement work. Our mission remains as critical as ever: exceptional quality healthcare for all, through equitable access, excellent experience and optimal outcomes.

With best wishes, 
Bola

Good practice from local teams

'Was not brought' AI tool reduces barriers to children's hospital attendance 
The Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust's 'Was Not Brought' intervention uses an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to predict the likelihood of a child not being brought to their outpatient appointment. 
'Was Not Brought', which was established to address the COVID-19 backlog in paediatric care, allows service improvement and outpatient teams to target support to families, e.g. providing access to transport.
The AI tool removes barriers to attendance by using sixty variables to predict the risk, many of which relate to health inequalities. The initial roll out highlighted that children living in more deprived communities, in homes where English is not their first language, and particularly from the Roma community, were most at risk.
Read more about the Was Not Brought initiative on The Strategy Unit website.

Latest updates

NHS England clinical advisor delivers equity talk
Dr Aoife Molloy, Senior Clinical Advisor for NHS England's National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme and consultant in infectious diseases, has delivered an equity talk about Core20PLUS5. The talk was part of the 2024 Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity (AFHE) fellowship.

Podcast: why health equity matters for everyone
Professor Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, has taken part in a Clinical Changemakers podcast discussing health inequalities.
In the episode, Professor Owolabi shares her insights on health inequalities in England, how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed pre-existing disparities and the innovative Core20PLUS5 framework to drive meaningful change across communities. Listen to the full episode here.

Rare diseases action plan launched
The government has published 'England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2025', a policy paper that reports new findings on the inequalities that people living with rare conditions face in accessing the health care they need.
There are over 3.5 million people in the UK living with a rare condition, which includes cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disorder. Read the report here. 

COVID-19 vaccine materials available
A range of assets are now available to share to encourage uptake of the spring COVID-19 vaccine, which is available to those eligible to book from 1 April until 17 June 2025. 
The assets include social cards, posters, A5 flyers, postcards, business cards and screen display slides. They are available in English and 25 other languages. For more information, please contact roopal.vyas-patel@nhs.net

National report outlines measures to improve care for tuberculosis patients
The 'Getting It Right First Time' projects team at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital has produced a data-driven national report into tuberculosis (TB) that outlines measures which can improve services for TB patients and the NHS staff who care for them.
It shares critical findings and recommendations to help reduce the burden of TB on patients, their carers, providers of TB services and the local and national health systems. Read the report here.

Change NHS: have your say on emerging ideas for change 
Since the launch of Change NHS to have the biggest conversation on the future of the NHS, over 100,000 contributions have been made and over 1.5 million visits to change.nhs.uk. To help finalise the plan, we need to get views on the emerging ideas from the engagement so far. Please visit priorities for change to have your say by Monday 14 April.

Apply for Population Health Fellowship fifth cohort 
NHS England's Population Health Fellowship is offering a fifth cohort of its year-long fellowship.
Available for healthcare and care workforces in England, the fellowship aims to develop and grow a workforce of professionals who will incorporate population health into their everyday jobs.
This opportunity supports improving the physical and mental health outcomes and wellbeing of people, while reducing health inequalities within and across a defined population. Read about the fellowship's fifth cohort on the NHS England website. Applications are open until 27 June 2025.

News from our partners

The King's Fund publishes long read addressing inequalities
The King's Fund's long read 'The health of women from ethnic minority groups in England' discusses how women from ethnic minority groups experience inequalities in health, and in access to, and experience of, health care services.

Health Creation Alliance blog post explores government's three shifts
The Health Creation Alliance's chief executive, Merron Simpson, has written a blog post discussing how the shift from sickness to prevention can empower communities to address healthcare inequalities.

Joint report highlights how racism affects health
The Health Foundation and the Runnymede Trust have published a joint report, 'How racism affects health', which highlights variations in the experience of the building blocks of health according to ethnicity.

'Lost boys' report explores divergence in boys' and girls' life outcomes
The Centre for Social Justice has published a report, 'Lost boys', which explores the divergence between the life outcomes of boys and girls, and highlights experiences of boys and young men from low socio-economic backgrounds or from certain ethnic minority groups.

Events and webinars

Support those needing translation and interpreting services
Tuesday 29 April 2025 - 10:00am - 12:00pm | Online
Professor Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, invites you to join the launch event of the Community Languages Translation and Interpreting (CLTI) Framework for Action for the NHS. 
You will learn how the framework will address healthcare inequalities for those needing translation and interpreting services. Register for the event here.

Register for NHS ConfedExpo 2025 
11 and 12 June 2025 | Manchester Central
Book your pass today to join over 5,000 leaders, professionals and sector partners to collaborate, share insights and develop innovative solutions to deliver high quality care for all.Hear from inspiring thought-leaders, share learnings in interactive workshops and discover the latest tech and innovations that will leave you inspired with new ideas to help transform health and care in your local area. NHS, local authority and wider public sector staff are eligible for a free ticket.  

Learn about AI in healthcare at ambassador network meeting
Wednesday 2 April 2025 - 10:30am to 11:50am | Online
Learn about the impact and value of artificial intelligence through an evaluation of the NHS AI Lab, AI in cardiology, technical assurance and more at the AI Ambassador Network meeting. The network is a 3,500+ strong learning community for anyone in healthcare and interested in AI.
Join the network and register for the meeting here. For more information, please email mlcsu.aiambassadornetwork@nhs.net

Have you seen?

The NHS Race & Health Observatory's survey report: 'Patient Experience and Trust in Primary Care' and briefing paper: 'The Cost of Racism - How ethnic health inequalities are standing in the way of growth'.

The UK is currently experiencing a significant decrease in vaccine coverage and an increasing risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Following the success of Let’s Talk About Vaccines training in Hampshire & IOW, we have launched a 1-day Vaccine Champions programme. This programme provides coaching tools and support to enable you to have meaningful conversations with staff and service users, to help people make informed decisions around vaccinations.

The Vaccine Champions programme provides you with an opportunity to support vaccination uptake to address vaccine hesitancy and provide education.

This is a fully interactive and reflective programme with opportunities to practice techniques, discuss experience and approaches with peers and colleagues and reflect on practice.

Apply here.

Let’s Talk About Vaccines (LTaV) is a training session to help build your confidence, skills and knowledge to open up discussions with service users about vaccination decisions in your local area.

This 2.5-hour online, interactive session is free to health, social care and voluntary sector staff within the NHS Hampshire & Isle of Wight ICB footprint. 

This training uses approaches from:

• Making Every Contact Count (MECC)
• Shared Decision Making
• Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Apply here.

The Active Practice Charter is an initiative by The Royal College of GPs and Sport England to inspire and celebrate the GP practices that champion the role of physical activity in improving everybody’s health and wellbeing. Become an RCGP Active Practice.
 
Become an Active Practice by making some simple but impactful changes that demonstrate to your patients and staff that movement is medicine, and we can all feel better by moving more. See here the practices that have already achieved their chartership RCGP Active Practice Charter map.
 
The Active Practice Charter is free to join; all you need to do is demonstrate you have taken steps in the practice to:
Reduce sedentary behaviour in staff and patients
Increase physical activity in staff and patients
Partner with a local physical activity provider
 
The initiative can be led by anyone in the practice, and aimee.cadman@energiseme.org from your local active partnership, offers tailored support for practices to achieve the accreditation – get in touch to discuss further.

Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) provides comprehensive support, advice and forensic medical examination services to people who have experienced rape or sexual assault throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Treetops is a 24/7 service operating 365(6) days a year and staffed by Crisis Workers and Sexual Offence Examiners. Most people engage with Treetops through the Police, but self-referrals are accepted.

The team of Crisis Workers offer 24/7 telephone support. The Crisis Worker can talk you through your options and provide information on the support available. In addition, they can refer and/or signpost you to a range of services including the Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) service and therapeutic support. A Sexual Offence Examiner is a qualified forensic doctor or nurse, who can provide a forensic medical examination and medical aftercare such as emergency contraception and sexual health advice. 

The service Treetops SARC provides is free to access and confidential. We will only share your details with other services or agencies with your consent unless there is a concern that you or someone else is at risk of serious harm. We have a legal duty to share information with other services if you are under 18.
We are in a discreet and secure location with free onsite parking.

Contact: admin.treetops@solent.nhs.uk

The NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Improving Together platform offers everyone across Hampshire and Isle of Wight a repository of resources and tools that support continuous learning and improvement, including local and national training and development opportunities, links to join learning and improvement networks, and newsletters and bulletins you can subscribe to. 

There is also an internal page on Stay Connected for ICB staff to access which is regularly updated with new training opportunities and improvement resources.

The Making Every Contact Count (MECC) train-the-trainer (TtT) course consists of two half days, and one full day of training. This will prepare you to deliver MECC training within your organisation, and beyond. The training is face-to-face and is not available online. Complete the application form and email to england.mecc.wx@nhs.net

The session will provide information about our service in Hampshire, outline our referral process and treatment options, as well as provide some basic drug and alcohol awareness training.

This session is aimed at professionals working with people who may benefit from drug and alcohol treatment/support, or staff members from our partner agencies who would like to expand their knowledge around drugs and alcohol.

There are four dates availble to choose from:

• Thursday 17th July 2025: 10:00-12:00
• Wednesday 8th October 2025: 10:00-12:00
• Tuesday 13th January 2026: 10:00-12:00

December 2024

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