Dr Foster Intelligence

Treating inequalities: how local innovators are fighting the health and social care disease 19 June 2008

Introduced by Dr Dianne Hayter, board member, National Consumer Council, this issue of Intelligence showcases examples of good practice in a variety of different scenarios – from increasing smoking cessation participation to reducing unnecessary emergency admissions.

What all the stories have in common is their reliance on high-quality, timely data, and their application of new techniques and programmes of care to the health service.

Treating inequalities discusses the necessity of addressing the problem from a variety of different angles. Local interventions can be used to target solutions to specific audiences, regional programmes can be used to share best practice and address wider-spread problems, and cross-sector partnership can help eradicate inequalities altogether by addressing the causes of deprivation.

The Department of Health has pledged its continued support for the NHS in reducing inequalities, an important foundation if the work of these leading innovators is to become sustainable.

As Sir Ian Carruthers said, "One of the biggest challenges facing the NHS is how we support people in leading healthier lives. Good quality information is essential to how we do this."

Analysis throughout the report highlights the complexity of inequalities. As the NHS continues to improve its quality of care, it is important for both clinicians and managers to examine working practices and to work closely with local communities in order to identify and address hidden inequalities.

The report concludes that by helping organisations make effective use of the knowledge they have of their local community, health economy and social care environment, a world class public service becomes a true possibility.

Read the full report

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