February 2023
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This conference discussed the priorities for delivering national strategic ambitions for tackling socio-economic and regional health inequalities in England.
The discussion took place in the context of the Levelling Up White Paper published in February 2022, against the backdrop of widening health disparities in the UK, and with ongoing uncertainty about the Health Disparities White Paper.
Delegates assessed key priorities for addressing health inequalities, and possible implications of different options for the future direction of policy.
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Director, Institute of Health Equity, University College London; Professor Heather Brown, Professor of Health Inequalities, Lancaster University; and Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, Chair of Council, Royal Society for Public Health (pre-recorded presentation). We expected discussion on key issues going forward with reference both to Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On and Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review.
Overall, areas for discussion included:
- policy priorities: funding and investment - developing coherence across policy areas - accountability - the role of the Health Promotion Taskforce
- implementation:
- assessing national delivery plans - measuring the effectiveness of mechanisms and frameworks for tackling health inequalities - the CQC’s remit in ICS inspections
- how latest thinking and work on social determinants of health can be embedded into actionable national and local policy
- integrated care systems:
- coordination at system level - priorities for funding and workforce development
- use of population health methods - opportunities for commissioning more accessible services based around local need
- research: identifying priority areas of focus - filling gaps in the evidence base, particularly following advances in clinical research - priorities for responsible data collection and use
- regional inequalities: developing and implementing policy to address specific health disparities affecting individual areas - opportunities for local flexibility - the potential role of devolution
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from the CCS; DCMS; DHSC, NI; DHSC; Defra; the Department of Health, Ireland; CCS; DLUHC; DWP; Environment Agency; the House of Commons Library; MHRA; OHID; ONS; UK Statistics Authority; The Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government - as well as by parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons.
