8.1 Identify divisional, below-board level, health inequalities lead(s) to drive the agenda at site and/or service level.
8.2 Ensure a trust wide focus on inclusive recovery and operational improvement through an equity lens.
8.3 Establish a culture of data reporting among staff on health inequalities outcomes, and on the impact of health inequality initiatives.
8.4 Consider staff training to enable staff to feel confident in asking questions around demographic characteristics, such as ethnicity. Training should be refreshed, as relevant.
8.5 Ensure that care pathways are reviewed to consider the extent to which they enable equitable access, experience, and outcomes. Transformation and quality improvement approaches should aim to reduce inequalities.
8.6 Enable services to embed co-production principles to inform work on health inequalities. Co-production could include with staff, public and patient reference groups, engagement events, or similar mechanisms.
8.7 Ensure that services prioritise equity of access, experience and outcomes for the most deprived 20% of the population, inclusion health groups, those with protected characteristics (and other relevant ‘PLUS’ groups) as per ‘Core20PLUS5’ (NHS England, 2021b; NHS England, 2022a).
8.8 Work with the communications lead to review trust communications with patients (such as leaflets and letters) in response to the health literacy and digital literacy levels of your patient population. Refresh and update communications accordingly.
8.9 Integrate equality impact assessment tools across clinical delivery.