Reducing health inequalities

Health inequalities are the avoidable differences in health outcomes between groups or populations.

Those who are the most disadvantaged often experience the greatest inequalities. While accessible, affordable, suitable, high quality and effective health and social care positively impacts on our health, most factors that impact on our health and wellbeing – the social determinants – are beyond our health and care system.

These are the social and environmental conditions that effect how we are born, live, grow and age and impact on our access to money, power and resources and health outcomes.

Health inequalities are caused by the unfair distribution of these resources. The CORE20Plus5 approach & funding is key to our approach to tackling health inequalities, with its focus on prevention and early intervention, and complements the Well Programmes.

Please see https://observatory.kirklees.gov.uk/jsna/ for population and inequalities data. 

2024/25 Health Equity Objectives for the Kirklees Health and Care Partnership:

Address challenges across the life course through embedding the Wells Programme approach to addressing inequalities.

• Strengthen local data & insights by:
  • Show data by upper and lower deciles of deprivation as well as the average.
  • Explore wider data sharing across all Partners.
  • Partnership sharing of insight & engagement reports.
• Reduce language and poverty related barriers to accessing and engaging with services and wider supports.
• Explore the ability of the Partnership to secure sustainable investment for a core local VCSE Community Champions offer.
• Incorporate Proportionate Universalism (targeting resources to reduce inequalities) within local commissioned/contracted provision (where viable).
• Address challenges across the life course through embedding the Wells Programme approach to addressing inequalities.