Primary Care Health Inequalities Short-Life Working Group recommendations: progress report 2023

One Page Summary

Progress - Highlights

• £1.3m investment in Inclusion Health Action in General Practice: supporting extended consultations, peer support and education/training
• Extensive programme of research on barriers to primary healthcare: reporting by the end of 2023
• Chance 2 Change expert lived experience reference group
• Developing proposals for multi-disciplinary Fellowships and Health Equity Focused Training

Foundational Recommendations

• Fairhealth fellowships
• Inclusion Enhanced Service
• Strengthen national leadership
• Research on barriers to access
• Invest in wellbeing communities

Related Work

• Care and Wellbeing Portfolio: cross government action on recovery, population health and inequalities
• Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships: money advice in GP practices
• Place and Wellbeing: anchor institutions, supporting communities and third sector, local voice and decision
• Whole Family Wellbeing Fund

What next in 23/24?

• Sustainable implementation of foundational recommendations
• Proposals for network of expert reference groups
• Reference Group Function, focusing on:

- Mental Health and Wellbeing

- Community Link Workers

- Primary care funding

- Financial Inclusion Support

- Digital

Why this is still important?

Further evidence on how some people and communities are being left behind, and the need for coordinated action:

• Health Foundation report (Jan 23) Health, Social Care and Sport Committee report (Sept 22)
• Cost of Living impacting on health through fuel poverty, housing, food insecurity and access to services
• Impact of the Emergency Budget Review on Primary Care Mental Health workforce plans and wider primary care budgets
• Uncertainty around long term Community Link Worker funding
• Sustainability in primary care and third sector