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

Introduction

The report of the Primary Care Health Inequalities Short Life Working Group (SLWG), published in March 2022, set out a series of recommendations building on existing learning and evidence to deliver meaningful and lasting improvements in health outcomes. There were twenty-three recommendations in total, with five 'foundational' recommendations laying a bedrock for other actions.

The Primary Care Health Inequalities Development Group (the PCHIDG) was then set up in May 2022 to take forward the recommendations, and specifically to formulate options for the five foundational recommendations. It also had an explicit 'reference group' function to provide a perspective on inequalities for wider policy developments. The membership of the group is shown in Appendix 2.

The group was initially set up for a period of one year to May 2023. This report highlights progress on the work of the group, including the SLWG recommendations, and proposes next steps. A lot has changed over the year, and this wider context for primary care and inequalities is also highlighted, along with reflections from Chance 2 Change, the expert reference group which has continued to work with the development group to bring a perspective from first-hand experience of the impact of health inequality.