Briefing / Using financial incentives to tackle health inequalities

Finance staff have a key role in ensuring financial incentives are designed effectively and form part of a wider financial strategy to reduce health inequalities. Financial incentives should be considered as one tool of many, not to be used in isolation but as part of a wider change programme. They work best when they are simple, predictable, use a clear evidence base and are designed to avoid the pitfalls. 

This briefing summarises the financial incentives which are already built in at a national level, and looks at opportunities for individual systems to use financial incentives at a local level. Where relevant, the briefing considers how incentives support NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 approach on health inequalities. This is a national approach which provides structure and directs integrated care boards on which areas they might prioritise in order to have the greatest impact.