Briefing / Resources and funding to reduce health inequalities

Reducing health inequalities is one of the main priorities of the NHS long-term plan. The Health and Care Act 2022 enshrines this priority in law by stating that addressing health inequalities in outcomes, experience and access is one of the four core aims of an integrated care board (ICB).

This briefing sets out to explain the sources of funding available to systems to address health inequalities. It highlights the complexities that exist within current funding and allocation formulae while acknowledging the tools that are being developed to support organisations in ensuring that resources are appropriately redistributed to reduce health inequalities. Finally the briefing identifies other sources of funding that systems, and individual organisations, may be able to access to support local programmes where reducing health inequalities is a primary or secondary outcome.