47: How innovations can reduce health inequalities

Innovations which improve efficiency but fail to reduce health inequalities ‘hit the target but miss the point’ according to the AHSN Network’s vice chair Richard Stubbs. He is joined by three people key to the delivery of AHSN Network innovation programmes which have had a big impact on targeting parts of the population which often miss out when new products or services are introduced. After Richard Stubbs, who is also chief executive of Yorkshire and Humber AHSN, we hear from Sally Irwin of the Health Innovation Network on ‘Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles for Diabetes (HEAL-D) for adults of African or Caribbean heritage’; Laura Boyd of UCLPartners re the National Blood Pressure Optimisation Programme; and Cathy McCabe of South West AHSN on ‘Keeping urgent care in the community: How Community Assessment and Treatment Units can enable systems to manage urgent care for the frail and elderly closer to home’, in conversation with Caroline Kenyon.The episode was recorded at NHS ConfedExpo 2023 following a session in the Innovator Zone Theatre. Useful links:How AHSNs are addressing health inequalities: https://www.ahsnnetwork.com/priorities/health-inequalities/HEAL-D website BMJ Open article: Mixed-methods implementation study of a virtual culturally tailored diabetes self-management programme for African and Caribbean communities (HEAL-D) in south London and its scaling up across NHS regions in England: study protocolHEAL-D case study: NHS England » Addressing health inequalities through co-developing the Healthy Eating & Active Lifestyles for Diabetes (HEAL-D) programmeCommunity Assessment & Treatment Units (CATUs) - The South West Academic Health Science Network (SWAHSN)Blood Pressure Optimisation Impact report: ahsnnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AHSN_BPO_Report_Final_.pdf?trk=public_post_comment-text Proactive care frameworks: Proactive care frameworks - UCLPartners Size of the prize: Size of the Prize for high blood pressure (uclpartners.com)