Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme

NHS England’s Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme (InHIP) aims to address local healthcare inequalities experienced by deprived and other under-served populations. ​

Project teams (comprising of clinical and non-clinical expertise) from across the country are working together with their local communities to identify, address and minimise healthcare inequalities through projects to improve access to the latest health technologies and medicines.​

These technologies and medicines are focused on five clinical areas of priority that closely align with the national Core20PLUS5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities, which includes maternity, mental health, respiratory, cancer diagnosis and cardiovascular disease. ​

Nationally a total of £4.2 million was made available to support the programme and to fund eligible projects across England. These projects have been designed and developed by local teams to make sure that those most in need within their geography will benefit from this investment. Key to the projects are voices from local communities who are guiding this work.

Through this unique approach to addressing local healthcare inequalities, InHIP is helping build new relationships with system leaders and laying the foundations for other programmes of work to adopt similar approaches.

NHS England’s InHIP programme is a collaboration between the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), NHS England’s National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme and the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) and delivered in partnership with integrated care systems (ICSs).

This programme builds on the AAC and AHSN networks’ achievements and learning to date in improving access to innovations in healthcare for the general population. ​

Local projects

This is a map showing the spread of projects and clinical area of focus. For the full list of projects (including the population focus and specific clinical pathway) please see below.

A map showing the spread of projects and clinical area of focus.

*Areas without projects did not/or were not able to submit an InHIP project proposal in Oct 2022.

Detailed summary of projects

East of England NHS England region

Primary AHSN for InHIP ICS Clinical area(s) Clinical Pathway Target Core20Plus5 population
Oxford Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management and Heart Failure Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived)
UCLPartners Mid and South Essex Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities
 Eastern Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Cardiovascular Disease Heart Failure Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived), Ethnic Minorities, Traveller Communities
Eastern Hertfordshire and West Essex Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities
Eastern Norfolk and Waveney Cancer Diagnosis Colorectal Cancer Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); People experiencing homelessness
Eastern Suffolk and North East Essex Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); rural deprivation

London NHS England region

Primary AHSN for InHIP ICS Clinical area(s) Clinical Pathway Target Core20Plus5 population
UCLPartners North Central London Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic Minority Communities
UCLPartners North East London Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic Minority Communities
Health Innovation Network South East London Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived) 4 PCNs in Bexley; Ethnic minority communities; age (18-39 year group – lower number on treatment compared to average in England)
Health Innovation Network South West London Maternity Pre-eclampsia Ethnic minority communities (women also need to be BMI 30 and over)
Health Innovation Network South East London and South West London Respiratory Asthma Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived) deprived communities Bromley (SE) and Croydon (SW) ; Ethnic minority communities; People experiencing homelessness; Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; People with multi-morbidities
Imperial College Health Partners North West London Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities

Midlands NHS England region

Primary AHSN for InHIP ICS Clinical area(s) Clinical Pathway Target Core20Plus5 population
West Midlands Birmingham and Solihull Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived) 3PCNs; Ethnic minority communities
West Midlands Coventry and Warwickshire Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); rural communities
West Midlands Herefordshire and Worcestershire Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); rural communities
West Midlands Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities; Rural communities
West Midlands Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Respiratory Asthma Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived) – 3 PCNs where >50%  patients  live in the most deprived 20%
East Midlands Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Cardiovascular Disease Coronary and Peripheral Artery Disease Ethnic minority communities (S. Asian within most deprived areas)
East Midlands Lincolnshire Cardiovascular Disease Heart Failure Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); coastal
East Midlands Northamptonshire Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway and Hypertension Pathway Ethnic minority communities; Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived)-  (Black, Black African and Black Caribbean populations of Wellingborough)

North East and Yorkshire NHS England region

Primary AHSN for InHIP ICS Clinical area(s) Clinical Pathway Target Core20Plus5 population
Yorkshire and Humber Humber and North Yorkshire Respiratory Asthma Pathway Regional variation in asthma related mortality
Yorkshire and Humber West Yorkshire Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities
Yorkshire and Humber South Yorkshire Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities;  “white non-British” and “older” working aged men within the North / North East are a local priority
North East and North Cumbria North East and North Cumbria Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management, Hypertension Pathway and AF Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived) and South Asian and African-Caribbean  populations

North West NHS England region

Primary AHSN for InHIP ICS Clinical area(s) Clinical Pathway Target Core20Plus5 population
Health Innovation Manchester Greater Manchester Respiratory; Other (inc. smoking cessation) Asthma Pathway and Smoking Cessation Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities; CYP at Royal Oldham Hospital
Innovation Agency Cheshire and Merseyside Cardiovascular Disease; Respiratory Asthma Pathway, Lipid Management, Heart Failure, Coronary and Peripheral Artery Disease, Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis Type 2 (CLN2), Hyperkalaemia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Other (Fuel deprivation, chronic illnesses, mental health mortality risk)
Innovation Agency Lancashire and South Cumbria Maternity Pre-eclampsia Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities

South East NHS England region

Primary AHSN for InHIP ICS Clinical area(s) Clinical Pathway Target Core20Plus5 population
Oxford Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Respiratory Asthma Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived)
Oxford Frimley Respiratory Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma Pathway Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities
Wessex Hampshire and Isle of Wight Cardiovascular Disease Atrial Fibrillation Pathway and Hypertension Pathway PCN’s with the IMD 20% most deprived populations, focussing on ethnic minority population most affected by COVID, people with SMI and undocumented migrants.
Kent Surrey Sussex Kent and Medway Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities; Protected characteristic groups (women 40-59)
Kent Surrey Sussex Surrey Heartlands Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities; People with a learning disability and people with autism who are ineligible for an NHS health check due to age.
Kent Surrey Sussex Sussex Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities; Protected characteristic groups (Women 40-59); Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

South West NHS England region

Primary AHSN for InHIP ICS Clinical area(s) Clinical Pathway Target Core20Plus5 population
South West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities; Fishermen; People with a learning disability and people with autism; People experiencing homelessness; People in contact with the justice system
South West Devon Cardiovascular Disease Heart Failure Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); Ethnic minority communities; People with a learning disability and people with autism; those with severe mental illness
South West Somerset Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); People experiencing homelessness
Wessex Dorset Cancer Diagnosis Colorectal Cancer Coastal communities with pockets of deprivation hidden amongst relative affluence
West of England Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived); <60 and previous CVD event in IMD 1-3 deprivation area
West of England Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Cardiovascular Disease Lipid Management Core20 (IMD 20% Most Deprived) and previous CVD event in IMD1 deprivation area

Further information

For more information on InHIP activities in your area please contact your local AHSN.

You can also contact the national team with any queries via email at aac.innovation@nhs.net