COVID-19 has shone harsh light on some of the health and wider inequalities that persist in our society. It has become increasingly clear that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on many who already face disadvantage and discrimination. The impact of the virus has been particularly detrimental on people living in areas of high deprivation, on people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities (BAME), and on older people, men, those with a learning disability and others with protected characteristics.

A central part of responding to COVID-19 and restoring services must be to increase the scale and pace of NHS action to tackle health inequalities to protect those at greatest risk.

We commissioned a national advisory group of leaders from within and beyond the NHS to advise on how to achieve this aim in the coming months. This group identified eight urgent actions, building on the measures to implement the NHS Long Term Plan. These are:

• Protect the most vulnerable from COVID-19
• Restore NHS services inclusively
• Develop digitally enabled care pathways in ways which increase inclusion
• Accelerate preventative programmes which proactively engage those at risk of poor health outcomes
• Particularly support those who suffer mental ill-health
• Strengthen leadership and accountability
• Ensure datasets are complete and timely
• Collaborate locally in planning and delivering action

We are asking all systems and NHS organisations to implement these actions over the coming months, working in close partnership with colleagues in local government, other public services, the voluntary sector, and with communities. We will monitor NHS bodies and leaders to ensure these actions are delivered.

Read the detailed annex Urgent actions to address inequalities in NHS provision and outcomes, which sets out the actions and how they will be delivered and monitored.

The urgent action needed to tackle health inequalities

In this video Dr Owen Williams OBE, Health Inequalities Expert Advisory Group Chair, explains the eight urgent actions needed to tackle health inequalities as the NHS continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leadership

In this video Dr Owen Williams OBE, Health Inequalities Expert Advisory Group Chair, sets out the importance of accountable leadership in addressing health inequalities, which is one of the priority actions for the NHS as it continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flu

In this video Dr Owen Williams OBE, Health Inequalities Expert Advisory Group Chair, explains the importance of prevention in the fight against health inequalities, which is one of the priority actions for the NHS as it continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data

In this video Dr Owen Williams OBE, Health Inequalities Expert Advisory Group Chair, sets out the crucial role of high quality data in addressing health inequalities and explains why comprehensive, accurate data on patients and populations is a key priority for the NHS as it continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Time for action on health inequalities

In this video Dr Kiren Collison, who is a GP in Oxford and a member of the Health Inequalities Expert Advisory Group, explains why now is the time for action on health inequalities as the NHS continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.