Three East Midlands projects have been awarded funding to help improve local people’s access to health innovations. 

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 with their local communities to identify, address and minimise healthcare inequalities through projects to improve access to the latest health technologies and medicines.​ A total of £4.2 million was made available to support NHS England’s Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme (InHIP) which seeks to address local healthcare inequalities experienced by deprived and other under-served populations. This programme builds on the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) and Academic Health Science Network’s (AHSN’s) achievements and learning to date in improving access to innovations in healthcare for the general population. ​ 

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

Tracey Jackman, Head of Programme Delivery, East Midlands Academic Health Science Network said: “We are excited that three projects have been awarded funding in the East Midlands. We have worked closely with ICS leads to understand their populations and align strategies to target health outcomes to local needs.  We will continue to work with ICSs as they implement their proposals and measure success in improving access to innovation and addressing health inequalities.” 

The East Midlands projects are: 

Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care System - Improve attendance rates and experience within cardiovascular outpatient clinics for the South Asian population within the most deprived areas of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland whilst reducing differentials in the prescribing of drugs.

Lincolnshire Integrated Care System - Enhancing cardiovascular health for people within deprived, elderly, and rural populations to reduce the significant difference in cardiovascular-related mortality between the most and least deprived areas of Lincolnshire.

Northamptonshire Integrated Care System - Identification of undetected Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and Hypertension (HTN) through community health screening within deprived, black and minority ethnic local populations.

For more information on this programme and how we will add value, read our blog here further information is also available on our web page.