North West London Health Equity Programme

North west London is a richly diverse area, home to more than 2.1 million people across the boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. The residents and workforce represent a wide range of backgrounds, with over 100 languages spoken. The population in north west London is also younger than the average population in England.

In some of our communities, people are dying earlier than they should, due to a range of factors such as poverty, poor-quality housing, and low-paid or unstable jobs, all of which negatively affect physical and mental health. This is a long-standing issue, and the gap in health and life expectancy inequalities has widened in recent years. Additionally, people from different communities have varied experiences with the health and care services we provide. These differences in access and service delivery lead to significant disparities in health outcomes.

Population health data is crucial for understanding health trends and identifying areas of need, enabling more effective health service planning. By analysing data across demographic groups—particularly by ethnicity, age, income, and geography—and tracking outcomes and access to care, we can better allocate resources to marginalised communities and address health disparities.

The NW London 2024 Shared Needs Assessment  provides a more detailed, comprehensive summary of the need within our north west London communities. Please also read our How to use’ guide for the Shared Needs Assessment.

Key Headlines:

• Healthy life expectancy varies significantly across our communities, with individuals in more deprived areas becoming multimorbid 10-15 years earlier than those in the least deprived areas.
• Socioeconomic determinants of health, such as employment, education, and income, have a substantial impact on health behaviors and outcomes. People in the most deprived communities are more likely to develop multiple long-term conditions compared to those in the least deprived communities.
• In our population, some groups experience higher levels of unmet healthcare needs. The most deprived often have the highest rates of unmet need compared to the rest of the population. However, unmet care needs also vary across factors such as age, gender, learning disabilities, ethnicity, and diagnosis. Identifying which groups face barriers to accessing healthcare or experience worse outcomes can help pinpoint areas of the system that need improvement.

NW London has also assessed itself against a range of metrics in line with NHS England’s Statement on Information on Health Inequalities. This has identified a range of areas where there are disparities between different groups, whether due to ethnicity, deprivation or other factors. The full data set and the summary document sets out the key findings and what we are doing to address them.

The North West London Health Equity Programme connects partners from across the NHS, local councils, care providers, community and voluntary services and local community groups.

We work with the people who live and work in North West London to make sure we understand the issues they face and what stops local people from getting the care they need. This includes regular listening events and engagement sessions. Find out more about how we work with our local communities and what we have learned in our community insight reports.

Our three health equity pillars

Pillar 1 – Reducing healthcare inequalities

Understanding and addressing inequalities in access, experience and outcomes achieved by health and care services. Find out more about reducing healthcare inequalities.

Pillar 2 – Population Health management building blocks

Put in place the building blocks of population health approach – that will help us to reduce inequalities – across all our work within the ICS. Find out more about population health management building blocks.

Pillar 3 – Partnership working on wider determinants

Working together with all of the partners in our ICS to improve social, environmental and healthy living factors that adversely affect health. Find out more about partnership working and the wider determinants of health.

Our North West London Health Equity Programme has already made a big difference the health and wellbeing of people in in our eight boroughs - Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

Find out how we are improving access to services, support and care and the benefits our programme is having on our communities (coming soon).

You can also read our monthly North West London Health Equity Programme updates, which includes all the latest news from each of our workstreams.

The North West London Health Equity Programme Academy is a training and development hub for health and care staff working in North West London. 

There are courses and resources for staff from all services, and all skill and experience levels. Some course are suitable for all staff, and some are more designed for people who have already had lots of training. 

We have courses in the following categories:

• Analytical functions and insights
• Engagement 
• Leadership and facilitation 
• Co-production 
• Value-based care 
• Reducing health inequalities

Find health equity courses and resources on the Health Equity Programme Academy pages.  

Our Commitment to Collaborative Leadership

Effective governance is essential for ensuring that our initiatives are implemented successfully and sustainably. Our team is composed of dedicated professionals from diverse backgrounds, each bringing unique expertise and perspectives to our work. Together, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment that drives positive health outcomes for our communities.

Details of the programme leads can be found in the table below.
You can also view the governance structure for the programme here and the terms of reference for the health equity programme board.