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DownloadEvaluation of the Health Equity Team programme in Lewisham
Between 2022 and 2024, an innovative model of integrated care focused on reducing health inequalities – the Health Equity Team (HET) programme – was piloted in Lewisham.
The programme brought together Black-led voluntary and community sector organisations and primary care health equity fellows to form health equity teams for each of Lewisham’s six Primary Care Networks.
Lewisham Council and the South East London Integrated Care Board jointly oversaw the programme. This work sat within Lewisham Council’s Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme 2022-24, and sought to address health inequalities for the Black African and Black Caribbean community in Lewisham, building on recommendations from the Birmingham and Lewisham African and Caribbean Health Inequalities Review (BLACHIR).
The Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London was commissioned by Lewisham Council to evaluate the programme. The HIN partnered with Centric Community Research and the focus was on understanding the implementation and impact of the work, ahead of recommissioning the HET programme in 2025.
Key learnings
Through a primarily qualitative evaluation, including input from the programme management team, health equity fellows, local voluntary and community sector organisations, community champions and other stakeholders, a number of key insights were established.
Programme implementation:
The programme was implemented at significant scale; across the six health equity teams, more than 70 community champions took part in the programme, and more than 2,500 residents were reached.
Teams delivered a wide range of different activities, including health fairs, health promotion workshops and workforce training.
Co-production was initially challenging, but a consensus was reached about achieving meaningful co-production in the future.
Effective collaboration and strong community relationships were essential for successful project delivery.
Programme impact:
The programme directly addressed many of the opportunities for action highlighted by BLACHIR.
The programme facilitated investment in Black-led organisations and improved access by bringing healthcare services directly to the community.
A cohort of health equity leaders developed through the programme have helped to reignite a focus on health equity within primary care, beginning to transform pathways while growing as population health leaders.
Further opportunities for focusing on defined and measurable outcomes, improving project management and sustainability were also identified.
The report also includes recommendations for further optimisation of the next phase of the programme.
Find out more
Find out more about the work, partnerships and progress made to drive forward health equity in Lewisham.
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