Health Inequalities Fund Impact Report – Southwark

The Health Inequalities Fund programme, initiated in late 2023, aims to address health inequalities in Southwark. It is funded by South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) and supports various initiatives to improve health and wellbeing for local residents.

SEL ICB - Southwark commissioned the Health Innovation Network South London (HIN) to create an impact report and case studies for the 2024/25 Health Inequalities Fund programme. The HIN project used a qualitative approach to document and showcase the funded initiatives.

Funded initiatives

This report focuses on ten initiatives in Southwark which have been directly supported by the 2024/5 Health Inequalities Fund, focused on improving outcomes for its residents, and especially for underserved communities. These initiatives exhibit significant variation in scale and ambition.

Six initiatives, funded in phase one from 2024 or prior, have demonstrated early impact, while four initiatives were more recently awarded funds as part of phase two.

Demonstrating impact

While challenges exist in quantifying impact, qualitative data suggests benefits such as improved service access, community engagement, and health literacy. The Health Inequalities Fund has been pivotal in supporting grassroots organisations, facilitating the extension of essential services and enabling the delivery of targeted pilots and programmes. Despite uncertainties within the existing health and social care system, opportunities were raised to support future development of the fund. These included:

Overall, the Health Inequalities Fund has had a positive impact on the diverse communities of Southwark.