What is the workstream?
When we talk about health inequalities we mean differences in the status of people’s health, the care they receive and the opportunities they have to lead healthy lives.
In the LMNS, this means working to support all mothers and babies to achieve the best health outcomes.
In England, evidence shows us that there is a relationship between deprivation and a range of factors that can increase health inequalities. This includes life expectancy, quality and experience of care, behavioural risks to health, such as smoking, and wider determinants such as housing and income. It also includes protected characteristics such as sex and ethnicity as well as socially excluded groups.
Core20PLUS is a national NHS England approach to support the reduction of health inequalities at both national and system level. The approach defines a target population cohort:
Core20 represents the most deprived 20% of the national population as identified by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).
PLUS population groups include ethnic minority communities, people with learning disabilities and autism, coastal communities with pockets of deprivation hidden amongst areas of relative affluence, people with multi-morbidities and protected characteristic groups.
PLUS also includes inclusion health groups such as people experiencing homelessness, drug and alcohol dependence, vulnerable migrants, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, sex workers, people in contact with the justice system and other socially excluded groups.
Extensive research tells us that people from Core20PLUS groups experience greater health inequalities and poorer health outcomes.
What are the goals/ key deliverables of the workstream?
Projects will aim to support health inclusion within maternity and neonatal services with a focus on the Core20PLUS target populations.
Once they have been scoped, projects will sit within one of five sub-workstreams:
- Culture
- Service user experience
- Systems and processes
- Learning from incidents and excellence
- Clinical innovation and excellence
What is the evidence/ key documents used within the workstream?
- Core20PLUS5
- NHS Long Term Plan
- NHS Three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services
- MBBRACE
- Better Births
- Ockenden
- Marmot
- Start for Life
- Healthy Child Programme