Resources

The additional £899m investment in general practice is a welcome step forward, and its positive impact should not be underestimated. The increase in global sum funding is a strong move, reinforcing the importance of capitation as a foundation for an equitable funding system. However, the Carr-Hill formula, which underpins funding allocation, reflects activity rather than need. The additional investment within the current funding streams shows that simply increasing investment without contract reform risks reinforcing existing funding inequalities.

This blog explores the vital role of Sure Start in improving children’s physical health, social functioning, and neurodevelopmental health – support eroded by austerity-driven cuts. It presents findings from the first systematic review of Sure Start’s health impacts, showing how early intervention reduced hospital admissions, childhood obesity, and improved school readiness. The evidence is clear: restoring Sure Start is key to tackling health inequities and giving every child a fair start in life.

In 2023, 6,669 general practices received £10.2 billion in NHS funding across England, increasing to £11 billion with COVID-related and Primary Care Network (PCN) payments. Almost 10% of this—£870 million—was allocated to prescribing- and dispensing-related payments, supporting 944 dispensing practices serving 9.5 million patients (£625 million) and 5,537 non-dispensing practices covering 53 million patients (£245 million).

Return to work interventions seek to address long-term work or sickness absence, but whether they achieve equitable outcomes is unclear. This brief reviews the evidence to identify health and care interventions that support people from disadvantaged backgrounds return to employment.

Integrated care can improve population health and reduce health inequalities. This brief highlights four key principles for designing INTs to reduce health inequalities based on the available literature and transferable evidence from studies on equitable primary care.

This blog explores the rise of private health care in the UK and its impact on creating a two-tier system. It highlights regional disparities in access to orthopaedic procedures and discusses the implications for patients, the NHS, and policymakers.

Quality improvement (QI) seeks to enhance care but does not consistently consider equity, leading to potential intervention-generated inequalities. This brief summarises the evidence on what works to ensure that QI addresses inequalities, categorising approaches that improve or worsen them.

In 2023/24, 6,669 practices received £10.2 billion from the NHS. Capitation payments to individual practices are adjusted using the Carr-Hill formula. On average, practices received £164.64 per patient, with higher payments for practices serving older populations due to higher healthcare needs, prescribing costs and the specific needs of rural areas. This analysis explores how NHS payments to general practices are informed by the age structure, deprivation and rurality of registered patients.

We have undertaken a series of 10 evidence reviews for NHS England and here highlight seven interventions and programmes with the strongest evidence base.