Designing inclusive health services: Report 2: increasing knowledge, engagement, diagnosis and treatment to tackle infectious diseases

Reid, Leila, Vojt, Gabriele, Daly, Sorcha and Halford, Rachel (2025) Designing inclusive health services: Report 2: increasing knowledge, engagement, diagnosis and treatment to tackle infectious diseases 23pp.

Abstract

Engaging with affected communities is a fundamental component of Inclusion Health approaches. Inclusion Health approaches aim to prevent and address extreme health inequities resulting from severe disadvantage and deep social exclusion. These health inequalities include high rates of important infections and challenges in accessing vaccination, screening and clinical care. Working with the broader health system, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has an important role in protecting inclusion health groups from infectious diseases and wider external health protection threats. This report describes the findings of a coproduction process to develop recommendations to address barriers to health protection and broader healthcare for inclusion health groups. UKHSA commissioned 10 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSE) to engage with people with diverse experiences of social exclusion to provide insights for designing and delivering health services that can meet health protection needs. Over 200 people with diverse experiences of social exclusion took part. The purpose of the engagement was to seek views on barriers and facilitators to health protection interventions and participants were encouraged to explore how services could better meet their needs. The main recommendations that came out of this work were to: Build trust first Provide integrated, holistic, people-centred approaches Build in accessibility to increase engagement and uptake Tailor approaches to increase relevance Embed peer roles UKHSA intends for these insights to complement policy directions from the NHS 10-year plan to shift NHS care from sickness towards prevention and from the hospital to community. It will also complement the NHS Framework for Action on Inclusion Health and NICE guidance on Integrated Health and Social Care for People Experiencing Homelessness. UKHSA is using the findings to inform its own approach to health protection preparedness and response for Inclusion Health groups. This includes ongoing engagement to ensure our approach is informed by those with lived experience. UKHSA will work with system partners to ensure these insights can inform development and delivery of services relevant to health protection alongside assessment of local need and provision.

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Contributors

Author: Gabriele Vojt

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