How trusts can deliver inclusive recovery across the NHS

The covid-19 pandemic has had a severe and lasting impact on our health. The newly published Health Index for England1 from the Office for National Statistics, shows it has also worsened pre-existing health inequalities.This trajectory is worrying for the public and raises questions about sustainability for the NHS. Trusts are doing all they can to help tackle health inequalities and reduce care backlogs in elective care and in community and mental health services, but more can be done to support them.The figures show that between 2015 and 2021, personal wellbeing, physical health, and the prevalence of unhealthy behaviours in England have all deteriorated since covid-19 emerged. On top of that, the pandemic exacerbated long-standing health inequalities2— such as people in more deprived areas having to wait longer for treatment and experiencing shorter healthy life-expectancy on average.As the NHS continues to recover from the pandemic and restore core performance standards, tackling…
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