Health Inequalities: what are they? how do we reduce them?

Published On: 18th March 2016

By: NHS Health Scotland

This briefing focuses on what are health inequalities are, what causes them and ways in which at national and local level health inequalities can be reduced (what works and what does not work), including the importance of a preventative approach, and the need to work across all sector and across a wide range of policy makers, making the right to health is a social justice issue.

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Posted on: 17th June 2026

Recognising and Reducing Health Inequalities: community development in action in a voluntary organisation

This case study explores the impact of the Elevate programme on a medium sized voluntary organisation that provides services for people living with dementia. Elevates workshop led them to thinking about the social determinants of health, and carry out a survey , which highlighted the inequalities for people living with dementia and the need for an organisational approach.

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Primary Care Networks and Place-Based Working: addressing health inequalities in a Covid-19 world

Merron Simpson's report focuses on how general practice and primary care might develop its public/community health function, focusing on the assets which exist within communities to address health inequalities. Built on a series of multi-stakeholder events held in 2020, and through interviews, it explains the key shifts in how Covid-19 has led primary care to build relationships with communities and local partners, how they can support community-led initiatives, how communities and local partners might work together through Primary Care Networks to tackle health inequalities and how place based working can work.

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Posted on: 13th June 2026

Equity in Access to Drinking-water Sanitation and Hygiene: water and health

Oliver Schmoll and Valentina Padrei's presentation looks at how nations can work towards equitable access to water. The slides include data on basic drinking-water services and sanitation services across urban and rural populations from around the world, looks at the three equity dimensions of geographical, social and economic disparities and WHO protocol on water and health. There are also tools to support national uptake of the protocol, details on how to use the equitable access score card, a case study and how the protocol on water and health compliments the EU Drinking water directive.