"The greatest legacy we can leave as this generation of leaders is to make meaningful progress in narrowing those health inequalities between communities."
— Prof Bola Owolabi.
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode Overview
In this episode, Professor Bola Owolabi, GP and National Director for Healthcare Inequalities at NHS England, shares her insights on health inequalities in England, how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed pre-existing disparities, her views on leadership and the innovative Core20Plus5 framework she's implementing to drive meaningful change across communities.
What you'll learn:
How the COVID-19 pandemic exposed pre-existing health inequalities and acted as a catalyst for systemic change.
Why addressing health inequalities has both moral and economic imperatives, potentially saving healthcare systems billions annually.
The framework behind Core20Plus5 and how it provides focus, traction, and impact by targeting specific populations and clinical areas.
Why community engagement and listening are fundamental to designing effective healthcare interventions.
How a comprehensive ecosystem approach with multiple levers—including legislation, research, innovation, and funding—drives sustainable change.
The distinction between courage as an individual trait versus a function of supportive community and shared values.
Some Key Takeaways
Health inequalities cost the NHS approximately £5 billion annually, with additional costs of £30 billion in productivity losses and another £30 billion in reduced tax revenue and higher welfare payments.
The COVID-19 pandemic didn't create health inequalities but exposed existing disparities: Black men experienced 2.2 times higher mortality in the second wave, while men from Bangladeshi backgrounds had 5 times higher mortality in the first wave.
Pre-pandemic data showed stark life expectancy gaps: 10-15 years for people with learning disabilities, 15-20 years for those with serious mental illness, and a 19.6-year difference in healthy life expectancy between the most and least affluent areas.
Core20Plus5 provides a clear framework for action by focusing on the 20% most socioeconomically deprived populations (Core20), plus specific underserved communities, across five clinical areas with significant mortality disparities.
Effective healthcare delivery requires meeting communities where they are—like mobile clinics for fishing communities whose livelihoods depend on unpredictable sea conditions.
Innovation for Health Inequalities Program (InHIP) leverages trusted community voices to increase uptake of approved treatments, resulting in a 70% rise in cholesterol-lowering medication use among Black African communities in Greater Manchester (UK).
Courageous leadership requires surrounding yourself with people who share your values but are willing to challenge you—creating psychological safety through "community and company rather than lonesome leadership."
Where to find Professor Bola Owolabi
In This Episode
00:01 - Introduction to Professor Bola Owolabi
00:22 - Defining health inequalities and their impact
01:36 - Distinction between inequality and inequity
03:18 - How COVID-19 exposed pre-existing health inequalities
08:44 - Community engagement experiences and listening to affected populations
14:56 - Economic costs and business case for addressing health inequalities
20:51 - How leadership enabled strategic focus on health inequalities
25:18 - The importance of courage and support in leadership
30:27 - Core20Plus5 framework explanation and implementation
36:38 - Innovation for Health Inequalities Program examples
44:16 - Scaling and sustaining change through a comprehensive ecosystem approach
Referenced:
8 Urgent actions to address inequalities in NHS provision and outcomes (Report)
Red Cross report on high use of emergency care utilization (Report)
Core20PLUS5 (Webpage)
Deloitte - US health care can’t afford health inequities (Report)
NIHR launches £50m ‘Challenge’ funding to tackle inequalities in maternity care (Webpage)
Health and Care Act of 2022 (Webpage)
Innovation for Healthcare Inequalities Programme (InHIP) (Webpage)
Contact information:
If you have any feedback, questions or if you'd like to get in touch, reach out at jono@clinicalchangemakers.com
Music Attribution: Music by AudioCoffee from Pixabay
👋Hi, Jono here - if you’re enjoying my work, please share it with a friend, it would mean a lot to me!
Thank you.
Share this post