Local health inequalities study celebrates recognition in major national awards scheme

Pioneering work to tackle health inequalities in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes has been shortlisted for one of the health sector’s most prestigious awards.

The Health Service Journal’s HSJ Awards programme has named the Denny Review, an independent review commissioned by the area’s Integrated Care Board – responsible for planning healthcare services for a population of the one million people who live in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes – as a finalist in the Innovation and Improvement in Reducing Healthcare Inequalities category.

The Denny Review, launched as a research project in 2020 and published in 2023, sought to identify the people who experience the greatest health inequalities and make recommendations to improve access and experience of health services.  It began after residents called on the NHS locally to reduce inequalities, as it became clear that Covid-19 was having a disproportionate effect on people from ethnic minorities.

The awards scheme contains a total of 26 categories, ranging from individual honours including the Clinical Leader of the Year to recognition for large groups of staff from different organisations, such as the Place-based Partnership and Integrated Care Award.

Shortlisted entries now go forward to the final stage, where they have to make a presentation and face questions from the judging panel at the beginning of October, before the winners are announced at the awards ceremony in London on Thursday 21 November.

Since the report’s publication last autumn, the Integrated Care Board has funded a series of videos for autistic people and has invested in efforts to improve interpreting services for patients who speak other languages, including British Sign Language.

Felicity Cox, chief executive officer of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:

“I am delighted to see the Denny Review shortlisted in the prestigious HSJ Awards programme.  This was a true partnership project spanning several years which identified the key issues amongst those who experience the greatest health inequalities: those in deprived neighbourhoods; people from ethnic minority backgrounds; LGBT+ people; Gypsies, Travellers and Roma people; people with physical and/or learning disabilities; and homeless people.

“The review outlined that communication and language, access to services, representation, and a lack of understanding of the needs of some people and communities all contribute to poor health outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in our area.

“The work commissioned from local Healthwatch groups and our other community partners was of exceptional quality.  I’m proud of the work which has taken place to date across the local health and social care system, and I’m pleased that all partners have in fact signed up to deliver the recommendations contained in the report.”

Lorraine Sunduza, chief executive officer of East London NHS Foundation Trust, who also sits as a board member of the Integrated Care Board, was appointed earlier this year as the board’s champion for the Denny Review and its implementation.  She said:

“NHS and social care organisations in Bedfordshire are looking at their services and are already bringing forward changes inspired by the Denny Report.  It is an exciting time to be working in health and social care in this area, as we change our way of working so that it meets the needs of local people and support more residents to improve their quality of life.

“The review was led by Rev Lloyd Denny, a pastor at Restoration Revival Fellowship (Luton), after partnership work with grassroots organisations in the voluntary, charity and social enterprise sector.  We are very grateful to him and his team for their work.”

Rev Lloyd Denny, chair of the review which bears his name, said:

“National recognition for the work we undertook is a great honour.

“This is an area which has never been more important, as we seek to understand the needs of the population and consider the changes we need to make.  I know there has been interest from NHS organisations in other areas of the country which experience similar issues, so I am delighted to be part of that change.”