Tackling health inequalities is a priority in the NHS Long Term Plan, with a national expectation that cancer alliances should engage in this agenda. Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) was the first cancer alliance in the country to establish a Health Inequalities and Patient Experience (HIPE) team, whose aim was to develop the infrastructure to support understanding and use of health inequalities and patient experience insights across their programmes and projects. The HIPE team have achieved this via their ‘123 Approach’.
What is the 123 Approach to Health Inequalities?
The 123 Approach is a training and education package aimed at cancer care professionals to support them to reduce health inequalities in their organisation and own work. There are three parts to the package:
1. Training: The 123 Approach is an innovative, e-Learning training course based on patient and staff voice, with a series of usable tools, which places action firmly at the feet of staff. The programme has been designed in collaboration with people who have lived experience of cancer and NHS colleagues working across the cancer pathway. The course is fully funded, CPD accredited and aligned to the ACCEND framework. It should take between 60 and 90 minutes to complete.
2. Resources: Learners have access to a library of materials which are of an extremely high standard to support colleagues to identify and address health inequalities that can be referred to at any time.
3. Support: Delegates gain access to internal and external peer support networks, in addition to tailored advice and support from our HIPE team. CMCA has set up a HIPE Staff Network that brings together NHS colleagues from across Cheshire and Merseyside who work in cancer services and have an interest in tackling health inequalities.
