Observatory signs unique partnership agreement with NICE to tackle inequalities in health

In a unique pairing, the NHS Race and Health Observatory has today announced the signing of a landmark agreement with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to tackle persistent and systemic ethnic health inequalities.

The partnership supports the strategic objectives and shared commitments of both organisations to tackling unwarranted inequalities in health for Black, Asian and ethnic minority patients. This will include sharing research and practice, and will begin by bringing together expertise and insight to de-bias clinical guidance across five identified areas.

Over the next two years, the Observatory will work with NICE, a public body of the Department of Health and Social Care, to combine expertise, evidence-based approaches enhancing the contribution that they each make for the benefit of the diverse communities they serve.

The two organisations will also seek to embed processes to help ensure that any new clinical guidance seeks to tackle inequalities and does not include any potential racial or other bias which could impact patient treatment, safety and outcomes.

The collaboration will begin by examining five key priority areas:

  • Maternal and neonatal health 
  • Mental health 
  • Genomics 
  • Sickle cell 
  • Hypertension 

Under this groundbreaking agreement, both organisations will align strategies and methods to ensure priority areas, including NICE decision-making processes, are fair and equitable. The agreement will also see the Observatory provide guidance on NICE’s Equality and Health Inequalities Assessment (EHIA) processes, and on the development of new guidelines including with insights from the lived experience of patients from diverse communities.

Professor Habib Naqvi, Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory, said:

“Building an NHS fit for the future is central to the government’s Plan for Change. That is why we are going further and faster to identify and tackle avoidable inequalities that affect so many patients and communities across the country.

“Equitable healthcare is not just good for patients and their families, it also improves productivity and saves the NHS money. Our work to date clearly shows the historic failure to address health inequalities is coming at a high cost to patients, the economy, and to the NHS.

“I’m delighted to announce this landmark collaboration and look forward to working with NICE on improving patient experience and outcomes.”

The partnership will also create opportunities and platforms to present real world data, new projects and approaches for addressing racial bias and health inequity through events, conferences, publications and joint workshops. Other public health insights gathered by the Observatory will be monitored to inform future work with NICE.

NICE produces useful and usable guidance for the NHS and wider health and care system. Its recommendations help practitioners and commissioners get the best care to people, fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer.

Dr Sam Roberts, Chief Executive at NICE said:

“This partnership between NICE and the NHS Race and Health Observatory marks an important step forward in addressing health inequalities. Working together, we can ensure our guidance serves all communities effectively and fairly.

By focusing on these five priority areas, we’ll combine our expertise to identify and eliminate biases that impact patient outcomes.

“At NICE, we’re committed to working with partners who can help us make the biggest difference where it matters most. Through this collaboration, we’ll develop guidance that not only reflects diverse patient experiences but also creates a more equitable health system that delivers the best possible care for everyone.”

The Observatory was established in 2021 to tackle ethnic inequalities in access to and experiences of healthcare, health outcomes, and inequalities experienced by Black and minority ethnic members of the healthcare workforce.

Academic General Practitioner, Dr Veline L’Esperance, a Senior Clinical Advisor to the Observatory, said:

“This collaboration marks a pivotal step forward in tackling the persistent health inequalities that affect Black, Asian and ethnic minority patients. Too often we see how systemic bias in healthcare guidance can lead to poorer outcomes for certain groups. By embedding equity into the very foundations of clinical decision-making, this partnership between the NHS Race and Health Observatory and NICE will help ensure that care is both fair and reflective of the diverse communities we serve. It’s an important move towards a more inclusive and accountable health system.”