Observatory unveils new interactive Health Action Resource Platform to help drive improvements in health outcomes
A new interactive digital platform – the Health Action Resource Platform (HARP) – centred on supporting healthcare organisations to tackle inequalities in health has been launched by the NHS Race and Health Observatory.
The free to access platform – available at www.rho-harp.org – brings together data metrics which healthcare providers can use to share, compare and contrast, NHS performance data across major health condition outcomes and demographic markers.
The platform allows several elements of data searchable under several metrics including condition, region, ethnicity and deprivation. The online resource will allow users to identify and understand the scale of the disparities whist building evidence for developing local action plans for improvement.
As a tool designed to highlight areas where chronic ethnic health inequalities persist, the platform content contains practical resources, videos, case studies, data dashboards and example guides of work being undertaken across the country to tackle disparities.
Key areas of focus include maternal and neonatal health where outcomes for Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity women remain poor. Other showcased subject areas include mental health, cancer, cardiovascular disease and sickle cell disorder – where historic disparities are widely found across treatment and outcomes.
All metric data are presented at national (England), regional and Integrated Care System levels with data cut by ethnicity and deprivation for each region and healthcare system – supporting the digital transformation of the NHS. Over time, the platform will be expanded to cover wider topics.
Professor Habib Naqvi, Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory, said:
“We are thrilled to launch the Health Action Resource Platform as a useful, interactive tool that presents a suite of resources for healthcare providers, researchers and community organisations. This unique platform offers insights which can lead to informed, targeted action to tackle inequalities at both local and national levels. We expect it be used as an interactive, online learning platform.
“The platform presents another step towards creating a more efficient, agile, and technologically enabled NHS that will deliver care closer to people and further upstream.”
Limitations related to the quality of ethnicity data recording are noted; these are due to variable and conflicting information provided via national datasets.
Designed to host a broad, diverse range of content, the Health Action Resource Platform is aimed at healthcare providers, voluntary, community and charitable sector organisations, government, health innovation networks, Local Authorities, researchers and academics.
Key functions include:
- Downloadable raw data
- Availability of relevant policies, interviews, and other materials
- Streamlining and simplifying data, insight and action in one place
- An accessible and visually engaging platform
Welcoming the Observatory’s new digital platform, Professor Stella Vig, National Clinical Director for Elective Care, NHS England, said:
“The Health Action Resource Platform marks a turning point in how we understand and tackle health inequalities. For too long, disparities in outcomes have been hidden within fragmented data and inaccessible insights. By bringing data, practical tools, and real-world examples together in one accessible space, HARP empowers healthcare professionals, community organisations, and policymakers to act with clarity and confidence.
“This platform is more than a digital tool, it is a call to action, equipping us with the knowledge and resources to build a fairer, healthier future for all communities.”
Dr Ngozi Kalu, Assistant Director, Research and Evidence, NHS Race and Health Observatory described the platform as a great space to learn about the current state of health inequalities:
“The HARP allows us to bring together key NHS data all on one platform and provide credible, relevant information and content for a broad range of users from healthcare professionals, grassroot organisations to research organisations. We welcome the opportunity to expand and collaborate as we build on future topic matters.”