Our Care Equity Evidence Hub is organised across six key topics: workforce, underserved populations, neighbourhood health, financial inequities, geographical inequities, and the use of technology in care. These topics reflect areas where inequities in access, experience and outcomes are well documented, and where structural factors shape how care is delivered and received.
They provide a framework for organising evidence across populations, places and services, while recognising that inequities often cut across multiple topics. The topics will continue to develop as the hub grows, reflecting emerging evidence, stakeholder input and changes across the sector.
What do we mean by underserved populations?
We use underserved populations to describe people who experience inequities in access to and quality of health and social care, leading to poorer experiences and outcomes. These inequities are related to a range of factors, including demographic characteristics (such as age, sex, ethnicity and education), social and economic circumstances, and health status.
Who is underserved is context-specific. It depends on how services are designed, delivered and funded, and how well they respond to different needs. This topic focuses on identifying where and how inequities occur, and what contributes to them.
What are geographical inequities?
Geographical inequities in social care refer to differences in people’s access to, experience of, and outcomes from care services based on where they live. This topic examines how access to social care varies by place. It looks beyond service availability to consider factors that shape people’s ability to get timely, reliable and appropriate support.
These include differences between rural and urban areas, travel distance and transport, local service capacity, workforce availability, and variation in care quality. Together, these factors help explain why people’s experience of care can vary significantly across locations.
What are financial inequities?
This topic focuses on how money shapes access to, and experiences of, social care. It covers funding arrangements, care costs, means testing, and the different experiences of publicly funded and self-funding individuals.
Financial inequities can limit access to essential support, particularly for people on low incomes who may not meet eligibility thresholds. Regional cost pressures, workforce pay differences and funding instability also affect service quality and availability. This topic brings together evidence on the financial structures that drive inequity in social care.
What is neighbourhood health?
Neighbourhood health is an approach that aims to bring health, social care and community support together around local populations. It focuses on joined-up, multidisciplinary working to prevent ill health, identify needs early and support people to live well in their own homes and communities.
A central aim is to reduce inequities by directing more attention and resources to areas with the poorest health outcomes and lowest healthy life expectancy. This includes using local data and equity-focused measures to understand need and target support proportionately.
What is the use of technology in care?
This topic looks at how digital tools and systems are used across social care, and how they affect access, delivery and experience of support. It includes everyday technologies, assistive and remote care tools, digital records, and wider digital infrastructure.
The focus is on equity. Digital access, affordability, skills and service design all shape who benefits and who is excluded. Technology can improve access and independence for some, while creating barriers for others, particularly when alternatives are removed. This topic explores how digital approaches can support care without widening existing inequities.
What is the workforce topic?
This topic focuses on the adult social care workforce and the conditions in which care is delivered. It covers pay, contracts, wellbeing, skills, training, recruitment and retention, as well as leadership and workplace culture.
Workforce inequities affect both staff and people who draw on care and support. Unequal pay, insecure work, limited progression and uneven access to training are common across the sector. The topic also considers how digital systems and learning affect staff differently, and where targeted support is needed.
Strengthening the workforce is central to delivering equitable, high-quality care.uces what we mean by care equity, how we explain it in accessible ways, and how we analyse it through our dimensions of inequity framework.
Explore our Care Equity Evidence Hub.