In the next of our series, Better health and wellbeing in Wales, representatives from Public Health Wales discuss challenges and solutions for the sector around health equity.
Health equity means everyone has a fair opportunity to be as healthy as possible, regardless of race, income, where they live or social circumstances.
Health inequities remain a persistent challenge in Wales (and across the world). Yet while the resulting inequalities are widespread, they are not inevitable. They arise from a complex mix of social, economic and environmental factors, such as employment, education, housing and social support. Addressing them requires coordinated action across all sectors.
For voluntary organisations in Wales, this is highly relevant. Voluntary organisations are often closest to communities experiencing the greatest disadvantage and play a vital role in shaping healthier, more equitable outcomes.
However, translating this understanding into practical action can be challenging without access to clear, accessible evidence and tools.
A GATEWAY TO EVIDENCE AND DATA
The Solutions for Health Equity platform is an online gateway to evidence, policy resources, innovative tools and interactive data. For the voluntary sector in Wales, it offers a practical resource to support advocacy, service design and partnership work. By bringing together emerging insights and real-world examples, it highlights what works in reducing inequalities and helps organisations strengthen their impact within communities.
The platform allows users to filter resources by stages of the policy development cycle. This enables voluntary organisations to carry out more targeted searches, better understand how policies are implemented in Wales, and ensure their work supports prevention and keeps people well.
In addition, categories such as ‘vulnerability’ and ‘unmet need’ support organisations to amplify community voices, ensuring that policy and service design reflect lived experience.
Through regularly updated blogs, webinars, curated resources and data dashboards, the platform helps users stay informed about health equity challenges and emerging solutions in Wales. It is designed not only for policymakers and health professionals, but also for community organisations, knowledge brokers, and those working at the frontline of social change.
COLLABORATION IS KEY
Reducing health inequities requires strong collaboration across sectors. This collaborative approach is reflected in the recent partnership agreement between Public Health Wales and WCVA, bringing together public health expertise and voluntary sector networks to share knowledge, strengthen prevention efforts, and maximise impact across communities in Wales.
The Solutions for Health Equity platform supports collaboration as it provides voluntary organisations in Wales with accessible evidence and practical guidance to support this shared effort – helping to inform action, influence policy, and ultimately improve health and wellbeing for the communities they serve.
GET IN TOUCH
If you have insights to share, examples of work you’re proud of, questions you’re exploring or ideas for collaboration, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re working at a local, regional, or national level, your perspective matters. Get in touch to:
- Share practice, research, or lived experience
- Highlight innovative projects or partnerships
- Suggest topics for future blogs
- Explore opportunities to work together
You can contact us at solutionsplatform@wales.nhs.uk. Let’s continue the conversation and work together to reduce health inequalities.
Please take a short survey to tell us if you have any learning and support needs about the issues raised in this blog.
Find out more about WCVA’s work in health and social care here.