Novartis UK launches new heart failure insights tool to address health inequalities in England

London, 25th May 2022 — Novartis UK has today announced the launch of a new heart failure Health Inequalities Insights Tool (HIIT) that draws on a range of health datasets to build a greater understanding of the relationship between heart failure and socioeconomic deprivation in England.

The HIIT utilises data on heart failure prevalence and outcomes from Hospital Episode Statistics, the Quality and Outcomes Framework, the National Cardiac Audit Programme, NHS Digital and Referral to Treatment data. The data is presented in relation to the Office for National Statistics Index of Multiple Deprivation, which is the official measure of relative deprivation in England. The tool is intended to act as an interactive resource for healthcare systems with a view to supporting local planning and decision-making around heart failure service delivery.  

It represents a key example of putting the Novartis Health Inequalities Pledge into action, through a commitment to ‘collaborate with policymakers and healthcare systems to enable solutions that provide faster diagnosis and earlier intervention for those population groups who are at the greatest risk of ill-health and poor health outcomes’¹.

The HIIT also seeks to support the goal of reducing health inequalities across the NHS at a national and Integrated Care System level, as articulated in the NHS Core20PLUS5 ambition of achieving improved health outcomes for the 20% most deprived population in England.

Commenting on the launch, Tapiwa Mtemachani, Director of Transformation and Partnership of Black Country and West Birmingham CCGs said, “Closing the health inequalities gap is an increasing priority for health systems across the country. To make a real difference, we need clear information and analysis that helps us identify the complex factors involved. We look forward to this tool supporting our understanding of how measures of inequality relate to local heart failure outcomes. More broadly, we hope that the tool can be a real catalyst for change.”

Fiona Bride, Director of Market Access at Novartis UK, commented, “We all have a role to play in helping to tackle health inequalities and, at Novartis, we are committed to doing all we can to support the people and communities affected. When we announced the Novartis Health Inequalities Pledge we wanted to ensure actions followed words. We are therefore proud to launch this important insights tool - offering actionable insights that could enable equitable solutions for the benefit of heart failure patients, regardless of their background or location. As set out in our pledge, collaborating with health systems to build solutions for faster diagnosis and earlier intervention for all is crucial to closing the health inequalities gap. We look forward to working with the NHS, the patient community and others to act upon the findings identified by the tool.”

The Health Inequalities Insights Tool is available only for UK healthcare professionals (HCPs) and other relevant decision makers. The tool has been fully funded by Novartis UK and developed by Wilmington Healthcare.