What is it?
The Welsh Health Equity Status Report initiative (WHESRi) was the first Health Equity Status Report to be established nationally, using an innovative World Health Organization (WHO) framework. The initiative delivers to a Memorandum of Understanding which was renewed in February 2024, between the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Welsh Government, focusing on accelerating progress towards building a healthier, more equal and prosperous Wales and Europe.
Established in 2020, the overall aim of the initiative was to provide an up-to-date dynamic picture of health inequities, their burden, determinants and related policies in Wales, in order to inform solutions and investment prioritisation, as well as to facilitate a joint cross-sector whole-of-government, whole-of-society policy dialogue and action towards a Healthier, More Equal and Prosperous Wales.
This was done through the creation of original reports which include:
- Placing health equity at the heart of the COVID-19 sustainable response and recovery: Building prosperous lives for all in Wales
- Influencing the Health Gap in Wales: Decomposition analysis discussion paper
- These reports shined a light on the stark inequalities experienced in Wales, both before and in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moving forward
Advocating for health equity is the main objective of the WHESRi, moving forwards we intend to do this through the work of our solutions platform, the facilitation and hosting of webinars with our partners in Public Health Network Cymru and through collaboration.
- The solutions platform, which is referred to as the Welsh Health Equity Solutions Platform is an advocacy tool that provides a gateway to data, evidence, health economics and modelling, policies, good practice, innovative tools and practical solutions to help improve population wellbeing and reduce the health equity gap in Wales and beyond. It is structured around an innovative WHO framework of ‘Five Essential Conditions’ for healthy prosperous lives for all
- We facilitate and host webinars with our partners in Public Health Network Cymru, historical topics of focus have included the Inverse Care Law, Gender Equity and Understanding the Health Gap
- We collaborate with internal and external stakeholders across all sectors to make the case for health equity
Who is WHESRi for?
The initiative is intended for a wide range of decision-makers, including but not limited to:
- Policy-makers in national and local government
- Senior leaders across all public services, such as the National Health Service (NHS), those with
- public health responsibilities, planners and managers
- Local communities, third sector and private organisations
- Academics, researchers and students
Other stakeholders whose role has an impact on health, well-being and equity.
