Addressing health inequalities

Q: How can I get involved?

Sign up to The Health Equity Network and join one of the sector and topic forums to; network with others and share best practices. Consider how to address health equity in your own communities.

Making health a central priority

Legal & General describes its ethos as ‘inclusive capitalism’ – a recognition that the benefits of economic growth must be shared by all. Through our strategies, we target investments that address societal and environmental needs, whilst securing lasting value for society.

Health is a critical factor in driving societal and economic wellbeing and has a vital role to play as we work to help the UK ’level up’. Work to date has examined how government and the NHS can reduce health inequity, but until now no-one has really considered the role that business can play.

We aim to change that by playing a leading role in a new mission to help business use its scale and influence to tackle the injustice of health inequity across the UK, partnering with Professor Sir Michael Marmot at University College London; a world expert on health inequity.

Sir Michael’s research has shown that the key drivers of health inequality aren’t the things you might find in hospitals or GP surgeries. They are the conditions in which people grow, live, work and age – known as the social determinants of health. But not everyone has the same opportunities to lead a healthy life. Health inequity is the idea that there are unfair, unjust, and biologically avoidable differences in health outcomes between different population groups. These are typically the result of systems that negatively affect people’s living conditions.

Health inequality

¼

of all deaths globally are caused by unhealthy environments

1 in 8 workers

do more than 48 hours work per week in the UK, and excessive working hours are linked to premature deaths

75%

of disposable income would need to be spent by deprived decile households to afford the NHS Eatwell plate

Learn more through the stories of George and Sumita in this animation

Learn more through the stories of George and Sumita in this animation video

How can organisations step up to address the social determinants of health?

Employment

Promote the health of employees through pay and benefits, hours and job security and conditions of work.

Products and services

Support the health of clients, customers and shareholders through products and services they provide and investments they make.

Influence

Influence the health of individuals in the communities through investment influence, procurement, and supply networks.

Protecting hidden workers

We have introduced a series of commitments to reduce health inequalities and improve the quality of life for the ‘hidden workforce’ across our real estate portfolio, demonstrating businesses' crucial role in building a fairer society. The ‘hidden workforce’ is identified as workers who keep buildings running, including cleaning, security and maintenance. This crucial commitment is driving change in the industry, and we are calling on the real estate industry to join us, and better health equity.

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Download the report PDF: 2.6MB
Research and action

We established the Advanced Care Research Centre (“ACRC) with the University of Edinburgh and was the initial funder for Care Sourcer, the UK’s first comparison and matching site for elderly care, which launched a free Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to all UK care provider employees.

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Place-based university partnerships

Legal & General has also formed long-term multi-billion pound partnerships with the Universities of Oxford and Manchester to develop innovation districts which will help incubate spin-out businesses such as those which lead the way in developing the COVID-19 vaccinations.

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Stewardship

Legal & General uses its role as a major shareholder to encourage companies to play their part in reducing health inequality. Recent examples include encouraging a major supermarket chain to pay real living wages for all its staff and asking global pharma companies to work with governments across all levels of income to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, including sharing intellectual capital and manufacturing capacity.

We have established a ground-breaking partnership with the UCL Institute of Health Equity to examine how businesses can help to reduce health inequalities

Led by the internationally renowned epidemiologist Professor Sir Michael Marmot, the UCL Institute of Health Equity has led major reviews across the world, influenced action by governments and international organisation, and led the social determinants and health equity movement.

Addressing health inequalities partnership

Addressing health inequalities partnership video

The Business of Health Equity: The Marmot Review for Industry

This latest Marmot review, funded by Legal & General, sets out three ways that business can improve people’s lives by reducing health inequality.

The Health Equity Network

The Health Equity Network video

Across the country, people in communities, businesses and public sector organisations are not willing to accept inequity and are acting to make a difference where they live and work.

In partnership with the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) and Sir Michael Marmot, we launched The Health Equity Network, to enable people who are doing great work on health equity in regions, towns, cities and organisations across the UK to share what they are doing with others, be inspired by what others are doing, and collaborate in joint working.

Connecting with others – and the IHE team - through this network will provide inspiration and support for individuals and organisations to go further, to find strength through linking with others who are doing similar work and to generate a movement for health equity that can be felt across the country.

Join The Health Equity Network

To make a meaningful impact, we need to understand the challenges faced across the country and pool knowledge and expertise.

The Health Equity Network launch webinar

The Health Equity Network launch webinar video

Join the network

Discover and develop solutions to challenging health equity issues

FAQs

What is the UCL Institute of Health Equity?

The UCL Institute of Health Equity (UCL IHE) was established in 2011 and is led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot. The aim at the outset was to develop and support approaches to health equity and build on work that has assessed, measured and implemented approaches to tackle inequalities in health.

The UCL IHE has led major reviews across the world, influenced action by governments and international organisation, and led the social determinants and health equity movement.

What is the purpose of the partnership between Legal & General and the UCL IHE?

Legal & General, Sir Michael Marmot and the UCL Institute of Health Equity team (the Partnership) are working together to reduce health inequalities in the UK.

The Partnership is addressing the health inequalities that were marked pre-pandemic and have been further exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis. The partnership aims to reduce health inequities because they are unfair, unjust and avoidable.

The Partnership has launched a UK Health Equity Network that will prioritise social determinants of health, the building blocks of health, as the main factor in shaping inequalities in health across the UK. It is the social determinants of health that we must improve to have a lasting impact on population health in the UK.

How can I get involved?

Get in touch

if you would like to discuss further

Addressing health inequalities

¼

of all deaths globally are caused by unhealthy environments

1 in 8 workers

do more than 48 hours work per week in the UK, and excessive working hours are linked to premature deaths

75%

of disposable income would need to be spent by deprived decile households to afford the NHS Eatwell plate

Employment

Products and services

Influence

Protecting hidden workers

Research and action

Place-based university partnerships

Stewardship

Join the network

What is the UCL Institute of Health Equity?

What is the purpose of the partnership between Legal & General and the UCL IHE?

How can I get involved?

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