Reducing Inequalities-tools

Reducing Health Inequalities for all New Zealanders
Tools for the Health Sector

The Ministry has developed several tools for use by the health sector to identify, and develop interventions to tackle inequalities in health.

Intervention framework for reducing health inequalities
Health Impact Assessment is another discipline that is centred on equity. The Ministry of Health recommends two main Health Impact Assessment tools:

Both tools are best used when assessing various disciplines, before decisions are made, in terms of their potential benefit or unintended, negative, impacts and can be used to refine and improve proposals.

Reducing Inequalities in Health (September 2002) sets out an intervention framework to improve health and reduce inequalities in health. There are four levels or intervention points for action by health and other social sectors. It provides a way forward for the health and disability sector to act positively at the national, regional and local level.

A Health Equity Assessment Tool (Equity Lens) for Tackling Inequalities in Health (May 2004)
The Wellington School of Medicine has developed a Health Equity Assessment Tool for the Ministry. This is a set of questions to assist the health sector to consider how particular inequalities on health have come about; who is the most advantaged; where the effective intervention points are to tackle inequalities; and the intended and unintended consequences of any actions.

These two tools can be incorporated into mainstream health services to allow the reducing inequalities concepts to be introduced into day-to-day health business. They form the basis for training workshops.

Tackling Inequalities in Health: Moving Theory to Action Workshops
The Ministry, in partnership with the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, initiated a health-inequalities training programme for the health sector in 2002 and this is ongoing.

The workshops aim to “increase the knowledge and skills of District Health Board (DHB) and Ministry of Health staff to act on, and advocate for, eliminating inequalities in health in Aotearoa/New Zealand.”

Tackling Inequalities: Moving Theory to Action
This publication reports on the eight two-day workshops held in 2002-03.

If you are interested in hosting a workshop in your organisation then contact us by email: inequalities@moh.govt.nz

Page last updated: 28 August 2007