The Health Equity Fellowship is a nine-month programme delivered by NHS Sussex and Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, which equips participants with the skills and knowledge to become key change agents within their organisations, promoting a focus on equity and reducing health inequalities.

The opening of applications for the second year follows the success of the first cohort of the programme which brought together eight Fellows, representing diverse backgrounds and six organisations from across the Sussex health and care system. These Fellows each lead a health equity project focused on specific areas, including primary care access, end-of-life care, digital inclusion, and disability care. Across the course of the programme, a marked improvement in Fellows’ confidence and knowledge was measured through self-assessments and there was a positive impact and valuable lessons learned through the interventions Fellows designed. In feedback, one Fellow said that the Academy provided “energising, thought-provoking content” while another said,  “I feel confident applying the content covered in my role​”.

The Fellowship helps participants develop the skills and knowledge they need to influence others, develop in the roles and use their learning to reduce gaps in access to care, desgining interventions that can help people live thriving and healthy lives. Fellows on the programme will learn what it means to apply ‘an equity lens’ to change initiatives and build capability on population health, improvement, innovation and evaluation, amongst other topics. They will also expand their professional networks by connecting with other Fellows, linking to mentors and learning from experts on topics addressed throughout the Fellowship.

The programme is open to all employees and organisations across the Sussex Health and Care system including voluntary, community and social enterprise orgainsations, local authority partners and NHS.

Applications close Monday 2 September at 23:59 and you can complete the application form here: https://forms.office.com/e/ci2k8kKXHm

To find out more and ask your questions, join an online information session on Wednesday 14 August, 11:30am: https://buff.ly/3WtnaB0.

You can also find an information pack with additional details here: https://buff.ly/3WgA2dO