Project and programmes

Aligned with the Marmot Principles and in partnership with the Institute of Health Equity (IHE), there are several ongoing pieces of work to identify and address health inequalities. 

The key topic areas are listed below, and stakeholders have worked together across the system to develop reports under some of these topics.

The reports will make recommendations to improve health inequalities and will be published later in 2026. They will be accessible in the resources. 

• Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life (Report - Summer 2026)
• Fair Employment and Good Work (Report – Winter 2026)
• Rural Inequalities – (Report Summer 2026)
• Healthy Standard of Living
• Inclusion Health
• Addressing Inequalities through primary care

Best start in life 

Giving children the best start in life is essential to improving lifelong health and reducing inequalities in Oxfordshire. Children growing up in families in some areas of the county where household income is lower or who are living in poor-quality housing are more likely to experience worse health and face barriers to early development. 

When early support is not equitable, fewer children are ready to learn and develop when they start school, increasing the risk of poorer outcomes for a flourishing childhood and achieving their potential.

This project brings partners across Oxfordshire together to strengthen how the system supports families from pregnancy through the early years. It focuses on understanding and addressing inequalities in early childhood development, improving leadership and partnership working, and identifying gaps in support. 

Creating fair employment and good work for all

Fair employment and good work play an important role in keeping people healthy. Secure, fairly paid jobs with opportunities to learn and progress can positively support both physical and mental wellbeing. Conversely unemployment can lead to poor health.

Through the Marmot Place approach, Oxfordshire is working with partners to strengthen links between employment, skills, education and the wider economy, so that more people have access to good‑quality work. This includes working alongside existing partnerships and local employers to promote fair employment practices, consider social value, and ensure opportunities are accessible to those who face the greatest barriers.

Healthy standard of living 

A healthy standard of living is a foundation for health and wellbeing. It means having enough income to afford everyday essentials, living in safe and secure housing, and being able to access the services and support people need to live well. 

Oxfordshire is focusing on the wider factors that influence living standards, including income, housing, fuel poverty and access to support. This work brings together data, insight and partnership working to help ensure support reaches people who are most at risk of experiencing hardship. 

Rural inequalities

Oxfordshire is a rural county, with the highest proportion of rural population in the southeast region. Our rural areas are generally affluent but face unique challenges and hide pockets of deprivation. 

So far, much work has focused on inequalities in larger cities or towns, including the development of Community Insight Profiles for the ten wards in Oxfordshire that were highlighted as including small areas in the 20% most deprived in England (Index of Multiple Deprivation, IMD, 2019). A further four profiles have also been developed for areas falling within the 30-40% most deprived nationally. 

Oxfordshire Marmot Place is focusing on better understanding how inequalities affect people living in rural areas and where gaps in access exist. This includes bringing together local knowledge, data and lived experience to build a clearer picture of need and opportunities through community engagement. 

Primary care 

Every day, GPs and other professionals in primary care teams deal first-hand with inequalities in health. Often people's ill health relates to things like their housing situation, impacts of work, poverty or social isolation. 

This means GPs and their teams are uniquely placed to help address these challenges, particularly in areas of the county where people might be facing more barriers. In Oxfordshire, GP practices are working together in local networks to support the needs of their neighbourhoods. By sharing learning and working closely with other services, primary care teams can help people access the right support for their health and wider needs, contributing to fairer access to care and better health outcomes across the county.

Inclusion health

Inclusion health groups often experience some of the starkest health inequalities in society. These disparities are driven by systemic barriers, stigma, and lack of access to services that meet their needs.

Understanding the health and wellbeing needs of inclusion health groups has been informed by partner insight, local experience and data, helping to identify priority areas. This has shaped targeted funding to support projects and activities that help to address health inequalities for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and Vulnerable Migrants in particular. These projects aim to build on existing relationships to address health inequalities and foster trust-based engagement. 

For further information on local data for inclusion health groups, please visit the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), 2024 Inclusion Health Groups Overview.

Local policy lab

The Local Policy Lab is an alliance between Oxfordshire County Council, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University that aims to promote relationships and bridge the gap between research and local policy.

In 2025, the lab signed up to contribute to developing Oxfordshire as a Marmot Place. This includes using their academic and research expertise to help us better understand what actions will reduce health inequality. It also involves using their assets, facilities, employment practices, and broader influence to help address local inequality.

The University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University also recruited three Chief Scientific Advisors (CSAs), covering the Marmot priorities. These CSAs support Policy Lab Fellows as well as provision of a central point of focus for developing longer-term applied research partnerships.

Find out more https://www.sdglab.uk/programme/local-policy-lab