What we do

Members of HINST Associates are all qualified and experienced professionals and can provide: systematic analysis of current situation; planning strategies to make tangible change; advice on the use of resources and evidence-based information; support in implementation; facilitation of workshops on key disease areas and wider determinates of health to support service planning; health inequalities awareness raising; subject expert change management.

The resources developed by the team are available on the Resources Page and demonstrate the range of areas to which HINST Associates are able to bring support. Additionally, members of HINST Associates bring the benefits of a variety of previous backgrounds in health, local authorities and the independent sector to the interpretation of the health inequality agenda. Other former members of the team remain in contact with the Associates and their additional expertise will also be available to clients.

Other former members of the team (Jan Smithies, Terry Blair-Stevens, Lucy Gate, Ann Goodwin, Neil Grahame) remain in contact with the Associates and their additional expertise ( including Community Engagement, Seasonal Excess Deaths and Behaviour Change) will also be available to clients.

Health Inequalities and Health Improvement: Simple concepts | complex problems | expert solutions

For health professionals, local authorities, community services and commissioners with responsibilities for health improvement and reducing health inequalities, making a difference can be truly challenging. What works and what doesn't seems all too often to be complex, intangible and focused only in the long term. Of course, it shouldn’t be and access to genuine “hands-on” experience of similar situations often proves to be incredibly valuable. Tapping into such experience is nowhere near as difficult as one would think.

HINST Associates has been established by former members of the DH Health Inequalities National Support Team following termination of government funding in March 2011. HINST Associates provides a centre of excellence for all things “health inequalities”, calling upon the direct experience of over 80 of the most disadvantaged areas with the poorest health in England.

Our bespoke consultancy, advisory services and knowledge resources are highly practical and informed by real examples of tangible improvements made in local areas. Our pool of knowledge and expertise has been gained through partnering a range of organisations to tackle health inequalities to make the difference. These organisations include:

- national policy bodies and agencies
- clinical commissioning consortia
- health and well-being boards
- transition teams in PCT clusters
- public health teams
- elected members and scrutiny panel members
- LINks/HealthWatch
- voluntary & community sector bodies

HINST Associates brings to its clients the benefits of direct experience of good practice / better practice solutions using approaches and resources developed together. Our methods are designed to help demystify population-based needs & strategies and implement the systematic and scaled-up application of practical interventions tailored to our clients’ specific needs. These will provide invaluable support to organisations charged with developing the new infrastructures to improve Health and Wellbeing. 

Email us on enquiries@hinstassociates.co.uk or contact one of our Associates to discuss the opportunities