AHSN Impact Report 2021 | Page 4

we have also recognised that the impact of COVID-19 goes beyond people ’ s health , as increased unemployment and inequalities in health and wealth have been brought into sharp focus . This has only increased the importance of our YHealth for Growth campaign , which we launched back in 2019 with our partners at the NHS Confederation and Yorkshire Universities . Our aim is to promote better understanding of the intrinsic link between health and wealth as well as raising awareness of the health inequalities in our region .
In July , as part of this campaign , we published our ‘ Levelling Up Yorkshire and Humber ’ report in which we highlighted health inequalities in our region and across the North of England compared to the rest of the country . As a result , we have made a series of recommendations aimed at local and national leaders , for example , recognising the role of joint working in tackling health inequalities and the need for health and wellbeing to be a key consideration in all economic decisionmaking .
These recommendations have contributed to a positioning paper on the Levelling Up agenda , published by the House of Lords ’ Public Service Committee , after we were invited to a Lords ’ evidence session to present our report ’ s findings . The paper has been sent to the Prime Minister and calls for ‘ better targeted ’ plans that protect health , education and skills in more deprived areas of the country .
Ultimately , we want to create an equitable and fair society , with all members of our communities living a healthy and prosperous life .
In 2019 we led the development of a set of pledges that define our role in championing and developing diversity within our health innovation pipeline . These pledges have now been rolled out across the AHSN Network . Over the last 12 months the fallout from both the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement has further emphasised the importance and urgency of our work in this area and we have been active in collaborating with our partner organisations across the region to help them think about and address the issues connected with this agenda .
This Impact Report provides further detail on our successes in what has been an incredible and challenging year . All that we have achieved would not have been possible without the support of our partners and stakeholders and of course the resilience , dedication and diligence of our staff . Thank you .
Richard Stubbs , Chief Executive Officer
Professor William Pope , Chair