• Practical tools to address health inequalities
  Gain the skills and confidence to identify inequities in your practice population and design targeted, evidence‑informed interventions using the FAIRSTEPS framework. 

• Improved patient access and outcomes
  Develop effective approaches to improve access, reduce barriers to care, and support better outcomes for underserved groups. 

• From insight to action
  Action‑learning support helps you move beyond discussion to implement a clear, equity‑focused improvement in your practice or PCN. 

• Stronger leadership and system skills
  Build confidence in working across systems, engaging stakeholders, and navigating organisational barriers. 

• Meaningful community engagement
  Develop practical skills to involve patients, communities and partners in service design and decision‑making. 

• Evidence for professional development and accreditation
  Generate clear evidence for appraisal and portfolios, and support progress towards RCGP Fairer Practice Accreditation. 

• Delivered as a supported quality improvement project
  Complete a practical, equity‑focused quality improvement project aligned with local priorities  

• Sustainable, system‑level change
  Focus on lasting improvements aligned with PCN and system priorities, rather than short‑term projects. 

Benefits to Practices – Why Take Part in FAIRSTEPS to Fairer Practice? 

By taking part, your practice will: 

• Deliver practical, evidence‑informed improvements for a population group that matters most to your community 

• Improve access, experience and outcomes for underserved patients 

• Reduce avoidable workload by addressing root causes of access issues and DNAs 

• Build team confidence and leadership in equity‑focused quality improvement 

• Generate clear evidence for appraisal, revalidation and RCGP Fairer Practice Accreditation 

This is not about doing more—it’s about doing what works, in a way that is sustainable, locally relevant and aligned with PCN and system priorities. 

• Expert facilitation
  Sessions are led by experienced facilitators with expertise in health inequalities, primary care improvement and the FAIRSTEPS framework. 

• Ongoing 1:1 support
  Participants receive tailored support throughout the year to help shape, implement and troubleshoot their quality improvement project. 

• Peer support and shared learning
  Action‑learning sets create space for peer problem‑solving, shared learning and mutual support  

• Evaluation support
  Participants are supported to evaluate impact and learning, generating meaningful evidence for practice improvement and development portfolios. 

• Expected outcomes and follow‑up
  Practices are supported to embed changes sustainably, with follow‑up after the 12‑month programme to support continuity, shared learning and longer‑term impact. 

For participants 

• Increased confidence and capability to lead equity‑focused quality improvement in primary care 

• Practical experience of delivering a defined, evaluated QI project using the FAIRSTEPS framework 

• Improved skills in system working, stakeholder engagement and community involvement 

• Clear evidence for appraisal, revalidation, leadership development and professional portfolios 

• Ongoing peer networks and learning relationships beyond the programme 

For practices and PCNs 

• Measurable improvements in access, experience and outcomes for a defined population experiencing health inequities 

• Reduced avoidable workload through targeted system changes (e.g. access, continuity, DNAs) 

• Embedded, sustainable improvements aligned with PCN and system health inequalities priorities 

• Stronger multidisciplinary engagement around health equity and quality improvement 

• Evidence to support progress towards RCGP Fairer Practice Accreditation and wider system assurance 

Longer‑term impact 

• Equity‑focused approaches embedded into routine practice systems 

• Scalable learning that can be shared across PCNs and neighbourhoods 

• Continued support and follow‑up after the 12‑month programme to sustain improvement and learning 

• GPs 

• Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) 

• Physician Associates (PAs) 

• Nurses 

• Practice Managers and Deputy Practice Managers 

• Primary care network clinicians (e.g. OT physiotherapists pharmacists)

• Primary care network managers 

To maximise impact and ensure sustainable change, participants will need support from their practice or PCN, including: 

• Organisational support to participate
  Agreement from the practice or PCN to support participation in the programme and attendance at sessions. 

• Protected time for learning and improvement activity 
  Support for participants to use agreed time to attend sessions, complete programme activity, and progress their quality improvement project. 

• Practice‑level engagement
  Willingness to involve the wider practice team where appropriate, enabling changes to be embedded into everyday systems and workflows. 

• Access to relevant data and insight
  Support to use practice or PCN data, alongside patient and staff insight, to identify priority populations and evaluate impact. 

• Commitment to implementing change
  Openness to testing and embedding practical system changes aligned with FAIRSTEPS, Core20PLUS5 and local ICB priorities. 

Practice support ensures that learning translates into meaningful, measurable improvements for patients and practices, rather than remaining theoretical.

FAIRSTEPS to Fairer Practice is delivered by the South Yorkshire Primary Care Training Hub, in association with the University of Sheffield. 

The programme is grounded in the University’s research into health inequalities and the FAIRSTEPS framework
(Framework to Address Inequities in pRimary care using STakEholder PerspectiveS). 

FAIRSTEPS is a practical, evidence‑informed framework that supports cost‑effective, system‑level change in primary care, shaped by local population needs and stakeholder perspectives. 

Where can I learn more about FAIRSTEPS?  

For further information, click here  

Many practices are committed to tackling health inequalities but often struggle to know where to begin, which actions will have the greatest impact, or how to balance this work alongside clinical pressures. The Fairer Practice Toolkit bridges that gap. 

It offers a clear, structured, and practical route to turn good intentions into achievable, measurable change. 

What Makes the Toolkit Different from other resources 

• Locally driven
  The toolkit starts by identifying your Focus Patient Group, using local data, lived experience, and practice insight to ensure action is relevant and targeted. 

• Practical and achievable
  Actions are structured across clear tiers: Foundation, Engaging, Achieving, and Leading,  allowing practices to progress at a pace that is realistic and proportionate to their capacity. 

• Evidence‑based
  Built around the FAIRSTEPS methodology, the toolkit is grounded in evidence about what works, supporting cost‑effective and equity‑generating change. 

• Whole‑team approach
  The framework recognises that tackling health inequalities is everyone’s responsibility, with actions relevant to the entire practice team — from reception staff to partners. 

This is not about adding more work. It is about working differently  targeting time, effort, and resources where they are needed most. 

The approach reflects proportionate universalism in practice, helping teams deliver fairer care by aligning improvement activity with population need. 

Click here to view the Fairer Practice Toolkit 

Further Questions 

If you have any further questions please contact the team at pcdltd.health-inequalities-team@nhs.net