Health Equity Assessment Tool

The Health Equity Assessment Tool (HEAT) elearning module supports the refreshed tool developed by the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID). The module helps learners understand what health inequalities are, why equity matters, and how to use HEAT to improve fairness in services and programmes. It provides context, practical guidance, examples of good practice and a step-by-step guide to each stage of the tool.

Intended audience

HEAT is for anyone who wants to address health inequalities in their work. This includes professionals in public health, health and social care, Housing, Education, commissioning, strategy and service delivery. It is also useful for managers in the voluntary and community sector.

Key areas covered

The module explores:

• What health inequalities and health equity mean
• Why assessing equity is important in planning and delivering services
• How the HEAT tool works and what each section asks you to consider
• How HEAT supports compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty
• How to apply the tool to real-world services, programmes and recovery planning
• Examples of good practice and common considerations when using HEAT
• Where to find the tool and supporting resources

Learning objectives

By completing this module, learners will be able to:

• Describe what health inequalities and health equity are
• Explain the purpose of the Health Equity Assessment Tool
• Use the step-by-step HEAT template to assess equity in a service or programme
• Identify actions that could help reduce health inequalities
• Understand how HEAT supports planning, commissioning and compliance with equality duties