Inclusion Health Action in General Practice (IHAGP): evaluation

Conclusion

The Inclusion Health Action in General Practice (IHAGP) programme is a highly targeted programme that was designed to tackle persistent health inequalities by enabling practices in deprived areas to deliver more inclusive, proactive, and patient-centred care.

This evaluation demonstrates that IHAGP has achieved meaningful progress toward these aims. Across its three themes, community connection, workforce development, and proactive outreach with extended consultations, the programme has created time and capacity for practices to engage patients who face the greatest barriers to care, improve staff confidence, and begin to embed trauma-informed approaches.

The evidence shows clear benefits. Patients reported feeling listened to and valued, and staff described improvements in morale, confidence, and collaborative working. Extended consultations and outreach helped uncover unmet needs and strengthen continuity of care. Training and practical tools supported cultural competence and improved communication with vulnerable groups. These achievements matter because they demonstrate that targeted investment can unlock innovation and improve experiences for both patients and staff.

However, the evaluation also highlights important challenges. Integration of activities into routine practice does not guarantee sustainability: most staff respondents from IHAGP practices said work would stop without continued funding. Some activities, such as extended consultations, were inconsistently defined, and patient feedback loops were not embedded. Monitoring and coding systems need improvement to support learning and accountability. These findings underline that IHAGP’s success depends on funding and dedicated time for staff.

Looking ahead, the implications are clear. IHAGP has provided proof of concept: targeted resources enable practices to deliver equity-focused care. To inform actions and decision making that would sustain and scale these gains, the programme’s Theory of Change should be refined to focus on realistic, measurable outcomes, clarify fidelity for key activities, and make sustainability assumptions explicit. Continued investment will be essential to embed these approaches and ensure that progress is not lost.

IHAGP has shown what is possible when practices are given the capacity to innovate for inclusion. The challenge now is to move from short-term improvement to long-term change, building a system where equitable access and patient-centred care are not exceptional, but standard.