About the Health Foundation We are an independent charitable organisation working to build a healthier UK

Who we are

Health is our most precious asset. Good health and wellbeing enables us to live happy, fulfilling lives and frees us up to achieve our potential. It fuels our prosperity – a healthy and productive labour force is the engine that powers our economy. And it helps to build a stronger society by enabling us to play a full part in family life, make social connections and contribute to our communities. 

Our health is shaped by a range of factors including our early life, the work we do and the income we earn, the education we receive and the homes and places we live in. The health and care system should support good health and wellbeing by enabling everyone to access the high-quality treatment, care and support they need, when they need it.  

Yet, good health remains out of reach for too many people in the UK. Improvements in life expectancy have slowed. We compare poorly with other leading nations on some important aspects of our health, such as cancer and heart disease. Deep inequalities in health between our poorest and wealthiest communities have widened. Meanwhile, health and care services are under huge pressure and struggling to provide access to timely, high-quality care. 

It doesn’t have to be like this. By valuing our health as an asset, investing in health and care services and focusing on the wider factors that shape our health and drive inequalities, we can build a healthier nation.

What we do

We will play our part in building a healthier nation by focusing on three key priorities: 

Improving people’s health and reducing inequalities 

We will work with others to improve people’s health and reduce inequalities by:  

• increasing understanding about the economic and societal benefits of good health 
• focusing on the key role of economic, social and environmental factors in shaping health and driving inequalities 
• working with stakeholders to build cross-sector support and mobilise action for the changes needed to promote healthier lives. 

Supporting radical innovation and improvement in health and care services 

We will support radical innovation and improvement in health and care services by: 

• promoting and evaluating new approaches to improve and transform services 
• helping to build an ecosystem for the generation, spread and adoption of new ideas and innovations 
• strengthening cultures and capability to deliver change among health and care professionals, organisations and systems. 

Providing evidence and analysis to improve health and care policy

We will provide evidence and analysis to improve health and care policy by:  

• publishing high quality research 
• producing analysis, insights and commentary to inform discussion and debate 
• working with stakeholders to develop long-term thinking and solutions to the challenges facing the health and care system. 

Get involved

Find out what our plans are for 2023 and what opportunities are on offer to get involved with our work this year.

Our values

• We are independent
• We collaborate to make a greater impact
• We are informed by evidence and experience
• We bring a spirit of constructive challenge and an open mind

Our cross-cutting themes

As well as our strategic priorities, we are also aiming to have a positive impact on our mission through how we work as an organisation, particularly through the following three cross-cutting themes.

Equity, diversity and inclusion 

We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion as an employer, a funder and in our work to build a healthier UK. Taking action on equity, diversity and inclusion is vital to improving the health of our society and tackling health inequalities. It is also critical for developing an inclusive culture in which all our staff can thrive. We recognise that we have a lot to learn and a long way to go before we meet our EDI ambitions.

Read more about our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion 

Public participation 

We’re developing how we engage and involve people – individuals and communities – in what we do. We want to embed public participation more consistently and more widely across our work, to realise the benefit of multiple and diverse perspectives. We believe this collaboration will help us achieve greater impact together, and will enable us to be more relevant and responsive to people in the UK.

Read more about our inclusion panel

Read more about what we have learnt from involving and engaging with patients and the public

Environmental sustainability

As a foundation, we believe we have a responsibility to act on climate change, and we are working to embed environmental sustainability across the organisation. This includes leveraging our role as a provider of analysis and research, reviewing how we give grants and invest our endowment, as well as how we manage our workplace and events. 

We are taking a number of steps to reduce our environmental footprint and improve our sustainability.

Read more about our commitment to environmental sustainability