Welcome to the Evidence Hub
The Social Care Equity Evidence Hub is a central resource for evidence and analysis on equity
in social care. It gathers research, case studies, and data from a range of sources to show how different
groups access social care and where barriers may exist. The hub offers tools, reports, and insights that
help professionals and decision-makers develop policies and practices that promote fairness.
By sharing reliable evidence, the hub aims to drive change towards a social care system that treats all
individuals equitably.
What do we mean by 'equity' in social care?
Equity in social care means the absence of unfair, avoidable, or remediable differences in access to, experience of, or outcomes from care and support among groups of people –
whether defined by social, economic, demographic, or geographic factors, or by characteristics such as sex, gender, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation. Differences based on these factors are avoidable and can be fixed. Achieving equity means removing barriers and distributing resources fairly, so that access is based on a person's individual needs.
The definition also aligns with the core principles of personalisation, prevention and wellbeing found in the Care Act of 2014. Achieving equity means that support should be matched to individuals’ needs, and that services are designed and delivered in a way that removes barriers, reduces disadvantage, and respects people’s circumstances. This includes, but goes beyond, access, it also covers how people are treated, whether services are inclusive and appropriate, and whether they lead to meaningful improvements in people’s lives.
This is our working definition, adapted from the World Health Organization's definition of Health Equity
Find out more →
Included evidence
To be included in the Evidence Hub, content must:
- Focus on equity and access in social care.
- Be based on robust research that highlights disparities.
- Clearly describe research methods, including where, when, and by whom the study was conducted.
- Explain the context of the research, including social, cultural, or political factors.
- Support all conclusions with evidence and justify recommendations.
- Acknowledge any limitations or uncertainties in the findings.
We will shortly be adding our detail inclusion criteria and methods of appraising the strength of the evidence for further guidance.
How evidence is organised
The evidence is structured into key information modules. The image below shows the interface for searching and viewing evidence on our social care equity evidence hub.
