Shaping Inclusive Health and Social Policy Through Faith Representation

FaithAction is proud to be a member of the Health and Wellbeing Alliance, bringing the perspective and expertise of faith and community organisations to help shape more inclusive, accessible, and equitable health services. Through this partnership, we work to ensure that community voices inform policy and practice, and promote their role in tackling health inequalities and supporting wellbeing across diverse populations.

The Health and Wellbeing Alliance is a network of voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise organisations that works with the NHS and local health systems to improve services. It is jointly managed by system partners; the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England, and is comprised of 18 VCSE Members that represent communities who share protected characteristics or that experience health inequalities. 

We carry out this work in several ways. Our core projects typically involve research and gathering insights from communities on health issues to inform policy, often resulting in reports and toolkits. We also respond to ad hoc requests from the system partners, which is referred to as reactive work.

All our work highlights how faith groups support the health and social care system, while also capturing the challenges faced by different faith communities. Here’s a round-up of the reactive information we’ve provided so far this financial year.

UKHSA mpox study

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) aimed to make mpox public health guidance more feasible, accessible, and acceptable to help prevent potential outbreaks. We contributed insights to their study, exploring barriers and enablers to transmission-reducing behaviours such as testing, vaccination, and self-isolation among at-risk groups. Through focus groups with people of faith, those of global majority or African heritage, and English-as-a-second-language speakers, we helped ensure public health strategies are culturally appropriate and effective in encouraging behaviour change.

Minimum standards for patients and carers on NHS waiting lists

Following a request from NHS England, we explored people’s experiences while waiting for care, including both the support they received and the challenges, such as limited updates from service providers. We also looked at how waiting affects faith practices—like fasting, prayer, religious observances, or attending places of worship—and the need for faith-specific support. A survey of our members revealed that waiting can be frustrating and isolating. Faith often provides support but is frequently overlooked, highlighting the importance of better communication, spiritual care, and attention to overall wellbeing, with these insights fed back directly to the service.

Martha’s Rule

Martha’s Rule lets patients, families, and staff request a rapid independent review if they’re concerned a patient’s condition is worsening, helping detect deterioration early and improve patient safety. NHS England need support to raise awareness of Martha’s Rule, provide accessible information to all, and address barriers such as language, digital access, health literacy, and cultural differences. We attended a session on Martha’s Rule to discuss sharing patient rights within our networks. We will be connecting with regional patient safety workstream lead supporting Martha’s Rule to gain insights and support this and other safety improvement programmes.

NHS Vaccine Campaign

UKHSA, in partnership with DHSC and NHS England developed an audience-led approach to vaccines campaigning. They wanted to highlight the new communications campaign for winter vaccines and raise awareness of maternal and childhood vaccines. We shared their resources with our members via our e-news and social media.

National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation (NMNI) is an independent, rapid review of NHS maternity and newborn care in England launched in June 2025 by the UK government to address long‑standing systemic failings and unsafe care that have harmed women and babies.  We supported this work by reviewing materials to ensure they respectfully captured the experiences of people of faith. The call for evidence is now live.

NHS CVD Modern Service Framework

The CVD Modern Service Framework is part of the NHS 10-year health plan to reduce premature heart disease and stroke deaths by 25%. It aims to ensure fair access to high-quality care, prevent illness, and reduce inequalities, with patient and community voices central to shaping policies and services. We contributed to NHS England on prevention and early detection, access to diagnosis and treatment, long-term management, reducing inequalities, improving communication, and understanding community-level barriers. We shared examples of good practice from faith groups delivering culturally appropriate, community-based health initiatives in trusted settings.

You can find out more about our work with the Health and Wellbeing Alliance here.