King's College London

Southwark faces some of the most severe inequalities in London, ranking among the top five most income-deprived boroughs in the capital. Life expectancy varies by up to eight years between its least and most deprived areas, highlighting the urgent need for intervention. This project aims to close that gap by addressing the root causes of inequality through an ambitious, community-led approach.

The Southwark Health Equity Zone will be the first of its kind in the UK, drawing inspiration from successful models like Chicago’s, where targeted interventions significantly reduced infant mortality rates in just three years. By bringing together King’s College London expertise, community institutions, businesses, Southwark Council, and the NHS, the initiative seeks to drive meaningful change and improve health outcomes.

Over the course of a year, the project will follow a structured plan to establish the Southwark Health Equity Zone. This will begin with research and workshops to identify priority areas, followed by a listening campaign engaging thousands of local residents to co-produce solutions tailored to their needs. The insights gathered will inform the development of the Southwark Health Equity Zone Action Plan, which will outline specific strategies for tackling health inequalities. The final phase will see the formal launch of the Southwark Health Equity Zone Board, ensuring long-term commitment to implementing the action plan and sustaining progress over the next four years and beyond.

This initiative is designed to create lasting impact, setting a precedent for health equity work across the UK. By fostering collaboration and ensuring community voices are central to decision-making, the Southwark Health Equity Zone will serve as a scalable model for reducing health disparities and promoting inclusive, sustainable change.

Expected Impact

This project will:

• Establish the UK’s first Health Equity Zone within a year, completing in-depth research, mapping inequalities, and engaging thousands of residents through a large-scale listening campaign.
• Build a strong Health Equity Zone Board by uniting community leaders, businesses, health professionals, and government partners to co-produce a research-backed action plan tackling in-work poverty, housing, and healthcare access.
• Implement structural change over five years, ensuring sustained impact through embedded partnerships and long-term funding strategies.
• Deliver measurable reductions in Southwark’s health inequalities, including closing the life expectancy gap between its most and least deprived areas.
• Set the national standard for health equity initiatives, demonstrating how universities and communities can collaborate to drive systemic change across the UK.

Partners and Collaborators

A multidisciplinary network of partners from across and beyond King's is working together to maximise Health Equity Zone's impact. These include:

• Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
• Faculty of Social Sciences & Public Policy
• ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health
• Citizens UK
• Southwark Council
• NHS ICS & ICB
• Local institutions (schools, faith groups, charities, businesses)
• Trust for London
• Impact on Urban Health
• Other Citizens UK chapters
• ESRC Centre’s regional partners (Wales, Scotland, Newcastle)
• Rush Institute
• Dr David Ansell

Project Team

• Professor Craig Morgan
• Dr Farhan Samanani
• Zara Asif (King's PhD student)
• Virginia Elgar
• Hannah Gretton (Citizens UK)
• Matthew Bolton (Citizens UK)
• Peter Brierley (Citizens UK)
• Vitoria Russo Gaino (Citizens UK)

This project is supported by the One King’s Impact Fund

The One King's Impact Fund is part of One King’s Impact, King’s strategic programme to support and accelerate work within and beyond the University which creates positive change for people, planet and society.

Health Equity Zone responds to the following Impact Priorities: 

Whole life health for mind and body | Advancing Equality and Social Mobility