Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust’s HIVE team is at the forefront of a new approach to healthcare, targeting the deep-rooted inequalities that prevent people from getting the help they need.
The HIVE Programme brings together local clinical knowledge with insight from people with lived experience and the expertise of local authority and community services. The aim is simple yet ambitious: to improve access, experience, and outcomes for those who are often overlooked by traditional services.
The work has initially focused on people with respiratory conditions referred through urgent cancer pathways. More than half of those supported are living in our most deprived communities or are in unstable housing, suffer with poor mental health or learning disabilities/ neurodivergence, or are living with addiction or substance dependence.
By screening all referrals to see if ‘Reasonable adjustments’ are needed, and embedding HIVE support practitioners into clinical pathways, the team is helping people attend appointments, navigate services and receive joined-up care. Over 90% of tobacco-dependent patients were referred to stop smoking services. Nearly 20% reduced or quit altogether. Others have been supported into housing, recovery services or palliative care.
Dr Ruth Sharrock, respiratory consultant and HIVE clinical lead, said: “Too often, people fall through the cracks because the system isn’t built for those with the most complex lives. With HIVE, we’re listening better, acting faster and building trust. It’s not just about healthcare access, it’s about dignity and fairness.”
The Trust is exploring how the HIVE approach could be used across other clinical areas to help ensure that no one is left behind.
This work has also been shortlisted for the Royal College of Physicians’ Excellence in Patient Care Awards in the Alliance Medical Health inequalities category.
The Excellence in Patient Care Awards, sponsored by the Virginia Mason Institute, recognise the work of RCP members and fellows to improve patient care through education, policy, clinical practice and research. The award ceremony will be held at The Spine, the RCP’s northern home in Liverpool, on 10 July 2025.