A NEW Health Academy has launched in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

It is hoped it will improve the health and wellbeing of people living across the region.

The Population Health and Health Equity Academy will see health and care partners across Lancashire and South Cumbria come together to develop a consistent approach to reducing the differences in people’s health.

The academy is a  partnership between NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria and The King’s Fund, a charity that works with the NHS to shape health and social care policy.

Dr Andy Knox, associate medical director for Lancashire and South Cumbria, said: “This ground-breaking partnership with The King’s Fund will not only train and develop, but also empower and equip our healthcare leaders to provide compassionate and wise leadership as they understand how they can tackle health inequalities in every area of Lancashire and South Cumbria."

The Academy will deliver training on key topics for health and care leaders and staff to support the planned work, including sharing best practice and lessons learned across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The Academy will also look to develop an online platform to enable the sharing of intelligence, publications, case studies, videos, useful weblinks and online training.