Health inequalities tackled through intersectoral collaboration: process issues and insights

Abstract Collaborations, comprising organisations from a diverse range of sectors, are often perceived as being well-placed to tackle persistent health inequalities, but often fail due to a myriad of reasons including political, organizational and cultural barriers. This paper explores issues in relation to the formation of a multi-sector collaboration in one geographic area in the UK, working under the banner of the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) – a programme which seeks to further understand health determinants and to improve health outcomes in communities. Through qualitative interviews with eleven of the constituents of the collaboration, the data demonstrated a clear and shared vision for the collaboration and a neat ‘dovetailing’ of skill-sets related to community brokerage; academic rigour; and statutory legitimacy. While the collaboration under focus here was in its infancy, cultural and practical tensions in ways of working; pace of working; and philosophy were predicted to emerge and required careful monitoring to ensure intended outcomes were not derailed.