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Geographic Location

Where people live significantly affects their health outcomes — a concept often described as the “postcode lottery” in UK healthcare. Individuals living in deprived geographic areas are more likely to experience a combination of environmental stressors, poor infrastructure, and reduced access to essential services. These factors compound existing health risks and contribute to persistent health inequalities.
People in deprived neighbourhoods are disproportionately exposed to:
  • Environmental hazards — such as air pollution, noise, poor sanitation, and substandard housing stock. These are linked to respiratory conditions, cardiovascular disease, and mental ill health.
  • Limited transport and digital infrastructure, which restricts access to healthcare appointments, community support, and online health information or services.
  • Fewer local services, including fewer pharmacies, fewer GP practices, and less engagement with early intervention and prevention programmes. Access to green space and recreational facilities is also significantly reduced in many deprived areas, limiting opportunities for physical activity and social connection.
Curovia’s Market Entry Report (June 2025) identified several priority locations where these challenges are most acute — including East London, Birmingham, Bradford, Leicester and parts of Manchester — all of which combine high Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) scores with large South Asian populations.
“Health infrastructure varies dramatically by geography. In some areas, even well-funded GP practices lack culturally adapted services or face chronic workforce shortages. In others, public transport gaps make it nearly impossible for patients to attend hospital appointments or group education sessions.”
These geographic disparities are explicitly recognised in the NHS England Core20PLUS5 framework, which highlights that “place” is a major determinant of health. The programme urges Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to take neighbourhood-level approaches to identifying and addressing need, particularly in areas where multiple risk factors — including deprivation, ethnicity, and housing — intersect.
Reference: NHS England. Core20PLUS5 – An approach to reducing health inequalities. Know More
Curovia’s planned use of community-engagement, multilingual outreach, and culturally adapted digital tools is well aligned with this place-based vision, enabling services to be tailored to the needs of high-risk populations in specific geographic areas.