HIPPOCRATES: Development & Evaluation of interventions targeted at high-risk patient groups

People from deprived backgrounds are more likely to die or suffer complications after major surgery, even when their hospital care is as good as that received by wealthier patients. This matters because health inequalities in surgical outcomes are stubborn and poorly understood. Previous work by the team showed that the gap in harm is not explained by differences in the quality of care received inside the hospital. Something else—likely linked to social, economic, or pre-existing health factors—drives the higher risk for deprived patients after they leave the operating theatre. The HIPPOCRATES project aims to design and test practical interventions specifically for these high-risk groups, then evaluate whether those interventions actually reduce harm. If successful, the research could change how surgical teams identify and support vulnerable patients before and after an operation. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, hospitals might offer targeted prehabilitation, enhanced follow-up, or social support tailored to a patient’s background. This would not require new medical devices or drugs—it would shift how the healthcare system organises care around the patient. The result could be fewer deaths, fewer complications, and a narrowing of the survival gap between the most and least deprived people in the UK.