Partnerships between the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary and private sectors and local communities which represent a new approach to public health, linking health, regeneration, employment, education, housing and anti-poverty initiatives to respond to the needs of vulnerable groups and deprived communities. www.haznet.org.uk

Partnerships between the NHS, local authorities, community groups and the voluntary and business sectors in areas of high deprivation, aimed at tackling health inequalities and poor health.

HAZs represent a partnership between the NHS, local authorities, community groups and the voluntary sector to pioneer new approaches in rejuvenating services and responding to social exclusion. They are expected to address inequalities in health and develop services that are more responsive to patients and users. Their principal aim is to tackle inequalities in health in the most deprived areas of England through health and social care service modernisation programmes with opportunities to address other interdependent and wider determinants of health such as housing, education and employment – and integrating the services and approaches developed into mainstream activity..