Equity Audit Tool

The Equity Audit Tool (EAT) is being developed to help researchers and clinical trials teams understand how well their studies represent the full diversity of the population, particularly in relation to deprivation and inequality. By comparing who takes part in research against a reliable picture of the wider population, EAT will make it easier to spot gaps in representation and take action to address them, supporting fairer, more inclusive mental health research.

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Over the past several months, the project team has focused on identifying the best possible data sources to use as a benchmark, or "denominator," against which research participation can be compared. This has involved reviewing a range of national datasets to assess their coverage, accessibility, and suitability, as well as exploring how existing studies could support this work. The team has also looked closely at how deprivation is measured differently in England and Wales, to ensure EAT can work consistently across both nations.

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Alongside this, a prototype version of the tool has been built and reviewed, with feedback shaping improvements to how it will be used, how data gaps are handled, and how results will be presented to researchers. The next phase of work will focus on finalising the approach to benchmarking data, before moving on to further testing and piloting the tool with clinical trials units and mental health researchers, in line with the wider aims of the DATAMIND initiative.