case study interview revolut

20 Revolut Interview Questions and Answers

Prepare for the types of questions you are likely to be asked when interviewing for a position at Revolut.

When it comes to interviews, preparation is key. And if you’re hoping to land a job at Revolut, a leading financial services company, you’ll need to know how to answer Revolut interview questions.

While you can’t predict exactly what you’ll be asked, you can get a sense of the types of questions that may be asked by preparing for common interview questions. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of sample Revolut interview questions and answers that you can use to develop your own responses.

From questions about your experience with mobile banking and foreign exchange to more general questions about your problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment, you’ll need to be prepared to answer a range of Revolut interview questions.

So, whether you’re a experienced financial services professional or a recent graduate looking to break into the industry, make sure you brush up on your Revolut interview questions before your big day.

Revolut Interview Process

The interview process at Revolut is relatively long, taking around two months from start to finish. However, the difficulty level of the interviews is generally considered to be low, with most candidates finding them to be more conversational in nature. Overall, the experience is generally positive, with many candidates feeling that the company is very transparent throughout the process.

• Why do you want to work at Revolut?
• Do you have any experience with foreign exchange markets?
• What would you say makes a successful product owner?
• Are you comfortable working in a fast-paced environment?
• How would you describe your management style?
• Describe an occasion where you had to manage a difficult customer or situation. What did you do?
• Explain what FinCrime is and why it’s important for businesses like Revolut.
• Would you be interested in cross training from the Customer Support department to another area of the company, such as Product Management?
• Give me an example of a time when you were hired to fill a role that wasn’t exactly what you expected. How did you handle it?
• If there was one thing you could change about Revolut, what would it be?
• Tell us about a time when you had to adapt quickly to a new way of doing things. How did you approach it?
• Please tell us about a time when you worked effectively under pressure.
• Can you give me some examples of how you use data analytics to make decisions?
• Tell me about a time you helped someone learn something new. How did it go?
• When you first started with Revolut, what will be your top three priorities?
• Have you ever had to deal with multiple changing priorities on a project? How did you keep everything organized?
• What are the most important skills for a product manager?
• We’re looking for someone who can take initiative and get things done without being asked. Tell us about a time when you demonstrated this type of behavior.
• Our team has to work closely together to accomplish our goals. Can you tell us about a time when you worked well in a team?
• How do you think the landscape of banking will change over the next 5 years?

1. Why do you want to work at Revolut?

This question is an opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the company and its mission. When answering, it can be helpful to mention a specific aspect of Revolut that you admire or something about the company’s culture that appeals to you.

Example: “I want to work at Revolut because I am passionate about financial inclusion. Your company has made international money transfers more accessible than ever before, which is especially important in developing countries where many people don’t have access to traditional banking services. I think this technology could help so many people around the world.”

2. Do you have any experience with foreign exchange markets?

This question can help the interviewer determine whether you have experience with foreign exchange markets and how much experience you have. If you do, share your experiences with them. If you don’t, explain that you’re willing to learn about it if hired.

Example: “I’ve never worked in a foreign exchange market before, but I am familiar with how they work. In my last job as a financial analyst, I was responsible for researching different companies’ stock prices and comparing them to their competitors’. This helped me understand how currency rates affect businesses and consumers.”

3. What would you say makes a successful product owner?

The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your leadership skills and how you would apply them in a role as product owner. Use examples from past experiences where you were the product owner or similar roles that required you to lead a team of developers, designers or other professionals.

Example: “A successful product owner is someone who can clearly communicate their vision for the product while also being open to feedback and suggestions from others on the team. I have been the product owner for several projects at my previous job, and I always made sure to meet with each member of the development team regularly to discuss progress and answer questions they had about the project.”

4. Are you comfortable working in a fast-paced environment?

Working in a startup environment can be challenging, but it also offers unique opportunities for growth and development. Employers ask this question to make sure you’re ready to work hard and adapt to change. In your answer, explain that you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment as long as there’s structure and clear expectations. Explain how you thrive under pressure and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet deadlines.

Example: “I am definitely comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. I thrive under pressure and have no problem adapting to changing circumstances. At my last job, I was responsible for managing multiple projects at once. While some of the tasks were repetitive, others required me to think on my feet and come up with creative solutions. I’m confident that I can handle anything that comes my way.”

5. How would you describe your management style?

This question can help the interviewer get a sense of how you would interact with your team members and other employees. Describe your management style in terms that highlight your strengths, such as communication skills, problem-solving abilities or leadership qualities.

Example: “I believe my management style is collaborative. I like to involve my team members in decision making processes so they feel invested in the company’s overall success. I also value transparency, which means I share information about our progress regularly so everyone knows what’s going on. This helps me build trust among my team members.”

6. Describe an occasion where you had to manage a difficult customer or situation. What did you do?

This question can help the interviewer understand how you handle conflict and stress. Use examples from your previous experience to highlight your problem-solving skills, communication skills and ability to work under pressure.

Example: “In my last role as a customer service representative for a software company, I had a client who was upset with our product because it didn’t have all of the features they wanted. Instead of getting defensive or frustrated, I listened to their concerns and explained that we were working on adding those features in future updates. They seemed satisfied with my response and thanked me for being so helpful.”

7. Explain what FinCrime is and why it’s important for businesses like Revolut.

FinCrime is a term used to describe financial crimes that involve money. It’s important for businesses like Revolut to understand FinCrime because it can help them prevent fraud and other illegal activities from occurring on their platform. When you answer this question, make sure to explain what FinCrime is and how it affects the business.

Example: “FinCrime refers to any crime that involves money. These types of crimes are usually committed by people who want to steal or embezzle funds from others. For example, if someone were to hack into your account and transfer all of your money to another account, that would be considered FinCrime.”

8. Would you be interested in cross training from the Customer Support department to another area of the company, such as Product Management?

This question is a great way to show your willingness to learn and grow within the company. If you have experience in multiple areas of business, it can be beneficial to mention this when answering this question.

Example: “I would love to cross train from Customer Support to another department at Revolut. I am passionate about customer service and helping people, but I also enjoy learning more about technology and how businesses operate. I think that working with the Product Management team would be an excellent opportunity for me to expand my knowledge.”

9. Give me an example of a time when you were hired to fill a role that wasn’t exactly what you expected. How did you handle it?

This question is a great way to show your problem-solving skills and ability to adapt. When answering this question, it can be helpful to explain how you used the information you learned from the role to help you find another opportunity that was more suitable for you.

Example: “I once applied for a job as an accountant at a small business. I had my CPA license and experience working in public accounting, so I thought it would be a good fit. However, when I started the job, I realized that they didn’t have any of the software or processes in place that I needed to do my work effectively. I spoke with my manager about my concerns, and we decided together that I should leave the company after two months.

After leaving, I found a position at a larger firm where I could use my skills and knowledge to their full potential. The smaller company hired someone else who was able to implement the systems and processes I recommended.”

10. If there was one thing you could change about Revolut, what would it be?

This question is a great way to test your problem-solving skills and ability to think critically. When answering this question, it can be helpful to consider the company’s mission statement or values when deciding what you would change about Revolut.

Example: “If I could change one thing about Revolut, I would make sure that all of our customer service representatives were more empathetic toward customers. In my experience as a customer service representative for another financial services company, I learned how important it is to listen to customers’ concerns and respond with empathy. If I had the opportunity to implement this practice at Revolut, I believe it would improve the overall user experience.”

11. Tell us about a time when you had to adapt quickly to a new way of doing things. How did you approach it?

This question can help the interviewer understand how you adapt to change and challenges. Use examples from your experience that show you’re willing to learn new things, even if it’s something outside of your comfort zone.

Example: “When I first started working in customer service, my manager asked me to answer questions about our company’s products over email rather than on the phone. At first, I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure if I could provide the same level of service as when speaking with customers face-to-face. However, after a few weeks, I realized that this method actually helped me better understand the product and provided more detailed information for customers.”

12. Please tell us about a time when you worked effectively under pressure.

This question can help the interviewer learn more about your ability to work under pressure and how you handle it. When answering this question, think of a time when you had to meet a deadline or complete an important task while also managing other responsibilities.

Example: “In my previous role as a customer service representative, I often worked with tight deadlines. One day, I was helping multiple customers at once and one of them asked me for assistance with their account. While still working with another customer, I used my computer to access their account and helped them resolve their issue.”

13. Can you give me some examples of how you use data analytics to make decisions?

This question is a great way to show your analytical skills and how you can use data to make decisions. When answering this question, it’s important to highlight the importance of data analytics in business and how you’ve used them in the past to help improve processes or solve problems.

Example: “In my last role as an IT manager, I was tasked with finding ways to reduce costs for our company while maintaining high-quality service. After analyzing our current systems, I found that we were spending too much money on server maintenance. By implementing new software that reduced our server usage by 50%, I was able to save the company thousands of dollars each month.”

14. Tell me about a time you helped someone learn something new. How did it go?

This question is a great way to show your communication skills and how you can help others learn. It also shows that you are willing to take on challenges and support others in their learning process.

Example: “I have experience teaching people new things, especially when it comes to technology. I once had a friend who was interested in cryptocurrency but didn’t know where to start. I offered to teach them about the basics of blockchain and cryptocurrencies so they could understand what they were investing in. They ended up buying some Bitcoin and Ethereum.”

15. When you first started with Revolut, what will be your top three priorities?

This question is a great way to show the interviewer that you have an idea of what it takes to succeed in your role. When answering this question, be sure to include specific examples of how you would prioritize these tasks and ensure they are completed on time.

Example: “My top three priorities when I first started with Revolut were increasing customer satisfaction, improving internal communication and streamlining processes. To increase customer satisfaction, I worked with my team to create a new app feature that allowed customers to request help from us directly through the app. This helped our support team respond more quickly to customer concerns and questions.

To improve internal communication, I created weekly meetings where employees could ask me any questions they had about their roles or company policies. These meetings also gave me the opportunity to give updates on current projects and initiatives. Finally, I streamlined processes by creating a task management system for each department within the company.”

16. Have you ever had to deal with multiple changing priorities on a project? How did you keep everything organized?

This question can help the interviewer understand how you manage multiple tasks and prioritize your work. Use examples from previous projects to show that you’re organized, detail-oriented and able to meet deadlines.

Example: “In my last role as a project manager, I had to oversee several different teams of developers who were all working on separate aspects of a large website redesign project. Each team was responsible for different pages or sections of the site, so I needed to make sure each group knew what other teams were doing and when they would be ready to launch their part of the project. I used an online project management tool to keep track of everyone’s progress and ensure we met our deadline.”

17. What are the most important skills for a product manager?

This question helps the interviewer understand your skills and how they relate to the position. A product manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of a company’s products, including marketing, sales, customer service and development. Your answer should include examples of what you’ve done in these areas.

Example: “I believe that communication and collaboration are two of the most important skills for a product manager. As a product manager, I would need to work with many different departments within the organization to ensure that our products meet the needs of customers. Collaboration allows me to get input from others on my ideas and make changes as needed. Communication is also essential because it allows me to share information about the product with other team members.”

18. We’re looking for someone who can take initiative and get things done without being asked. Tell us about a time when you demonstrated this type of behavior.

This question is a great way to determine how well you work independently and with others. When answering this question, it can be helpful to think of an example that shows your ability to take initiative while also working collaboratively with others.

Example: “At my previous job, I noticed that our social media accounts weren’t being updated regularly. This was something that could have negatively affected the company’s reputation online. So, I volunteered to create content for all of our social media platforms. It took me about two weeks to get everything up and running, but now we’re able to post on all of our channels at least once per day.”

19. Our team has to work closely together to accomplish our goals. Can you tell us about a time when you worked well in a team?

This question can help the interviewer understand how you interact with others and your ability to collaborate.

Example: “In my last position, I worked in a team of five people who all had different responsibilities but were all working toward the same goal. We each had our own strengths that we used to support one another when needed. For example, if someone was out sick or on vacation, we would work together to cover their duties until they returned.”

20. How do you think the landscape of banking will change over the next 5 years?

This question is a great way to gauge your candidate’s knowledge of the industry and how they think about trends. It also helps you understand their opinions on what will happen in the future, which can be helpful if you’re looking for someone with specific ideas or goals.

Example: “I believe that banking will become more digitalized over the next five years. I think we’ll see an increase in mobile-only banks as well as apps that offer all of the services of traditional banks but are easier to use. I also think there will be more competition between banks and other financial institutions like PayPal.”

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Top 22 Revolut Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

Back to Revolut

Introduction

Founded as a transparent solution to expensive cross-border spending, Revolut currently helps make 400 million transactions a month. Its services were initially limited to the UK, but Revolut now has expanded to 37 countries, including the US. Revolut also has grown its catalog to cover stock exchanges and cryptocurrency trades.

As an app-based business, Revolut significantly depends on software engineers like yourself to elevate the product experience, develop backend services, and establish server-side integrations. So, the interview for the software engineer role will be a bit detailed and thorough, requiring you to have a degree of understanding of several programming languages, algorithms, and frameworks.

In this article, we’ll delve deeper into the interview process for the Revolut software engineer role and discuss a few recurring behavioral and technical questions.

Revolut Software Engineer Interview Process

As a software engineer candidate, you’ll be thoroughly vetted to assess your technical prowess and alignment with Revolut’s culture . Depending on the category of software engineer role (Android, backend, data, Java, etc.), expect a multi-stage interview process with an assortment of phone and on-site rounds. Here is how it typically goes:

Filling Out the Application Form

Revolut has embraced a streamlined approach to job applications with a single-page online form. Apart from leaving contact details and uploading your CV, you’ll need to answer a few surface-level questions about the specific software engineer job role. If you haven’t been approached by a Revolut recruiter, you can find the job you want at Revolut Career Portal .

Consider going the extra mile to upload an updated and tailored CV to increase your chance of getting shortlisted for the primary interview rounds.

Telephone Screening Round

Someone from the Revolut hiring team will contact you to verify the details of your CV and ask a few pre-defined questions regarding your experience in the industry and in specific roles. Hiring managers often bypass this step and make direct contact to accelerate the process. If this happens, expect behavioral questions and a discussion about your technical background.

Technical Problem-Solving Round

Next, you’ll move on to the technical problem-solving stage, engaging in live coding challenges, take-home assignments, and technical discussions. Depending on the job role, specific programming language-related questions will also be asked. Be prepared to face multiple Revolut software engineer interviewers.

On-Site Assessment Centre

After successfully passing the previous interview stages, you will be invited to your nearest Revolut assessment center. During this session, you’ll meet the hiring manager and other key stakeholders for multiple one-on-one interviews and a group assessment.

Partner Interview

This is potentially the final stage of the Revolut software engineer interview. You’ll meet senior engineers and team directors to discuss your responsibilities and answer behavioral questions. Following that, you’ll receive a call or email confirming your employment details.

What Questions Are Asked During Software Engineer Interview at Revolut?

Revolut software engineer interviews usually revolve around SQL, Python, and algorithm problems, followed by behavioral questions. Here are a few of them discussed with ideal answers:

1. How do you prioritize multiple deadlines and stay organized when you have multiple deadlines?

This question will assess your ability to manage time effectively and stay organized under pressure. These are essential skills for a software engineer at Revolut, where development is fast-paced.

How to Answer

Mention how you prioritize tasks based on their urgency and impact on project milestones. Discuss tools like task trackers or project management software to track deadlines and progress.

“I prioritize multiple deadlines by first assessing the urgency and importance of each task. Then, I break down each task into smaller, manageable subtasks and allot time accordingly. Using tools like Trello or Jira helps me stay organized by visualizing deadlines and tracking progress.”

2. What is your approach to resolving conflict with co-workers or external stakeholders, partially when you don’t really like them?

Revolut may ask this question to gauge your ability to handle conflicts diplomatically, crucial in a team environment.

Discuss how you approach conflicts calmly and objectively, finding common ground and understanding the perspectives of others, even if you don’t particularly like them.

“In resolving conflicts, I maintain a professional demeanor and address the issue objectively. I work to understand the other person’s perspective and find common ground to reach a resolution, even when personal feelings are involved.”

3. Tell me about a time when your colleagues disagreed with you. How did you bring them into the conversation and address their concerns?

This question evaluates your communication and collaboration skills, essential for fostering a productive team environment at Revolut.

Mention your listening skills and how you use them to address your colleagues’ concerns and perspectives. Let the interviewer know you encourage open dialogue and collaboration to find a mutually acceptable solution.

“When my colleagues disagreed with me, I initiated a discussion to understand their concerns. By listening and considering their perspectives, we found common ground and adjusted to address their concerns.”

4. Describe a situation where you faced a technical challenge or obstacle in a project. How did you approach solving it, and what was the outcome?

As a software engineer candidate at Revolut, you may be asked this question to evaluate your problem-solving skills and resilience, crucial for tackling complex projects.

Explain how you broke down the technical challenge into smaller, manageable components. Mention research and resources like documentation, forums, or talk with colleagues. Discuss how you iterated and tested potential solutions until the challenge was resolved, keeping stakeholders informed of progress.

“In a recent project, I faced a technical challenge with optimizing database queries for performance. I broke down the problem, researched optimization techniques, and consulted with senior engineers. Through experimentation and testing, we implemented query optimizations that significantly improved performance and met project requirements.”

5. How would you explain a complex technical concept or solution to a non-technical audience, ensuring clarity and understanding?

This question checks your communication skills and ability to convey complex technical concepts clearly and understandably for collaborating with non-technical stakeholders at Revolut as a software engineer.

Mention tailoring your explanation to the audience’s level of understanding, avoiding jargon and technical details. Discuss how you use analogies, visuals, or real-world examples to illustrate complex concepts.

“When explaining technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, I focus on simplicity and relevance. For example, when describing machine learning algorithms, I use everyday analogies like how recommendation systems work like personalized movie recommendations on streaming platforms, which resonates with non-technical audiences.”

6. Given the integer list nums with length n, create a function that converts each integer in the list into its corresponding Roman numeral representation. The Roman numeral symbols and corresponding values are provided in the table below. The function must be able to handle integers up to 1000.

Your interviewer for the software engineer role may ask this question to evaluate your ability to manipulate data structures and implement algorithms.

Create a function that iterates through the given integer list. Inside the loop, you can use a dictionary to map integer values to their corresponding Roman numeral symbols. Then, implement logic to convert each integer into its Roman numeral representation based on the provided table.

7. Given a list of tuples featuring names and grades on a test, write a function  normalize_grades  to normalize the values of the grades to a linear scale between  0  and  1 .

Your ability to manipulate data and perform mathematical operations will be assessed through this question by your Revolut interviewer.

Determine the minimum and maximum grades in the input list. Then, normalize each grade using the formula: (grade - min_grade) / (max_grade - min_grade). Finally, return the list of normalized grades.

8. Given an array filled with random values, write a function  rotate_matrix  to rotate the array 90 degrees clockwise.

This question assesses your ability to manipulate matrices and implement algorithms as a software engineer candidate at Revolut.

The approach involves transposing the matrix and then reversing the order of rows to achieve a 90-degree clockwise rotation.

9. Write a function to get a sample from a standard normal distribution.

Your technical interviewer at Revolut will assess your understanding of probability distributions and your ability to use relevant libraries.

Your approach would be to utilize libraries like NumPy to generate samples from a standard normal distribution.

10. You are given a list of integers called  numbers . Write a function to return any subset of  numbers  where the elements  sum  to  zero  and that does not contain the number  0 . If there are no combinations of elements that sum to zero, return an empty list.

or any other subset that sums to zero and doesn’t include  0 .

This question assesses your problem-solving skills and ability to manipulate lists efficiently, which are critical as a software engineer at Revolut.

Iterate through subsets of the given list and check if the sum of elements in each subset equals zero. Return any subset that meets the criteria.

11. Write a query that, for each page, gets the percentage of the users who recommended it and reside in the same postal code as the page.

Note: A page can sponsor multiple postal codes.

page_sponsorships  table

recommendations  table

users  table

Revolut may ask this question to evaluate your SQL proficiency, as understanding user behavior and demographics is crucial for optimizing product features and marketing strategies.

You’ll need to join the page_sponsorships , recommendations , and users tables on the appropriate keys ( page_id and user_id ). Then, group by page and postal code, calculate the count of users in the same postal code who recommended the page and divide it by the total count of users who recommended the page to get the percentage.

12. Write an SQL query to create a histogram of the number of comments per user in January 2020.

Note: Assume bin buckets class intervals of one.

Note: Comments that were created outside of January 2020 should be counted in a “0” bucket

comments  table

This question evaluates your SQL skills, as a software engineer, in data aggregation and manipulation, specifically in generating histograms.

You’ll need to use the users and comments tables and group comments by user, counting the number of comments per user in the month of January 2020. Then, generate a histogram by counting the frequency of users in each bin bucket.

13. Explain the concept of Python generators and provide a scenario where they could be used to optimize memory usage in a Revolut backend service.

Your interviewer for the software engineer role at Revolut will check your understanding of Python generators and their practical application in memory optimization in backend services.

Explain the concept of generators and how they differ from regular functions, and provide a scenario in a backend service where memory optimization is critical, such as processing large datasets or streaming data.

“Python generators are functions that allow you to generate a sequence of values lazily, on the fly, rather than storing them all in memory at once. They are defined using the yield keyword instead of return. For example, consider a scenario in which Revolut’s backend service needs to process a large number of financial transactions stored in a database. Instead of fetching all transactions into memory at once, which could lead to memory exhaustion, we can use a generator function to fetch and process transactions one by one. This way, we can optimize memory usage by only loading a small portion of the data into memory at any given time, making it suitable for handling large datasets efficiently.”

14. How would you implement error handling and logging in Python code used for processing financial transactions at Revolut, ensuring both reliability and traceability?

Technical interviewers at Revolut may ask this question to evaluate your ability to write robust and reliable code that can handle errors gracefully and provide sufficient logging for traceability and debugging.

Explain the importance of error handling and logging in financial transaction processing systems. Discuss techniques such as try-except blocks for handling exceptions and Python’s logging module for logging informative messages. Provide examples of implementing error handling and logging in Python code to process financial transactions.

“In Python code used for processing financial transactions at Revolut, implementing robust error handling and logging mechanisms is crucial for ensuring reliability and traceability. I would use try-except blocks to handle exceptions that may arise during transaction processing, ensuring that the system gracefully handles errors without crashing. Additionally, I would use Python’s logging module to log informative messages, including transaction details, error messages, and timestamps. By configuring different log levels (e.g., DEBUG, INFO, ERROR), we can control the verbosity of logs and ensure the needed information is captured for auditing and debugging. Overall, combining effective error handling and logging practices would help enhance the reliability and traceability of the Python code used in processing financial transactions at Revolut.”

15. Revolut’s mobile app backend relies on external APIs for various functionalities. How would you design Python code to handle API rate limits and retries effectively, ensuring a smooth user experience?

As a software engineer candidate at Revolut, your answer will demonstrate your ability to design robust and fault-tolerant Python code for interacting with external APIs, considering factors like rate limits and retries.

Explain the importance of handling API rate limits and retries to prevent service disruptions and ensure a seamless user experience. Discuss strategies such as rate limit monitoring, backoff mechanisms, and exponential retry strategies. Provide examples of implementing these strategies in Python code to handle API rate limits and retries effectively.

“In designing Python code to interact with external APIs for Revolut’s mobile app backend, it’s essential to handle API rate limits and retries effectively to maintain a smooth user experience. One approach is to implement rate limit monitoring, where we track the rate limits imposed by the API provider and adjust our request rate accordingly to avoid exceeding the limits. Additionally, we can incorporate retry mechanisms with exponential backoff strategies to handle temporary failures or timeouts gracefully.”

16. Discuss the differences between SQL’s ACID and BASE consistency models and their implications for database design in a financial institution like Revolut.

Your understanding of database consistency models and their implications for designing databases in a financial institution setting will be assessed through this question.

Explain the concepts of ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) and BASE (basically available, soft state, eventually consistent) consistency models in database systems. Discuss the differences between these models, highlighting their implications for database design, transaction processing, and data consistency.

“The ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) and BASE (basically available, soft state, eventually consistent) consistency models represent two different approaches to ensuring data consistency and reliability in database systems. ACID emphasizes strong consistency guarantees, where transactions are atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable. In contrast, BASE prioritizes availability and partition tolerance over strong consistency, allowing for eventual consistency and trading off immediate consistency for improved system scalability and fault tolerance. In Revolut, where data integrity is paramount, ACID consistency may be preferred for critical transactional systems, and for non-transactional data or systems requiring high availability and scalability, BASE consistency may be more suitable.”

17. Revolut offers budgeting features for users to track their expenses. How would you use SQL queries to calculate and present monthly spending trends for a user’s account?

This question evaluates your SQL skills and ability to interpret financial data to derive meaningful insight to help implement budgeting features and provide financial insights to Revolut users.

Describe how you would structure SQL queries to retrieve and aggregate transaction data for a user’s account, focusing on transactions within a specific month. Discuss techniques such as filtering by date range, grouping transactions by category or merchant, and calculating total spending.

“To calculate and present monthly spending trends for a user’s account in Revolut’s budgeting feature, we can use SQL queries to aggregate transaction data for the desired month. First, we would filter transactions by the user’s account ID and the transaction date falling within the target month. We can then group transactions by category or merchant and calculate the total spending for each category or merchant. For example, to calculate total spending for January 2024:

This query retrieves transaction data for the specified user’s account for January 2024, groups transactions by category, and calculates the total spending for each category. Similar queries can be used to calculate spending trends over multiple months or to compare with previous months to track changes in spending.”

18. Revolut aims to optimize currency conversion for users while minimizing exchange rate fees. Describe an algorithmic approach you would use to find the best conversion rate for a given currency pair in real time.

The interviewer at Revolut may ask this question to assess your problem-solving skills and knowledge of algorithms for optimizing currency conversion.

Outline an algorithmic approach to finding the best conversion rate for a given currency pair in real time. Discuss factors to consider, such as current exchange rates, transaction fees, and liquidity of currency pairs. Consider approaches like direct conversion, triangular arbitrage, or querying multiple liquidity providers.

“To optimize currency conversion for users in real time, we can implement an algorithmic approach that considers factors such as exchange rates, fees, and liquidity. One approach is to query multiple liquidity providers and compare their conversion rates for the given currency pair. We can then factor in transaction fees and any additional costs associated with the conversion. Additionally, we can consider triangular arbitrage opportunities to leverage cross-currency rates and minimize conversion costs. The algorithm should dynamically adjust based on market conditions and user preferences to provide the best conversion rate while minimizing fees.”

19. Explain time and space complexity in algorithm analysis. How do you evaluate an algorithm’s efficiency using these metrics?

Revolut may ask this question in the software engineer interview to assess your ability to compare algorithms based on time and space requirements.

Define time complexity as the measure of the time an algorithm takes to complete as a function of the input size. Explain space complexity as the measure of the memory space required by an algorithm as a function of the input size. Discuss Big O notation and its significance in expressing the upper bound of an algorithm’s time and space complexity.

“Time complexity refers to the measure of the time an algorithm takes to complete its execution as a function of the input size. It helps us understand how the runtime of an algorithm grows as the size of the input increases. Space complexity, on the other hand, refers to the measure of memory space required by an algorithm as a function of the input size. It helps us see how much memory an algorithm consumes based on the input size. Both time and space complexity are commonly expressed using Big O notation, which provides an upper bound on the growth rate of an algorithm’s runtime and memory usage. By assessing the time and space complexity of algorithms, we can compare their efficiency and choose the most suitable algorithm for a problem based on its performance characteristics.”

20. Explain dynamic programming and provide an example of a problem that can be solved using dynamic programming techniques.

Your understanding of dynamic programming and its application to solving complex problems will be assessed through this question at the software engineer interview at Revolut.

Define dynamic programming as a method for solving complex problems by breaking them down into simpler subproblems and storing their solutions to avoid redundant computation.

“Dynamic programming is a problem-solving technique that involves breaking down complex problems into simpler subproblems and storing their solutions to avoid redundant computation. One classic example of a problem that can be solved using dynamic programming is the Fibonacci sequence. Instead of recursively computing Fibonacci numbers, which leads to redundant computations, we can use dynamic programming to store the solutions to smaller subproblems and build up to larger Fibonacci numbers efficiently.”

21. Imagine you have been given an array of integers, and a query number k. Your task is to write a function that finds all the triplets in the array that sum up to the query number k.

This question could be asked in a Revolut Software Engineer interview to assess your problem-solving skills, particularly your ability to work with arrays and implement efficient algorithms.

In Python, we can solve this problem by using a hash map to count the frequency of each number in the array. We then iterate over all pairs of numbers in the array, and for each pair, we check whether k minus the sum of the pair is in the hash map.

“To solve this problem, I would start by sorting the array, which allows for easier manipulation when searching for the desired triplets. Once the array is sorted, I would iterate over each pair of numbers in the array and determine what third number is needed to reach the target sum, k. By using binary search, I could efficiently check if that third number exists in the remaining part of the array. This approach should help in balancing between simplicity and performance, making the solution both intuitive and optimized for the problem at hand.”

22. Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar. The colors of the balls are stored in a list named jar, with corresponding counts of the balls stored in the same index in a list called n_balls.

This question tests your understanding of data structures (lists) and requires you to implement logic that accurately models the scenario described. Additionally, it evaluates your ability to handle lists with corresponding elements.

When answering, explain that you combined the color counts into a new list (new_jar) to represent all the balls in the jar. Then, you used random.choice() to simulate a random draw, ensuring the selection accurately reflects the distribution. Highlight the simplicity and effectiveness of this approach in handling the problem.

“To tackle this problem, I would first combine the colors and their counts into a single list that represents the jar, making sure each color is correctly represented based on its count. Then, I would use a random selection method to simulate drawing a ball. This approach ensures that the selection reflects the true distribution of balls in the jar while keeping the implementation simple and effective.”

How to Prepare for the Software Engineer Role at Revolut

To crack the Revolut interview, you will need to prepare yourself in other domains of software engineering, including problem-solving scenarios, case studies, and coding challenges. Here is a guide on how to effectively prepare:

Review the Job Description

Carefully read the job description to determine where you shine and what skills you lack. This will also help you tailor your CV and answers to the keywords in the job description. For example, if it says that you’ll be building mobile APIs as a software engineer, emphasize your proficiency in that aspect.

Practice Coding Challenges

During the technical and on-site interview rounds, you’ll be given real-world problems to solve with your analytical thinking and coding knowledge. Ensure you understand how to interpret and approach complex problems, particularly in Python and SQL . You may also take coding challenges and answer our software engineer interview questions to prepare better for the Revolut interview.

Focus on Technical Fundamentals

Since Revolut emphasizes practical skills, proficiency in technical fundamentals, such as data structure and algorithms, is critical. Assuming you already have the basics covered, dive deeper into understanding linear regression, random forest, SVM, and sorting algorithms.

Practice Common Interview Questions

In addition to the questions we discussed, practice more behavioral and technical questions to prepare for the Revolut software engineer interview. Our database, with hundreds of potential questions with their solutions, will help you improve your interview skills further.

Refine Your Communication Skills

Participate in our P2P mock interview sessions to refine your communication skills. In addition to improving your skills and refining your answers, familiarity with the process will ease your nerves and help you relax during the actual Revolut interview.

How much do software engineers make at Revolut in a year?

Average Base Salary

Average Total Compensation

View the full Software Engineer at Revolut salary guide

Software engineers at Revolut earn an average basic salary of $109,000 with a total compensation of $131,000 per year. Senior engineers, however, command a more robust base salary of over $160,000 and over $260,000 in total compensation. Read more about the industry standards in our software engineer salary guide .

Where can I read about other candidates’ experiences in the Revolut software engineer role?

We have a strong Slack community where interview details are shared, and new candidates can ask about the process. Feel free to join us and leave your impression of the Revolut interview process afterward.

Does Interview Query have job postings for the Revolut software engineer role?

Yes. Discover available job positions through our Job Board and apply to your desired role directly. Moreover, some organizations share their requirements directly with us so you can apply immediately.

The Bottom Line

We’ve discussed the process, common questions, and a few tips to crack your software engineer interview at Revolut. Hopefully, you’ll now be able to prepare better for the behavioral and technical rounds during the interview. Before we part, consider exploring our main Revolut interview guide to gain more insight into the company and learn about other roles, including data analyst and data scientist jobs.

Best of luck with your Revolut software engineer interview—we’re rooting for your success! You’re welcome to share your experience with us after the interview.

Revolut interview questions.

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Revolut Case Interview

Anyone familiar with Revolut case interviews?

I think they all focus on these four topics:

1. Cost Optimisation 

2. Expansion

3.Process Improvement (e.g. reducing time taken to respond to customers)

4. Growth (e.g. grow customers in Spain)

Would be great to get some insights on how best to structure and approach these types of question.

Overview of answers

• Date ascending
• Date descending

They have a lot of roles…can you please clarify the exact position and role description?

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Revolut: Building the first global financial super app with Google Cloud

About Revolut

Revolut is building the world’s first truly global financial superapp to help people get more from their money. In 2015, Revolut launched in the UK offering a multi-currency card, money transfers and currency exchange. Today, more than 20 million customers around the world use dozens of Revolut’s innovative banking products to make more than 250 million transactions a month. Across personal and business accounts, Revolut helps customers improve their financial health, gives them more control, and connects people seamlessly across the world.

Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.

Revolut used compute engine to build an infrastructure that can scale at speed with rapid, automated deployments, while maintaining stability and security., google cloud results.

• Gives flexibility to automate deployments multiple times a day with Google Compute Engine and Google Cloud APIs
• Maintains resilience with snapshots for efficiency and minimal storage space
• Helps keep sensitive projects secure with easy segregation
• Allows Revolut to easily scale up vertically and horizontally within seconds
• Keeps Revolut's infrastructure compliant with multiple certifications with the shared responsibility model

Snapshots multi-terabyte databases in minutes

Revolut gives people and businesses more control over their finances, and offers data-driven insights and personalization that empowers its customers to make smarter decisions about how they spend, save or grow their money.

"As a fast-growing startup, pace of innovation is very important for us. With Google Cloud, we could build an environment where we can have continuous delivery, releasing as much as we can as quickly as possible."

Revolut launched in 2015, offering transfers and foreign exchange faster and cheaper than legacy banks. Seven years later, more than 20 million customers in more than 35 countries around the world use Revolut to manage their finances across an ever-growing suite of powerful and easy-to-use products.

The key to scaling up sustainably was to build an infrastructure that could automate updates and maintenance as much as possible, freeing up time for its developers and engineers to perfect the product. To do that, Revolut turned to Google Cloud .

"As a fast-growing startup, pace of innovation is very important for us," says Vlad Yatsenko, CTO and Founder at Revolut. "With Google Cloud, we could build an environment where we can have continuous delivery, releasing as much as we can as quickly as possible."

Automating deployment, kick-starting innovation

When Revolut began, it worked with another provider to create the initial cloud-based solution. However, as the company quickly gathered more momentum and customers, it became clear that a change was essential to support the rapid growth. Revolut wanted to automate as many of its processes as possible, especially in terms of deployment.

After testing a range of solutions from different providers, Revolut chose Google Cloud for its new infrastructure. The company already used Google Workspace for its productivity and email platform, so becoming familiar with the new environment was easy.

"The advantage of Google Cloud for us, is that everything is very simple and intuitive," says Vlad. "Our solution integrated with the infrastructure very easily. We didn't have to reinvent the wheel."

"Incremental snapshotting is my favorite Google Compute Engine feature. With the incremental feature, only the initial snapshot is big. The subsequent snapshots are much more efficient in terms of time and storage. Instead of backups lasting up to twenty hours, we now get a snapshot in around five minutes."

Revolut built its core infrastructure with Google Compute Engine virtual machines, which gave its engineers the perfect balance of ease of use and control over its security. With Google Cloud Identity and Access Management , Revolut could easily set up highly secure, separate instances for its main infrastructure and its application. "We want to protect our infrastructure perimeter so it's very important for us to be able to deploy the application separately," says Vlad.

The company also made extensive use of Google Cloud APIs in conjunction with a third-party automation tool to achieve fully automated "infrastructure as code" provisioning and management of the platform. This allowed Revolut's engineers to speed up their deployments and easily roll back if necessary.

Google Cloud Identity and Access Management enabled Revolut to assign permissions to Google Cloud resources simply and quickly "out of the box" without compromising security.

Keeping Revolut's multi-terabyte databases highly secure is essential. In the past, Revolut invested time and resources into full backups and restoration, which were slow and costly. As part of the migration to Google Cloud, Revolut completely redesigned its backup solution around incremental disk snapshots in Compute Engine. With snapshots, Revolut could continue to backup data more securely while minimizing the resource cost.

"Incremental snapshotting is my favorite Google Compute Engine feature," says Vlad. "With the incremental feature, only the initial snapshot is big. The subsequent snapshots are much more efficient in terms of time and storage. Instead of backups lasting up to twenty hours, we now get a snapshot in around five minutes."

Stability and speed for sustainable scalability

Revolut used Google Cloud to build an infrastructure that can scale at speed without sacrificing stability, automate deployment without compromising control, and maintain the security standards that are required of a financial services company. The company's developers and engineers have found creating instances much easier with Google Compute Engine, allowing them to build multiple instances for each of the applications that make up the Revolut platform. With the auto-scaling option on the applications' clusters, the developers don't have to worry anymore about adding more resources when there is a higher demand for their services.

"With Google Cloud, we can scale our environment on demand in minutes with zero downtime. That allows us to support our fast-paced growth and is key for innovation."

"Google Cloud is more efficient for us in terms of cost and it's more stable," says Vlad. "We can have each application running multiple instances, so everything is resilient and we don't have any downtime when we deploy new instances."

As well as providing stability, Google Cloud has helped Revolut to improve the speed of its operations. That means that while its customers can enjoy a continuously smooth service, the engineers can focus on building new products and improving current ones.

"With Google Cloud, we can scale our environment on demand in minutes with zero downtime," says Vlad. "That allows us to support our fast-paced growth and is key for innovation."

Google Cloud for a global vision

Revolut operates in more than 35 countries around the world and leverages Google's extensive global network of data centers to maintain an excellent standard of service for its users, wherever they are, whilst continuing supporting the expansion to additional markets, both functionally and geographically.

"We are building a financial platform for individuals and business across the world," says Vlad. "Google can offer us infrastructure that is seamless across regions. That's a huge benefit for us in helping us to achieve our global goals."

Has anyone interviewed with Revolut? I’m currently in the middle of the process (case interview/take home) and would appreciate insight into this step, plus any thoughts on company culture (seen a lot of conflicting/negative things) thanks!

Yeah the case i had was about root cause analysis into their kyc, which is broken down into two tests. iirc, the underlying problem is in the facial_similarity_doc test not the other one. so just gotta show the trended error rates between the two, then deep dive into the sub-tests. then you can talk through solutions. should only take about an hour. don't think it's a 9-5 gig, but the culture seemed okay. will depend on your hiring manager, related posts.

Good day all! I am interviewing for a FP&A Manager position in Proserv UK. Could you please disclose the initial salary that I could ask for? Thank you in advance!

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Impact and Revolut Case Study

October 16, 2020 | 5 min read

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Fintech innovator Revolut enables consumers to manage their finances from a single app

As a technology-led firm, Revolut knew automation would be the answer to managing and growing those ambassador partnerships so they joined forces with Impact to bring this disruptor mindset to the affiliate finance world.

With the key marketing goal of achieving 100% growth in customer acquisition, Impact was tasked with several objectives to work towards this ambitious target. The new referral partnership programme had to remove manual tasks from their current partner relationships in order to free up more time to work with additional partners. Revolut wanted to evolve customers into advocates and subsequently into partners who would then be measured on their customer acquisition. Ultimately, Revolut’s main goal was to engage 1,000 active partners and double the size of the programme by the end of 2019.

With an ambitious customer acquisition goal to meet, Impact was tasked with developing an innovative ambassador programme to deliver the key objectives. Revolut leveraged Impact’s technology globally and this partnership allowed them to do less traditional affiliate focused campaigns and be more creative in how they onboard and nurture their partners. Revolut tapped into their entire customer base to identify brand ambassadors and affiliates then signed them up to the Impact platform. By the end of one week, there were almost 3,000 applications, 42% of which were eventually accepted onto the programme.

Impact’s leading technology reduced Revolut’s manual processes by automating invoices of fixed partner costs, partner onboarding and management. This led to a significant reduction in work hours by 160 hours as a result of migrating partner payments from the manual process to Impact. This improved billing solution significantly reduced Revolut’s Finance team workload and created a more efficient payment process.

In addition to moving from manual partner payment to Impact’s automated process, Revolut implemented click, lead, and customer acquisition trackers. This allowed the company to create and execute customised contracts with its different partners. By creating click, lead and customer acquisition trackers, Revolut and Impact have been able to create payment models for partners which are bespoke to that arrangement. The payouts are automated by the Impact platform, allowing for highly customised partnerships at scale.

A seamless payment process was integral to the success of the programme so Revolut utilised the Dynamic Payouts feature from Impact enabling them to adjust payout rates to partners. This innovative feature solved the problem of split commissions; Revolut can now adjust payouts to partner(s) who assisted in the customer conversion. This gives Revolut a practical way to reward early-funnel contributors without completely taking away credit from the partner who won the last click.

As a disruptive challenger brand, Revolut have always used creative tactics to acquire new customers. By partnering with Impact, they wanted to bring innovation to the world of finance affiliates.

Revolut began working as a publisher and they believed in the value of partnerships so strongly, that they built a business development team tasked with finding other advertisers to work with them directly and pay Revolut for that exposure. Revolut’s publisher proposition works via the Perks sections of the Revolut app. When a user achieves perks through highly engaged behaviour they can earn cashback on certain brands including Treatwell, Omio and Booking.com.

An example of a highly successful element of the campaign is when Revolut sent an email newsletter to their entire customer base promoting their Affiliate and Pioneers influencer programmes on Radius by Impact. By the end of the calendar week, they had 1154 Pioneer applications and 1857 affiliate applications, 42% of which were accepted onto the programme. Given the steps required in the signup flow, the response rate was truly impressive. By December 2019, Revolut had scaled their partner programme from less than 100 partners to more than 6,000.

Since partnering with Impact, Revolut have increased their active partners to 6,000 across their accounts, a six-fold overachievement of the 1,000 partner target. This puts them firmly as the largest finance partner programme in the UK. Revolut now has better visibility into their full conversion path and since working with Impact, Revolut has seen a massive 700% increase in customers acquired from the partner programme in the time period of April-Dec 2019 compared to April-Dec 2018. The new opportunities, created through automation and improved technology, allowed Revolut to achieve customer acquisition growth that was 7 times their original target.

By inviting customers to become official brand advocates, Revolut received a phenomenal response with more than 1,200 customers successfully gaining approval to join the referral partnership programme.

Ultimately, Impact helped Revolut scale their partner programme and remove manual tasks from their partner relationships. This was achieved by segmenting partner applications by country to accelerate affiliate approval rates, providing partner documentation for smoother onboarding and by paying non-affiliate partnerships at scale.

With automation as the focal point of the referral partnership programme, Impact was able to deliver a growth rate of 700% and grow Revolut’s programme to more than 6,000 active partners.

Through a series of automations, analyses and creative approaches, Impact and Revolut were able to shake up the definition of what it means to be an affiliate in the financial vertical. Impact’s implementation of the referral partnership programme transformed Revolut’s customer base into active advocates and ultimately turned the challenger brand into a multimillion-making affiliate, making their partner programme one of the biggest in the UK. By the end of 2019, the Revolut partner programme grew to have more than 6,000 active partners, saved over 140 hours in automation and delivered a growth rate of 700%.

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Revolut - Any current/former employees?

I am currently interviewing for a position at Revolut and seems to be going well. A recruiter reached out to me and I never applied for the position. I live in Germany, and was curious if anyone else has experience at the company as an employee. Specifically for Germany, what kind of contract can one expect compared to the “standard” German work contract? I have also seen quite a lot of negative reviews on platforms like Glassdoor about the working culture but was curious about more details.

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4 case studies of businesses that scaled to greatness.

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Have you ever wondered why some companies succeed in unimaginable ways while others fade into obscurity? The best way to understand how to scale a company is to look at how the most successful companies have done it. Let’s look at four companies that started out small and become global players in their industries.

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• Published: 10 August 2024

How can health systems approach reducing health inequalities? An in-depth qualitative case study in the UK

• Charlotte Parbery-Clark 1 ,
• Lorraine McSweeney 2 ,
• Joanne Lally 3 &
• Sarah Sowden 4  

BMC Public Health volume  24 , Article number:  2168 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

250 Accesses

Metrics details

Addressing socioeconomic inequalities in health and healthcare, and reducing avoidable hospital admissions requires integrated strategy and complex intervention across health systems. However, the understanding of how to create effective systems to reduce socio-economic inequalities in health and healthcare is limited. The aim was to explore and develop a system’s level understanding of how local areas address health inequalities with a focus on avoidable emergency admissions.

In-depth case study using qualitative investigation (documentary analysis and key informant interviews) in an urban UK local authority. Interviewees were identified using snowball sampling. Documents were retrieved via key informants and web searches of relevant organisations. Interviews and documents were analysed independently based on a thematic analysis approach.

Interviews ( n  = 14) with wide representation from local authority ( n  = 8), NHS ( n  = 5) and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector ( n  = 1) with 75 documents (including from NHS, local authority, VCSE) were included. Cross-referenced themes were understanding the local context, facilitators of how to tackle health inequalities: the assets, and emerging risks and concerns. Addressing health inequalities in avoidable admissions per se was not often explicitly linked by either the interviews or documents and is not yet embedded into practice. However, a strong coherent strategic integrated population health management plan with a system’s approach to reducing health inequalities was evident as was collective action and involving people, with links to a “strong third sector”. Challenges reported include structural barriers and threats, the analysis and accessibility of data as well as ongoing pressures on the health and care system.

We provide an in-depth exploration of how a local area is working to address health and care inequalities. Key elements of this system’s working include fostering strategic coherence, cross-agency working, and community-asset based approaches. Areas requiring action included data sharing challenges across organisations and analytical capacity to assist endeavours to reduce health and care inequalities. Other areas were around the resilience of the system including the recruitment and retention of the workforce. More action is required to embed reducing health inequalities in avoidable admissions explicitly in local areas with inaction risking widening the health gap.

Highlights:

• Reducing health inequalities in avoidable hospital admissions is yet to be explicitly linked in practice and is an important area to address.

• Understanding the local context helps to identify existing assets and threats including the leverage points for action.

• Requiring action includes building the resilience of our complex systems by addressing structural barriers and threats as well as supporting the workforce (training and wellbeing with improved retention and recruitment) in addition to the analysis and accessibility of data across the system.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

The health of our population is determined by the complex interaction of several factors which are either non-modifiable (such as age, genetics) or modifiable (such as the environment, social, economic conditions in which we live, our behaviours as well as our access to healthcare and its quality) [ 1 ]. Health inequalities are the avoidable and unfair systematic differences in health and healthcare across different population groups explained by the differences in distribution of power, wealth and resources which drive the conditions of daily life [ 2 , 3 ]. Essentially, health inequalities arise due to the systematic differences of the factors that influence our health. To effectively deal with most public health challenges, including reducing health inequalities and improving population health, broader integrated approaches [ 4 ] and an emphasis on systems is required [ 5 , 6 ] . A system is defined as ‘the set of actors, activities, and settings that are directly or indirectly perceived to have influence in or be affected by a given problem situation’ (p.198) [ 7 ]. In this case, the ‘given problem situation' is reducing health inequalities with a focus on avoidable admissions. Therefore, we must consider health systems, which are the organisations, resources and people aiming to improve or maintain health [ 8 , 9 ] of which health services provision is an aspect. In this study, the system considers NHS bodies, Integrated Care Systems, Local Authority departments, and the voluntary and community sector in a UK region.

A plethora of theories [ 10 ], recommended policies [ 3 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], frameworks [ 1 , 14 , 15 ], and tools [ 16 ] exist to help understand the existence of health inequalities as well as provide suggestions for improvement. However, it is reported that healthcare leaders feel under-skilled to reduce health inequalities [ 17 ]. A lack of clarity exists on how to achieve a system’s multi-agency coherence to reduce health inequalities systematically [ 17 , 18 ]. This is despite some countries having legal obligations to have a regard to the need to attend to health and healthcare inequalities. For example, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 [ 19 ], in England, mandated Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), now transferred to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) [ 20 ], to ‘have a regard to the need to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to their ability to access health services, and reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services’. The wider determinants of health must also be considered. For example, local areas have a mandatory requirement to have a joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) and joint health and wellbeing strategy (JHWS) whose purpose is to ‘improve the health and wellbeing of the local community and reduce inequalities for all ages' [ 21 ] This includes addressing the wider determinants of health [ 21 ]. Furthermore, the hospital care costs to the NHS associated with socioeconomic inequalities has been previously reported at £4.8 billion a year due to excess hospitalisations [ 22 ]. Avoidable emergency admissions are admissions into hospital that are considered to be preventable with high-quality ambulatory care [ 23 ]. Both ambulatory care sensitive conditions (where effective personalised care based in the community can aid the prevention of needing an admission) and urgent care sensitive conditions (where a system on the whole should be able to treat and manage without an admission) are considered within this definition [ 24 ] (encompassing more than 100 International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes). The disease burden sits disproportionately with our most disadvantaged communities, therefore highlighting the importance of addressing inequalities in hospital pressures in a concerted manner [ 25 , 26 ].

Research examining one component of an intervention, or even one part of the system, [ 27 ] or which uses specific research techniques to control for the system’s context [ 28 ] are considered as having limited use for identifying the key ingredients to achieve better population health and wellbeing [ 5 , 28 ]. Instead, systems thinking considers how the system’s components and sub-components interconnect and interrelate within and between each other (and indeed other systems) to gain an understanding of the mechanisms by which things work [ 29 , 30 ]. Complex interventions or work programmes may perform differently in varying contexts and through different mechanisms, and therefore cannot simply be replicated from one context to another to automatically achieve the same outcomes. Ensuring that research into systems and systems thinking considers real-world context, such as where individuals live, where policies are created and interventions are delivered, is vital [ 5 ]. How the context and implementation of complex or even simple interventions interact is viewed as becoming increasingly important [ 31 , 32 ]. Case study research methodology is founded on the ‘in-depth exploration of complex phenomena in their natural, or ‘real-life’, settings’ (p.2) [ 33 ]. Case study approaches can deepen the understanding of complexity addressing the ‘how’, ‘what’ and ‘why’ questions in a real-life context [ 34 ]. Researchers have highlighted the importance of engaging more deeply with case-based study methodology [ 31 , 33 ]. Previous case study research has shown promise [ 35 ] which we build on by exploring a systems lens to consider the local area’s context [ 16 ] within which the work is implemented. By using case-study methodology, our study aimed to explore and develop an in-depth understanding of how a local area addresses health inequalities, with a focus on avoidable hospital admissions. As part of this, systems processes were included.

Study design

This in-depth case study is part of an ongoing larger multiple (collective [ 36 ]) case study approach. An instrumental approach [ 34 ] was taken allowing an in-depth investigation of an issue, event or phenomenon, in its natural real-life context; referred to as a ‘naturalistic’ design [ 34 ]. Ethics approval was obtained by Newcastle University’s Ethics Committee (ref 13633/2020).

Study selection

This case study, alongside the other three cases, was purposively [ 36 ] chosen considering overall deprivation level of the area (Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) [ 37 ]), their urban/rural location, differing geographical spread across the UK (highlighted in patient and public feedback and important for considering the North/South health divide [ 38 ]), and a pragmatic judgement of likely ability to achieve the depth of insight required [ 39 ]. In this paper, we report the findings from one of the case studies, an urban local authority in the Northern region of the UK with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. This area was chosen for this in-depth case analysis due to high-level of need, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (2009-2018) had experienced a trend towards reducing socioeconomic inequalities in avoidable hospital admission rates between neighbourhoods within the local area [ 40 ]. Thereby this case study represents an ‘unusual’ case [ 41 ] to facilitate learning regarding what is reported and considered to be the key elements required to reduce health inequalities, including inequalities in avoidable admissions, in a local area.

Semi-structured interviews

The key informants were identified iteratively through the documentary analysis and in consultation with the research advisory group. Initially board level committee members (including lay, managerial, and clinical members) within relevant local organisations were purposively identified. These individuals were systems leaders charged with the remit of tackling health inequalities and therefore well placed to identify both key personnel and documents. Snowball sampling [ 42 ] was undertaken thereafter whereby interviewees helped to identify additional key informants within the local system who were working on health inequalities, including avoidable emergency admissions, at a systems level. Interview questions were based on an iteratively developed topic guide (supplementary data 1), informed from previous work’s findings [ 43 ] and the research advisory network’s input. A study information sheet was emailed to perspective interviewees, and participants were asked to complete an e-consent form using Microsoft Forms [ 42 ]. Each interviewee was interviewed by either L.M. or C.P.-C. using the online platforms Zoom or Teams, and lasted up to one hour. Participants were informed of interviewers’ role, workplace as well as purpose of the study. Interviewees were asked a range of questions including any work relating to reducing health inequalities, particularly avoidable emergency admissions, within the last 5 years. Brief notes were taken, and the interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and anonymised.

Documentary analysis

The documentary analysis followed the READ approach [ 44 ]. Any documents from the relevant local/regional area with sections addressing health inequalities and/or avoidable emergency admissions, either explicitly stated or implicitly inferred, were included. A list of core documents was chosen, including the local Health and Wellbeing Strategy (Table 1 ). Subsequently, other documents were identified by snowballing from these core documents and identification by the interviewees. All document types were within scope if produced/covered a period within 5 years (2017-2022), including documents in the public domain or not as well as documents pertaining to either a regional, local and neighbourhood level. This 5-year period was a pragmatic decision in line with the interviews and considered to be a balance of legacy and relevance. Attempts were made to include the final version of each document, where possible/applicable, otherwise the most up-to-date version or version available was used.

An Excel spreadsheet data extraction tool was adapted with a priori criteria [ 44 ] to extract the data. This tool included contextual information (such as authors, target area and document’s purpose). Also, information based on previous research on addressing socioeconomic inequalities in avoidable emergency admissions, such as who stands to benefit, was extracted [ 43 ]. Additionally, all documents were summarised according to a template designed according to the research’s aims. Data extraction and summaries were undertaken by L.M. and C.P.-C. A selection was doubled coded to enhance validity and any discrepancies were resolved by discussion.

Interviews and documents were coded and analysed independently based on a thematic analysis approach [ 45 ], managed by NVivo software. A combination of ‘interpretive’ and ‘positivist’ stance [ 34 , 46 ] was taken which involved understanding meanings/contexts and processes as perceived from different perspectives (interviewees and documents). This allowed for an understanding of individual and shared social meanings/reasonings [ 34 , 36 ]. For the documentary analysis, a combination of both content and thematic analysis as described by Bowen [ 47 ] informed by Braun and Clarke’s approach to thematic analysis [ 45 ] was used. This type of content analysis does not include the typical quantification but rather a review of the document for pertinent and meaningful passages of text/other data [ 47 ]. Both an inductive and deductive approach for the documentary analysis’ coding [ 46 , 47 ] was chosen. The inductive approach was developed a posteriori; the deductive codes being informed by the interviews and previous findings from research addressing socioeconomic inequalities in avoidable emergency admissions [ 43 ]. In line with qualitative epistemological approach to enquiry, the interview and documentary findings were viewed as ‘truths’ in themselves with the acceptance that multiple realities can co-exist [ 48 ]. The analysis of each set of themes (with subthemes) from the documentary analysis and interviews were cross-referenced and integrated with each other to provide a cohesive in-depth analysis [ 49 ] by generating thematic maps to explore the relationships between the themes. The codes, themes and thematic maps were peer-reviewed continually with regular meetings between L.M., C.P.-C., J.L. and S.S. Direct quotes are provided from the interviews and documentary analysis. Some quotes from the documents are paraphrased to protect anonymity of the case study after following a set process considering a range of options. This involved searching each quote from the documentary analysis in Google and if the quote was found in the first page of the result, we shortened extracts and repeated the process. Where the shortened extracts were still identifiable, we were required to paraphrase that quote. Each paraphrased quote and original was shared and agreed with all the authors reducing the likelihood of inadvertently misinterpreting or misquoting. Where multiple components over large bodies of text were present in the documents, models were used to evidence the broadness, for example, using Dahlgren’s and Whitehead’s model of health determinants [ 1 ]. Due to the nature of the study, transcripts and findings were not shared with participants for checking but will be shared in a dissemination workshop in 2024.

Patient and public involvement and engagement

Four public contributors from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Design Service (RDS) North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) panel have been actively engaged in this research from its inception. They have been part of the research advisory group along with professional stakeholders and were involved in the identification of the sampling frame’s key criteria. Furthermore, a diverse group of public contributors has been actively involved in other parts of the project including developing the moral argument around action by producing a public facing resource exploring what health inequalities mean to people and public views of possible solutions [ 50 ].

Semi-structured interviews: description

Sixteen participants working in health or social care, identified through the documentary analysis or snowballing, were contacted for interview; fourteen consented to participate. No further interviews were sought as data sufficiency was reached whereby no new information or themes were being identified. Participant roles were broken down by NHS ( n  = 5), local authority/council ( n  = 8), and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VSCE) ( n  = 1). To protect the participants’ anonymity, their employment titles/status are not disclosed. However, a broad spectrum of interviewees with varying roles from senior health system leadership (including strategic and commissioner roles) to roles within provider organisations and the VSCE sector were included.

Documentary analysis: description

75 documents were reviewed with documents considering regional ( n  = 20), local ( n  = 64) or neighbourhood ( n  = 2) area with some documents covering two or more areas. Table 2 summarises the respective number of each document type which included statutory documents to websites from across the system (NHS, local government and VSCE). 45 documents were named by interviewees and 42 documents were identified as either a core document or through snowballing from other documents. Of these, 12 documents were identified from both. The timescales of the documents varied and where possible to identify, was from 2014 to 2031.

Integrative analysis of the documentary analysis and interviews

The overarching themes encompass:

Understanding the local context

Facilitators to tacking health inequalities: the assets

Emerging risks and concerns

Figure 1 demonstrates the relationships between the main themes identified from the analysis for tackling health inequalities and improving health in this case study.

Diagram of the relationship between the key themes identified regarding tackling health inequalities and improving health in a local area informed by 2 previous work [ 14 , 51 ]. NCDs = non-communicable diseases; HI = health inequalities

Understanding the local context was discussed extensively in both the documents and the interviews. This was informed by local intelligence and data that was routinely collected, monitored, and analysed to help understand the local context and where inequalities lie. More bespoke, in-depth collection and analysis were also described to get a better understanding of the situation. This not only took the form of quantitative but also considered qualitative data with lived experience:

‛So, our data comes from going out to talk to people. I mean, yes, especially the voice of inequalities, those traditional mechanisms, like surveys, don't really work. And it's about going out to communities, linking in with third sector organisations, going out to communities, and just going out to listen…I think the more we can bring out those real stories. I mean, we find quotes really, really powerful in terms of helping people understand what it is that matters.’ (LP16).

However, there were limitations to the available data including the quality as well as having enough time to do the analysis justice. This resulted in difficulties in being able to fully understand the context to help identify and act on the required improvements.

‘A lack of available data means we cannot quantify the total number of vulnerable migrants in [region]’ (Document V).

‛So there’s lots of data. The issue is joining that data up and analysing it, and making sense of it. That’s where we don’t have the capacity.’ (LP15).

Despite the caveats, understanding the context and its data limitations were important to inform local priorities and approaches on tackling health inequalities. This understanding was underpinned by three subthemes which were understanding:

the population’s needs including identification of people at higher risk of worse health and health inequalities

the driving forces of those needs with acknowledgement of the impact of the wider determinants of health

the threats and barriers to physical and mental health, as well as wellbeing

Firstly, the population’s needs, including identification of people at higher risk of worse health and health inequalities, was important. This included considering risk factors, such as smoking, specific groups of people and who was presenting with which conditions. Between the interviews and documents, variation was seen between groups deemed at-risk or high-risk with the documents identifying a wider range. The groups identified across both included marginalised communities, such as ethnic minority groups, gypsy and travellers, refugees and asylum seekers as well as people/children living in disadvantaged area.

‘There are significant health inequalities in children with asthma between deprived and more affluent areas, and this is reflected in A&E admissions.' (Document J).

Secondly, the driving forces of those needs with acknowledgement of the impact of the wider determinants of health were described. These forces mapped onto Dahlgren’s and Whitehead’s model of health determinants [ 1 ] consisting of individual lifestyle factors, social and community networks, living and working conditions (which include access to health care services) as well as general socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions across the life course.

…. at the centre of our approach considering the requirements to improve the health and wellbeing of our area are the wider determinants of health and wellbeing, acknowledging how factors, such as housing, education, the environment and economy, impact on health outcomes and wellbeing over people’s lifetime and are therefore pivotal to our ambition to ameliorate the health of the poorest the quickest. (Paraphrased Document P).

Thirdly, the threats and barriers to health included environmental risks, communicable diseases and associated challenges, non-communicable conditions and diseases, mental health as well as structural barriers. In terms of communicable diseases, COVID-19 predominated. The environmental risks included climate change and air pollution. Non-communicable diseases were considered as a substantial and increasing threat and encompassed a wide range of chronic conditions such as diabetes, and obesity.

‛Long term conditions are the leading causes of death and disability in [case study] and account for most of our health and care spending. Cases of cancer, diabetes, respiratory disease, dementia and cardiovascular disease will increase as the population of [case study] grows and ages.’ (Document A).

Structural barriers to accessing and using support and/or services for health and wellbeing were identified. These barriers included how the services are set up, such as some GP practices asking for proof of a fixed address or form of identification to register. For example:

Complicated systems (such as having to make multiple calls, the need to speak to many people/gatekeepers or to call at specific time) can be a massive barrier to accessing healthcare and appointments. This is the case particularly for people who have complex mental health needs or chaotic/destabilized circumstances. People who do not have stable housing face difficulties in registering for GP and other services that require an address or rely on post to communicate appointments. (Paraphrased Document R).

A structural threat regarding support and/or services for health and wellbeing was the sustainability of current funding with future uncertainty posing potential threats to the delivery of current services. This also affected the ability to adapt and develop the services, or indeed build new ones.

‛I would say the other thing is I have a beef [sic] [disagreement] with pilot studies or new innovations. Often soft funded, temporary funded, charity funded, partnership work run by enthusiasts. Me, I've done them, or supported people doing many of these. And they're great. They can make a huge impact on the individuals involved on that local area. You can see fantastic work. You get inspired and you want to stand up in a crowd and go, “Wahey, isn't this fantastic?” But actually the sad part of it is on these things, I've seen so many where we then see some good, positive work being done, but we can't make it permanent or we can't spread it because there's no funding behind it.’ (LP8).

Facilitators to tackling health inequalities: the assets

The facilitators for improving health and wellbeing and tackling health inequalities are considered as assets which were underpinned by values and principles.

Values driven supported by four key principles

Being values driven was an important concept and considered as the underpinning attitudes or beliefs that guide decision making [ 52 ]. Particularly, the system’s approach was underpinned by a culture and a system's commitment to tackle health inequalities across the documents and interviews. This was also demonstrated by how passionately and emotively some interviewees spoke about their work.

‛There's a really strong desire and ethos around understanding that we will only ever solve these problems as a system, not by individual organisations or even just part of the system working together. And that feels great.’ (LP3).

Other values driving the approach included accountability, justice, and equity. Reducing health inequalities and improving health were considered to be the right things to do. For example:

We feel strongly about social justice and being inclusive, wishing to reflect the diversity of [case study]. We campaign on subjects that are important to people who are older with respect and kindness. (Paraphrased Document O).

Four key principles were identified that crosscut the assets which were:

Shared vision

Strong partnership

Asset-based approaches

Willingness and ability to act on learning

The mandated strategy, identifying priorities for health and wellbeing for the local population with the required actions, provided the shared vision across each part of the system, and provided the foundations for the work. This shared vision was repeated consistently in the documents and interviews from across the system.

[Case study] will be a place where individuals who have the lowest socioeconomic status will ameliorate their health the quickest. [Case study] will be a place for good health and compassion for all people, regardless of their age. (Paraphrased Document A).

‛One thing that is obviously becoming stronger and stronger is the focus on health inequalities within all of that, and making sure that we are helping people and provide support to people with the poorest health as fast as possible, so that agenda hasn’t shifted.’ (LP7).

This drive to embed the reduction of health inequalities was supported by clear new national guidance encapsulated by the NHS Core20PLUS5 priorities. Core20PLUS5 is the UK's approach to support a system to improve their healthcare inequalities [ 53 ]. Additionally, the system's restructuring from Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and formalisation of the now statutory Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in England was also reported to facilitate the driving of further improvement in health inequalities. These changes at a regional and local level helped bring key partners across the system (NHS and local government among others) to build upon their collective responsibility for improving health and reducing health inequalities for their area [ 54 ].

‛I don’t remember the last time we’ve had that so clear, or the last time that health inequalities has had such a prominent place, both in the NHS planning guidance or in the NHS contract. ’ (LP15). ‛The Health and Care Act has now got a, kind of, pillar around health inequalities, the new establishment of ICPs and ICBs, and also the planning guidance this year had a very clear element on health inequalities.’ (LP12)

A strong partnership and collaborative team approach across the system underpinned the work from the documents and included the reoccurrence of the concept that this case study acted as one team: ‘Team [case study]'.

Supporting one another to ensure [case study] is the best it can be: Team [case study]. It involves learning, sharing ideas as well as organisations sharing assets and resources, authentic partnerships, and striving for collective impact (environmental and social) to work towards shared goals . (Paraphrased Document B).

This was corroborated in the interviews as working in partnership to tackle health inequalities was considered by the interviewees as moving in the right direction. There were reports that the relationship between local government, health care and the third sector had improved in recent years which was still an ongoing priority:

‘I think the only improvement I would cite, which is not an improvement in terms of health outcomes, but in terms of how we work across [case study] together has moved on quite a lot, in terms of teams leads and talking across us, and how we join up on things, rather than see ourselves all as separate bodies' (LP15).

‘I think the relationship between local authorities and health and the third sector, actually, has much more parity and esteem than it had before.' (LP11)

The approaches described above were supported by all health and care partners signing up to principles around partnership; it is likely this has helped foster the case study's approach. This also builds on the asset-based approaches that were another key principle building on co-production and co-creation which is described below.

We begin with people : instead of doing things to people or for them, we work with them, augmenting the skills, assets and strength of [case study]’s people, workforce and carers. We achieve : actions are focused on over words and by using intelligence, every action hones in on the actual difference that we will make to ameliorate outcomes, quality and spend [case study]’s money wisely; We are Team [case study ]: having kindness, working as one organisation, taking responsibility collectively and delivering on what we agreed. Problems are discussed with a high challenge and high support attitude. (Paraphrased Document D).

At times, the degree to which the asset-based approaches were embedded differed from the documents compared to the interviews, even when from the same part of the system. For example, the documents often referred to the asset-based approach as having occurred whilst interviewees viewed it more as a work in progress.

‘We have re-designed many of our services to focus on needs-led, asset-based early intervention and prevention, and have given citizens more control over decisions that directly affect them .’ (Document M).

‘But we’re trying to take an asset-based approach, which is looking at the good stuff in communities as well. So the buildings, the green space, the services, but then also the social capital stuff that happens under the radar.’ (LP11).

A willingness to learn and put in action plans to address the learning were present. This enables future proofing by building on what is already in place to build the capacity, capability and flexibility of the system. This was particularly important for developing the workforce as described below.

‘So we’ve got a task and finish group set up, […] So this group shows good practice and is a space for people to discuss some of the challenges or to share what interventions they are doing around the table, and also look at what other opportunities that they have within a region or that we could build upon and share and scale.’ (LP12).

These assets that are considered as facilitators are divided into four key levels which are the system, services and support, communities and individuals, and workforce which are discussed in turn below.

Firstly, the system within this case study was made up of many organisations and partnerships within the NHS, local government, VSCE sector and communities. The interviewees reported the presence of a strong VCSE sector which had been facilitated by the local council's commitment to funding this sector:

‘Within [case study], we have a brilliant third sector, the council has been longstanding funders of infrastructure in [case study], third sector infrastructure, to enable those links [of community engagement] to be made' (LP16).

In both the documents and interviews, a strong coherent strategic integrated population health management plan with a system’s approach to embed the reduction of health inequalities was evident. For example, on a system level regionally:

‘To contribute towards a reduction in health inequalities we will: take a system wide approach for improving outcomes for specific groups known to be affected by health inequalities, starting with those living in our most deprived communities….’ (Document H).

This case study’s approach within the system included using creative solutions and harnessing technology. This included making bold and inventive changes to improve how the city and the system linked up and worked together to improve health. For example, regeneration work within the city to ameliorate and transform healthcare facilities as well as certain neighbourhoods by having new green spaces, better transport links in order to improve city-wide innovation and collaboration (paraphrased Document F) were described. The changes were not only related to physical aspects of the city but also aimed at how the city digitally linked up. Being a leader in digital innovation to optimise the health benefits from technology and information was identified in several documents.

‘ Having the best connected city using digital technology to improve health and wellbeing in innovative ways.’ (Document G).

The digital approaches included ongoing development of a digitalised personalised care record facilitating access to the most up-to-date information to developing as well as having the ‘ latest, cutting edge technologies’ ( Document F) in hospital care. However, the importance of not leaving people behind by embedding digital alternatives was recognised in both the documents and interviews.

‘ We are trying to just embed the culture of doing an equity health impact assessment whenever you are bringing in a digital solution or a digital pathway, and that there is always an alternative there for people who don’t have the capability or capacity to use it. ’ (LP1).

The successful one hundred percent [redacted] programme is targeting some of our most digitally excluded citizens in [case study]. For our city to continue to thrive, we all need the appropriate skills, technology and support to get the most out of being online. (Paraphrased Document Q)

This all links in with the system that functions in a ‘place' which includes the importance of where people are born, grow, work and live. Working towards this place being welcoming and appealing was described both regionally and locally. This included aiming to make the case study the place of choice for people.

‘Making [case study] a centre for good growth becoming the place of choice in the UK to live, to study, for businesses to invest in, for people to come and work.’ (Document G).

Services and support

Secondly, a variety of available services and support were described from the local authority, NHS, and voluntary community sectors. Specific areas of work, such as local initiatives (including targeted work or campaigns for specific groups or specific health conditions) as well as parts of the system working together with communities collaboratively, were identified. This included a wide range of work being done such as avoiding delayed discharges or re-admissions, providing high quality affordable housing as well as services offering peer support.

‘We have a community health development programme called [redacted], that works with particular groups in deprived communities and ethnically diverse communities to work in a very trusted and culturally appropriate way on the things that they want to get involved with to support their health.’ (LP3 ).

It is worth noting that reducing health inequalities in avoidable admissions was not often explicitly specified in the documents or interviews. However, either specified or otherwise inferred, preventing ill health and improving access, experience, and outcomes were vital components to addressing inequalities. This was approached by working with communities to deliver services in communities that worked for all people. Having co-designed, accessible, equitable integrated services and support appeared to be key.

‘Reducing inequalities in unplanned admissions for conditions that could be cared for in the community and access to planned hospital care is key.’ (Document H)

Creating plans with people: understanding the needs of local population and designing joined-up services around these needs. (Paraphrased Document A).

‘ So I think a core element is engagement with your population, so that ownership and that co-production, if you're going to make an intervention, don't do it without because you might miss the mark. ’ (LP8).

Clear, consistent and appropriate communication that was trusted was considered important to improve health and wellbeing as well as to tackle health inequalities. For example, trusted community members being engaged to speak on the behalf of the service providers:

‘The messenger is more important than the message, sometimes.’ (LP11).

This included making sure the processes are in place so that the information is accessible for all, including people who have additional communication needs. This was considered as a work in progress in this case study.

‘I think for me, things do come down to those core things, of health, literacy, that digital exclusion and understanding the wider complexities of people.’ (LP12)

‘ But even more confusing if you've got an additional communication need. And we've done quite a lot of work around the accessible information standard which sounds quite dry, and doesn't sound very- but actually, it's fundamental in accessing health and care. And that is, that all health and care organisations should record your communication preferences. So, if I've got a learning disability, people should know. If I've got a hearing impairment, people should know. But the systems don’t record it, so blind people are getting sent letters for appointments, or if I've got hearing loss, the right provisions are not made for appointments. So, actually, we're putting up barriers before people even come in, or can even get access to services.’ (LP16).

Flexible, empowering, holistic care and support that was person-centric was more apparent in the documents than the interviews.

At the centre of our vision is having more people benefiting from the life chances currently enjoyed by the few to make [case study] a more equal place. Therefore, we accentuate the importance of good health, the requirement to boost resilience, and focus on prevention as a way of enabling higher quality service provision that is person-centred. [Paraphrased Document N).

Through this [work], we will give all children and young people in [case study], particularly if they are vulnerable and/or disadvantaged, a start in life that is empowering and enable them to flourish in a compassionate and lively city. [Paraphrased Document M].

Communities and individuals

Thirdly, having communities and individuals at the heart of the work appeared essential and viewed as crucial to nurture in this case study. The interconnectedness of the place, communities and individuals were considered a key part of the foundations for good health and wellbeing.

In [case study], our belief is that our people are our greatest strength and our most important asset. Wellbeing starts with people: our connections with our friends, family, and colleagues, our behaviour, understanding, and support for one another, as well as the environment we build to live in together . (Paraphrased Document A).

A recognition of the power of communities and individuals with the requirement to support that key principle of a strength-based approach was found. This involved close working with communities to help identify what was important, what was needed and what interventions would work. This could then lead to improved resilience and cohesion.

‛You can't make effective health and care decisions without having the voice of people at the centre of that. It just won't work. You won't make the right decisions.’ (LP16).

‘Build on the strengths in ourselves, our families, carers and our community; working with people, actively listening to what matters most to people, with a focus on what’s strong rather than what’s wrong’ (Document G).

Meaningful engagement with communities as well as strengths and asset-based approaches to ensure self-sufficiency and sustainability of communities can help communities flourish. This includes promoting friendships, building community resilience and capacity, and inspiring residents to find solutions to change the things they feel needs altering in their community . (Paraphrased Document B).

This close community engagement had been reported to foster trust and to lead to improvements in health.

‘But where a system or an area has done a lot of community engagement, worked really closely with the community, gained their trust and built a programme around them rather than just said, “Here it is. You need to come and use it now,” you can tell that has had the impact. ' (LP1).

Finally, workforce was another key asset; the documents raised the concept of one workforce across health and care. The key principles of having a shared vision, asset-based approaches and strong partnership were also present in this example:

By working together, the Health and Care sector makes [case study] the best area to not only work but also train for people of all ages. Opportunities for skills and jobs are provided with recruitment and engagement from our most disadvantaged communities, galvanizing the future’s health and care workforce. By doing this, we have a very skilled and diverse workforce we need to work with our people now as well as in the future. (Paraphrased Document E).

An action identified for the health and care system to address health inequalities in case study 1 was ‘ the importance of having an inclusive workforce trained in person-centred working practices ’ (Document R). Several ways were found to improve and support workforce skills development and embed awareness of health inequalities in practice and training. Various initiatives were available such as an interactive health inequalities toolkit, theme-related fellowships, platforms and networks to share learning and develop skills.

‛We've recently launched a [redacted] Fellowship across [case study’s region], and we've got a number of clinicians and managers on that………. We've got training modules that we've put on across [case study’s region], as well for health inequalities…we've got learning and web resources where we share good practice from across the system, so that is our [redacted] Academy.’ (LP2).

This case study also recognised the importance of considering the welfare of the workforce; being skilled was not enough. This had been recognised pre-pandemic but was seen as even more important post COVID-19 due to the impact that COVID-19 had on staff, particularly in health and social care.

‛The impacts of the pandemic cannot be underestimated; our colleagues and services are fatigued and still dealing with the pressures. This context makes it even more essential that we share the responsibility, learn from each other at least and collaborate with each other at best, and hold each other up to be the best we can.’ (Document U).

Concerns were raised such as the widening of health inequalities since the pandemic and cost of living crisis. Post-pandemic and Brexit, recruiting health, social care and third sector staff was compounding the capacity throughout this already heavily pressurised system.

In [case study], we have seen the stalling of life expectancy and worsening of the health inequality gap, which is expected to be compounded by the effects of the pandemic. (Paraphrased Document T)

‘I think key barriers, just the immense pressure on the system still really […] under a significant workload, catching up on activity, catching up on NHS Health Checks, catching up on long-term condition reviews. There is a significant strain on the system still in terms of catching up. It has been really difficult because of the impact of COVID.’ (LP7).

‘Workforce is a challenge, because the pipelines that we’ve got, we’ve got fewer people coming through many of them. And that’s not just particular to, I don't know, nursing, which is often talking talked [sic] about as a challenged area, isn't it? And of course, it is. But we’ve got similar challenges in social care, in third sector.’ (LP5).

The pandemic was reported to have increased pressures on the NHS and services not only in relation to staff capacity but also regarding increases in referrals to services, such as mental health. Access to healthcare changed during the pandemic increasing barriers for some:

‘I think people are just confused about where they're supposed to go, in terms of accessing health and care at the moment. It's really complex to understand where you're supposed to go, especially, at the moment, coming out of COVID, and the fact that GPs are not the accessible front door. You can't just walk into your GP anymore.’ (LP16).

‘Meeting this increased demand [for work related to reducing ethnic inequalities in mental health] is starting to prove a challenge and necessitates some discussion about future resourcing.’ (Document S)

Several ways were identified to aid effective adaptation and/or mitigation. This included building resilience such as developing the existing capacity, capability and flexibility of the system by learning from previous work, adapting structures and strengthening workforce development. Considerations, such as a commitment to Marmot Principles and how funding could/would contribute, were also discussed.

The funding’s [linked to Core20PLUS5] purpose is to help systems to ensure that health inequalities are not made worse when cost-savings or efficiencies are sought…The available data and insight are clear and [health inequalities are] likely to worsen in the short term, the delays generated by pandemic, the disproportionate effect of that on the most deprived and the worsening food and fuel poverty in all our places. (Paraphrased Document L).

Learning from the pandemic was thought to be useful as some working practices had altered during COVID-19 for the better, such as needing to continue to embed how the system had collaborated and resist old patterns of working:

‘So I think that emphasis between collaboration – extreme collaboration – which is what we did during COVID is great. I suppose the problem is, as we go back into trying to save money, we go back into our old ways of working, about working in silos. And I think we’ve got to be very mindful of that, and continue to work in a different way.’ (LP11).

Another area identified as requiring action, was the collection, analysis, sharing and use of data accessible by the whole system.

‘So I think there is a lot of data out there. It’s just how do we present that in such a way that it’s accessible to everyone as well, because I think sometimes, what happens is that we have one group looking at data in one format, but then how do we cascade that out?’ (LP12)

We aimed to explore a system’s level understanding of how a local area addresses health inequalities with a focus on avoidable emergency admissions using a case study approach. Therefore, the focus of our research was strategic and systematic approaches to inequalities reduction. Gaining an overview of what was occurring within a system is pertinent because local areas are required to have a regard to address health inequalities in their local areas [ 20 , 21 ]. Through this exploration, we also developed an understanding of the system's processes reported to be required. For example, an area requiring action was viewed as the accessibility and analysis of data. The case study described having health inequalities ‘at the heart of its health and wellbeing strategy ’ which was echoed across the documents from multiple sectors across the system. Evidence of a values driven partnership with whole systems working was centred on the importance of place and involving people, with links to a ‘strong third sector ’ . Working together to support and strengthen local assets (the system, services/support, communities/individuals, and the workforce) were vital components. This suggested a system’s committed and integrated approach to improve population health and reduce health inequalities as well as concerted effort to increase system resilience. However, there was juxtaposition at times with what the documents contained versus what interviewees spoke about, for example, the degree to which asset-based approaches were embedded.

Furthermore, despite having a priori codes for the documentary analysis and including specific questions around work being undertaken to reduce health inequalities in avoidable admissions in the interviews with key systems leaders, this explicit link was still very much under-developed for this case study. For example, how to reduce health inequalities in avoidable emergency admissions was not often specified in the documents but could be inferred from existing work. This included work around improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake in groups who were identified as being at high-risk (such as older people and socially excluded populations) by using local intelligence to inform where to offer local outreach targeted pop-up clinics. This limited explicit action linking reduction of health inequalities in avoidable emergency admissions was echoed in the interviews and it became clear as we progressed through the research that a focus on reduction of health inequalities in avoidable hospital admissions at a systems level was not a dominant aspect of people’s work. Health inequalities were viewed as a key part of the work but not necessarily examined together with avoidable admissions. A strengthened will to take action is reported, particularly around reducing health inequalities, but there were limited examples of action to explicitly reduce health inequalities in avoidable admissions. This gap in the systems thinking is important to highlight. When it was explicitly linked, upstream strategies and thinking were acknowledged as requirements to reduce health inequalities in avoidable emergency admissions.

Similar to our findings, other research have also found networks to be considered as the system’s backbone [ 30 ] as well as the recognition that communities need to be central to public health approaches [ 51 , 55 , 56 ]. Furthermore, this study highlighted the importance of understanding the local context by using local routine and bespoke intelligence. It demonstrated that population-based approaches to reduce health inequalities are complex, multi-dimensional and interconnected. It is not about one part of the system but how the whole system interlinks. The interconnectedness and interdependence of the system (and the relevant players/stakeholders) have been reported by other research [ 30 , 57 ], for example without effective exchange of knowledge and information, social networks and systems do not function optimally [ 30 ]. Previous research found that for systems to work effectively, management and transfer of knowledge needs to be collaborative [ 30 ], which was recognised in this case study as requiring action. By understanding the context, including the strengths and challenges, the support or action needed to overcome the barriers can be identified.

There are very limited number of case studies that explore health inequalities with a focus on hospital admissions. Of the existing research, only one part of the health system was considered with interviews looking at data trends [ 35 ]. To our knowledge, this research is the first to build on this evidence by encompassing the wider health system using wider-ranging interviews and documentary analysis. Ford et al. [ 35 ] found that geographical areas typically had plans to reduce total avoidable emergency admissions but not comprehensive plans to reduce health inequalities in avoidable emergency admissions. This approach may indeed widen health inequalities. Health inequalities have considerable health and costs impacts. Pertinently, the hospital care costs associated with socioeconomic inequalities being reported as £4.8 billion a year, mainly due to excess hospitalisations such as avoidable admissions [ 58 ] and the burden of disease lies disproportionately with our most disadvantaged communities, addressing inequalities in hospital pressures is required [ 25 , 26 ].

Implications for research and policy

Improvements to life expectancy have stalled in the UK with a widening of health inequalities [ 12 ]. Health inequalities are not inevitable; it is imperative that the health gap between the deprived and affluent areas is narrowed [ 12 ]. This research demonstrates the complexity and intertwining factors that are perceived to address health inequalities in an area. Despite the evidence of the cost (societal and individual) of avoidable admissions, explicit tackling of inequality in avoidable emergency admissions is not yet embedded into the system, therefore highlights an area for policy and action. This in-depth account and exploration of the characteristics of ‘whole systems’ working to address health inequalities, including where challenges remain, generated in this research will be instrumental for decision makers tasked with addressing health and care inequalities.

This research informs the next step of exploring each identified theme in more detail and moving beyond description to develop tools, using a suite of multidimensional and multidisciplinary methods, to investigate the effects of interventions on systems as previously highlighted by Rutter et al. [ 5 ].

Strengths and limitations

Documentary analysis is often used in health policy research but poorly described [ 44 ]. Furthermore, Yin reports that case study research is often criticised for not adhering to ‘systematic procedures’ p. 18 [ 41 ]. A clear strength of this study was the clearly defined boundary (in time and space) case as well as following a defined systematic approach, with critical thought and rationale provided at each stage [ 34 , 41 ]. A wide range and large number of documents were included as well as interviewees from across the system thereby resulting in a comprehensive case study. Integrating the analysis from two separate methodologies (interviews and documentary analysis), analysed separately before being combined, is also a strength to provide a coherent rich account [ 49 ]. We did not limit the reasons for hospital admission to enable a broad as possible perspective; this is likely to be a strength in this case study as this connection between health inequalities and avoidable hospital admissions was still infrequently made. However, for example, if a specific care pathway for a health condition had been highlighted by key informants this would have been explored.

Due to concerns about identifiability, we took several steps. These included providing a summary of the sectors that the interviewees and document were from but we were not able to specify which sectors each quote pertained. Additionally, some of the document quotes required paraphrasing. However, we followed a set process to ensure this was as rigorous as possible as described in the methods section. For example, where we were required to paraphrase, each paraphrased quote and original was shared and agreed with all the authors to reduce the likelihood to inadvertently misinterpreting or misquoting.

The themes are unlikely to represent an exhaustive list of the key elements requiring attention, but they represent the key themes that were identified using a robust methodological process. The results are from a single urban local authority with high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in the North of England which may limit generalisability to different contexts. However, the findings are still generalisable to theoretical considerations [ 41 ]. Attempts to integrate a case study with a known framework can result in ‘force-fit’ [ 34 ] which we avoided by developing our own framework (Fig. 1 ) considering other existing models [ 14 , 59 ]. The results are unable to establish causation, strength of association, or direction of influence [ 60 ] and disentangling conclusively what works versus what is thought to work is difficult. The documents’ contents may not represent exactly what occurs in reality, the degree to which plans are implemented or why variation may occur or how variation may affect what is found [ 43 , 61 ]. Further research, such as participatory or non-participatory observation, could address this gap.

Conclusions

This case study provides an in-depth exploration of how local areas are working to address health and care inequalities, with a focus on avoidable hospital admissions. Key elements of this system’s reported approach included fostering strategic coherence, cross-agency working, and community-asset based working. An area requiring action was viewed as the accessibility and analysis of data. Therefore, local areas could consider the challenges of data sharing across organisations as well as the organisational capacity and capability required to generate useful analysis in order to create meaningful insights to assist work to reduce health and care inequalities. This would lead to improved understanding of the context including where the key barriers lie for a local area. Addressing structural barriers and threats as well as supporting the training and wellbeing of the workforce are viewed as key to building resilience within a system to reduce health inequalities. Furthermore, more action is required to embed reducing health inequalities in avoidable admissions explicitly in local areas with inaction risking widening the health gap.

Availability of data and materials

Individual participants’ data that underlie the results reported in this article and a data dictionary defining each field in the set are available to investigators whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee for work. Proposals should be directed to [email protected] to gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement. Such requests are decided on a case by case basis.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to our Understanding Factors that explain Avoidable hospital admission Inequalities - Research study (UNFAIR) PPI contributors, for their involvement in the project particularly in the identification of the key criteria for the sampling frame. Thanks to the research advisory team as well.

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Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

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The manuscript is not currently under consideration or published in another journal. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

This research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), grant number (ref CA-CL-2018-04-ST2-010). The funding body was not involved in the study design, collection of data, inter-pretation, write-up, or submission for publication. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care or Newcastle University.

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Charlotte Parbery-Clark

Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Lorraine McSweeney

Senior Research Methodologist & Public Involvement Lead, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Joanne Lally

Senior Clinical Lecturer &, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Honorary Consultant in Public Health, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Sarah Sowden

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Conceptualization - J.L. and S.S.; methodology - C.P.-C., J.L. & S.S.; formal analysis - C. P.-C. & L.M.; investigation- C. P.-C. & L.M., resources, writing of draft manuscript - C.P.-C.; review and editing manuscript L.M., J.L., & S.S.; visualization including figures and tables - C.P.-C.; supervision - J.L. & S.S.; project administration - L.M. & S.S.; funding acquisition - S.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Parbery-Clark, C., McSweeney, L., Lally, J. et al. How can health systems approach reducing health inequalities? An in-depth qualitative case study in the UK. BMC Public Health 24 , 2168 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19531-5

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Money blog: Coca-Cola launching new flavour in collaboration with popular biscuit - and fans are divided

Welcome to the Money blog, a hub of personal finance and consumer news. Our focus has been on inflation rising - while other posts include Coke launching a new flavour with Oreo. Leave a comment on any of the stories we're covering in the box below - we round them up every Saturday.

Wednesday 14 August 2024 16:35, UK

• UK inflation rises for first time since December - analysis
• Wizz launches unlimited flight package for £445 - but there's a catch
• Coca-Cola launching Oreo drink - and fans are divided

Essential reads

• Is this the end of the British pub?
• What's gone wrong at Asda?
• Best of the Money blog - an archive of features

Tips and advice

• TV chef picks best cheap eats in London
• Save up to half price when visiting top attractions with this trick
• 'I cancelled swimming with weeks of notice - can they keep my money?'

Ask a question or make a comment

John Lewis is looking to cut 153 jobs as part of a staff shake-up across its stores. 

The high street giant claims the proposals are designed to improve customer service, ensuring workers are "in the right place, doing the right tasks at the right time". 

It is hoping the job cuts will be through voluntary redundancy and natural attrition - which covers people leaving through retirement, resignations or moving job. 

Staffing changes will also see currently separate roles for serving front and back of house combined.

John Lewis is also investing £5m in digital headsets for store workers to communicate better with one another - in a bid to improve service.

The changes, which were announced to staff yesterday, follow a similar staffing overhaul at sister business Waitrose.

A spokesman for John Lewis said: "We're seeking to make sure partners are in the right place at the right time to help customers.

"We're also removing unnecessary tasks and introducing new technology to make their roles easier.

"We carried out similar changes in Waitrose earlier this year, with customer and partner feedback increasing significantly since.

"It's since been ranked the number one supermarket for customer satisfaction."

Coca-Cola is launching an Oreo-flavoured drink in collaboration with the biscuit manufacturer.

The limited edition, zero-sugar drink will be released from September in a black and white can containing what Coca-Cola describe as "flavourful hints inspired by Oreo cookies".

At the same time, Oreo will release a Coca-Cola flavoured biscuit.

Eugenia Zalis, global head of marketing for Oreo-maker Mondelez International, said she "cannot wait to see the reaction" from customers - but they're already coming in before the products have even hit the shelves.

Multiple X users were quick to deploy the Jurassic Park meme inspired by Jeff Goldblum's character, Ian Malcolm: "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they never stopped to think if they should".

Another added: "I will happily eat Oreos while drinking a Coke Zero, but I don't want either of these things."

Others were more enthusiastic, simply writing: "Need."

Ms Zalis was confident about the collaboration, saying: "We have truly upped the ante."

The beverage will be available at major retailers and Pizza Express, Popeyes and Slim Chickens, Coca-Cola said.

By Daniel Binns, business reporter

Annual inflation in the US fell to 2.9% in July, down from 3%, according to official data released this lunchtime.

The announcement helps pave the way for the US Federal Reserve for cut interest rates next month.

This matters to monetary policy makers in the EU and UK as they don't like to be too misaligned with the US - for fear of impacting currency strength, among other reasons.

The annual consumer prices index (CPI) rate for July was the lowest since March 2021 and came in below market expectations.

In the immediate aftermath of the publication of the latest figures, financial markets upped their expectations that the Fed would cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points, pricing in the likelihood of such an outcome at 60.5%. 

The likelihood of a bigger 0.5 percentage point cut was judged to be 39.5%.

Earlier in the day, the likelihood of a 0.25 or 0.5 percentage point cut had been almost 50-50.

The first increase in inflation this year is less a reason for panic than a signal that, after almost three years of wild volatility, the UK's measure of price increases is returning to a period of what looks far more normal fluctuation.

The primary reason CPI stepped up to 2.2% in the year to July is statistical, the base effect of energy prices falling less this year than they did in July 2023. A year ago the Ofgem retail price cap fell by more than £1,100, 10 times more than the £110 reduction last month. That means that while energy prices are lower than they were, annual inflation increased.

The Bank of England had forecast this move upwards from its target rate of 2% and used it to justify its cautious tone around interest rates, even as they were cut earlier this month for the first time since the hiking cycle began.

Below the headline rate of CPI were numbers that will give the Bank some confidence that it can afford to cut rates further by the end of the year.

Core inflation, a measure that removes volatile food and energy prices and indicates the underlying "secondary" effects of inflation, fell slightly from 3.5% to 3.2%. 

Goods inflation remains in negative territory at minus 0.6%, but that was an increase from minus 1.4% the previous month, driven in part by food inflation, which increased to 1.8% after 15 consecutive monthly falls. 

Inflation in services, which make up the majority of the British economy, fell to 5.2%. Coming a day after wage inflation also eased, that fuelled expectations that further rate cuts are coming, though not necessarily at the next Bank of England meeting in September. 

Market expectations of a cut in September rose to 45%, meaning a narrow majority expect rates to be held at 5%, with the prospects of further cuts before the year-end priced at 90% in November and 97% in December.

Watch Kelso's TV analysis here...

Every Wednesday we ask top chefs to pick their favourite Cheap Eats where they live and when they cook at home. This week we speak to TV chef Judy Joo, who co-owns the popular Seoul Bird in London.

Hi Judy, can you tell us your favourite places in London where you can get a meal for two for less than £40?

Since 1900,  Paul Rothe & Son  in Marylebone has been crafting some of the best sandwiches in London. Lucky for me, I live just around the corner from this charming, historic deli. 

My go-to is their famous pastrami and cheese, piled high with pickle, mayo, and mustard. Occasionally, I'll switch things up with their epic coronation chicken, or if I'm feeling adventurous, a jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn. It's quintessentially British, and I love it. 

Trejo's Tacos has crossed the pond, opening its first international outpost in Notting Hill. Founded by actor Danny Trejo, this canteen boasts a cult following in Los Angeles (myself included) and has quickly become my favourite spot for tacos in London. 

My usual order includes a plate of Baja fish and spicy shrimp tacos, dosed in their house hot sauce and perfectly complemented by one of their stellar OG margaritas or homemade horchata. I also love their house-made guacamole and salsa served with their truly addictive freshly fried corn tortilla chips. I just munch away while thinking of the southern California sun. 

I live near Edgware Road, an area renowned for its vibrant Middle Eastern community and fantastic cuisine. Maroush , a London institution with multiple venues across the city, remains a favourite, especially the original one on Edgware Road.

The chicken or lamb shawarma is the star dish, slow-cooked on vertical rotisseries, infused with aromatic spices, and expertly sliced off with sabers. It's the perfect late-night snack after a few too many pints. I love their tomato okra stew with rice - so comforting and warming. 

Tucked away in the basement of an unassuming British pub down a quaint mews street in Marylebone is Liu Xiaomian . 

I usually order the minced pork xiaomian - toothsome wheat noodles swimming in a red chilli broth, then dressed with seasoned pork and fragrant spring onions. The numbing pork wontons are another standout, delivering what their name promises in true mala style. Don't miss the cucumber side salad which offers a refreshing respite for your palate.

What is your go-to cheap eat to cook at home when you have a night in?

My go-to budget-friendly meal for cooking at home is pimped-out instant ramen noodles. 

If I am feeling spicy, I'll grab a pack of Shin Ramen and add fresh veggies and leftover proteins from the fridge. 

Spinach, mushrooms, corn, spring onions, leftover roasted chicken, and some frozen dumplings usually make their way into the pot. Absolutely anything goes!  

And, to finish, I'll crack an egg in and let it cook on top of the noodles just until the yolk is set, but still gooey. It's a quick, delicious meal that hits the spot every time.

We've spoken to lots of top chefs - check out their cheap eats from around the country here...

By Sky News Data and Forensics Unit

As we've discussed throughout the morning, the rate of inflation grew to 2.2% in July - the first time since December last year that it has increased.

Which shop prices are increasing fastest?

Olive oil costs nearly two fifths more than it did last year, with prices for 500ml-1 litre rising from £6.39 to £8.83 in just 12 months.

The Money blog looked at the reasons why here...

Plums, meanwhile, are up by a quarter, from £3.08 per kilo to £3.57.

Food and drink products are responsible for seven of the 10 highest increases since last year.

For fans of a slicked-back hairstyle, non-food items like hair gel increased by a third, and for any pet owners, the price of a small mammal cage nearly hopped up by a fifth.

Top five price rises:

• Olive oil (500ml-1litre): up 38%, £6.39 to £8.83
• Hair gel (150-200ml): up 33%, £3.08 to £4.10
• Plums (per kg): up 25%, £2.85 to £3.57
• White potatoes (per kg): up 20%, 74p to 89p
• Cauliflower (each): up 20%, £1.07 to £1.28

Fifty-six of the 156 types of food and drink tracked by the ONS have actually become cheaper since last year. Many of these were store cupboard staples like pulses, dried pasta, and canned tomatoes.

Top food price decreases:

• Pulses (390-420g): down 13%, 77p to 67p
• Frozen prawns (per kg): down 8%, £18.77 to £17.24
• Cheddar cheese (per kg): down 8%, £9.49 to £8.77
• Spreadable butter (500g): down 7%, £4.18 to £3.90
• Frozen berries (per pack): down 6%, £2.53 to £2.37

Of non-supermarket items, electric heaters have been some of the biggest price fallers - by 22%.

How much has your individual spending changed in the last year?

Use our calculator to see how much prices are rising on the groceries, clothing and leisure activities you pay for...

We've had some more ONS data this morning - this time on house and rent inflation.

While the figures are largely unchanged from a month ago, the rental stats in particular are worth outlining as they illustrate the difficulties still facing renters.

Official data shows:

• Average UK private rents increased by 8.6% in the 12 months to July 2024, unchanged from in the 12 months to June 2024;
• Average rents increased to £1,319 (8.6%) in England, £748 (7.9%) in Wales, and £965 (8.2%) in Scotland;
• In Northern Ireland, average rents increased by 10% in the 12 months to May 2024;
• In England, rents inflation was highest in London (9.7%) and lowest in the North East (6.1%).

On the housing market, we learned:

• Average UK house prices increased by 2.7%, to £288,000, in the 12 months to June 2024 - unchanged from a month before;
• Average house prices increased in England to £305,000 (2.4%), in Wales to £216,000 (1.8%), and in Scotland to £192,000 (4.3%).

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire , business reporter

News of an increased rate of price rises was welcomed by UK markets but it hit the pound. 

While inflation has increased, the fact the figure came in lower than expected could be a boost to the mainly UK-based companies that make up the FTSE 250, which rose 0.47% on the news, as did the 100 most valuable companies on the exchange, the FTSE 100. 

The pound, however, fell from its highest since late July and now £1 buys $1.2838 and €1.1659. 

Energy costs remain elevated with the benchmark oil price $81 for a barrel of Brent crude oil. 

Gas prices are still below the 100p a therm (the measurement for heat) high seen on Monday evening but not by a whole lot at 96.65p a therm. 

The biggest riser of FTSE 250 companies was gambling tech company Playtech.

Following Sky News reporting that gambling giant Flutter is in talks to buy the consumer arm of Playtech for £2bn, its share price shot up 13.57%.

Wizz Air has launched Europe's first unlimited flight package - but there are a few things you should know before signing up. 

The All You Can Fly membership costs £534 for 12 months, and is currently on sale until tomorrow for £445. 

Subscribers can use the deal to travel to more than 800 destinations as many times as they like over the course of a year, starting from 25 September. 

Here's the catch - customers must book the flights within 72-hours of them taking off. 

Each flight also comes with a £9 booking fee, which must be paid in addition to the membership. 

And, the costs of booking a seat and adding luggage is also not included. 

On the Wizz Air website, a "seat protection fee" ranges from ‎€80 (£68.31)  to ‎€100 (£85.39), and adding a bag costs between €11 (£9.39) and ‎€120.50 (£102.89). 

It's also important to note that there are only 10,000 memberships available. 

Wizz Air's commercial officer Silvia Mosquera said: "We are thrilled to be the first to introduce this one-of-a-kind membership for travellers in Europe. 

"The Wizz All You Can Fly membership will give customers hundreds of spontaneous travel options for a fixed price, giving them freedom to fly whenever is convenient without paying extra."

You can read all the terms and conditions of the All You Can Fly package here .

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