It is clear that some Childsmile services are targeted only at those who are deemed to be at higher risk of decay, whilst other services are provided universally across the population. This design is deliberate and is known as proportionate universalism.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot defines proportionate universalism as ‘resourcing and delivering universal services at a scale and intensity dependent on needs across a population’. Essentially this means everyone in a population is targeted with some level of support but those who have the greatest needs are offered more and at a greater intensity. The evidence tells us that service delivery based on this concept gives us the best chance of addressing health inequalities.
The above demonstrates how a proportionate universalism approach can help improve health outcomes for everyone across a population, but those with the poorest health benefit the most from service delivery.