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NHS bodies will face a closer examination of their performance in tackling health inequalities from this year, the Healthcare Commission said this week.

It will be one of four key areas that the commission's annual health check will focus on in 2006-7. The others are efficiency, access to services, and quality and safety of care.

The commission will review the quality of mental health and substance misuse services. It will also develop measures to assess the quality of commissioning by primary care trusts and the provision of primary and community care services.