System’s trusts failing to tackle ‘completely unjust’ health inequalities

All three acute trusts in an integrated care system are failing to meet national requirements to tackle health inequalities after being overwhelmed by emergency and elective care pressures.

A report by Devon Integrated Care Board found progress on addressing variation in poor health outcomes had “slipped due to capacity issues.” Both Royal Devon University Healthcare Foundation Trust and Torbay and South Devon FT were rated “red” for a lack of headway.

All trusts were told by NHSE in 2021 to undertake a range of actions as part of work to reduce health inequalities during 2022-23.

These included publishing analyses of waiting times disaggregated by ethnicity and deprivation, using the waiting list data to identify disparities between different patient groups, and measuring access, experience and outcomes for patients from a deprived community or an ethnic minority background.

Sarah Sweeney, interim chief executive of National Voices, which represents health and care charities and patients, said she was “really concerned to see that some ICSs are not making as much progress on reducing health inequalities as expected and hoped”.

“These inequalities are completely unjust and preventable,” she said. 

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Source: HSJ, 30 January 2023