Will reached communities become ‘hard to reach’ again?

Summary

This article in the British Journal of General Practice looks at what will happen to public engagement in healthcare following the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. The author, Datapwa Mujong, argues that the successes of community-centred approaches employed in response to the pandemic could be lost without sustained funding and policy to embed these services in healthcare provision. He warns of the dangers of 'initiative decay' and expresses concern that disadvantaged groups may be further disenfranchised by the short-term nature of engagement for the purpose of the vaccine rollout.

He argues that in order to tackle inequalities, sustainable solutions are needed, rather than short-term interventions, even though these may require fewer resources.