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Showing results for tags 'Health Disparities'.
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Content ArticleThis report revisits the conclusions of The Health Foundation's Covid-19 impact enquiry, which found that poor health and existing inequalities had left parts of the UK more vulnerable to the virus and had influenced its devastating impact. A year on from the impact inquiry, more than 90% of the UK population have had at least one Covid-19 infection, and 74% of adults had received three vaccinations by April 2022. This report considers: the further direct impact of Covid-19 on health outcomes. the broader implications for social determinants of health. the extent to which previously highlighted risks to health have been addressed. the implications for the country of ‘living with Covid-19’.
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Content ArticleThis blog by Professor Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology, University College London looks at the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic both exposed and amplified underlying inequalities in society. He highlights the link between higher Covid mortality rates, race and deprivation that demonstrates the striking health inequalities that exist in the UK. He asks the question, "Can the UK learn the lessons of the pandemic, and build back fairer?"
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Content ArticleGender is emerging as a significant factor in the social, economic, and health effects of COVID-19. However, most existing studies have focused on its direct impact on health. Here, we aimed to explore the indirect effects of COVID-19 on gender disparities globally. The most significant gender gaps identified in our study show intensified levels of pre-existing widespread inequalities between women and men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Political and social leaders should prioritise policies that enable and encourage women to participate in the labour force and continue their education, thereby equipping and enabling them with greater ability to overcome the barriers they face.
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Content Article
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Covid-19 has posed a huge challenge to the delivery of safe care, both when infection rates were at their highest levels and in terms of its long-term impact on health and social care systems.[1] The pandemic has magnified existing patient safety issues, created new ones, and exposed safety gaps which require systemic responses. This month the World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new report, Implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for patient safety: A rapid review.[2] The review aims to create a greater understanding of the impact of the pandemic on patient safety, particularly in relation to diagnostic services, treatment and care management. In this blog, Patient Safety Learning, one of the international organisations who contributed to this review, provides an overview and reflections on some the key themes and issues raised in this review. -
News Article
Poorest women in England have same ill health at 60 as richest at 76
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A 60-year-old woman in England’s poorest areas typically has the same level of illness as a woman 16 years older in the richest areas, a study into health inequalities has found. The Health Foundation found a similarly stark, though less wide, gap in men’s health. At 60 a man living in the most deprived 10% of the country typically has the burden of ill-health experienced by a counterpart in the wealthiest 10% at the age of 70. The thinktank’s analysis of NHS data also shows that women in England’s poorest places are diagnosed with a long-term illness at the age of 40 on average, whereas that does not happen to those in the most prosperous places until 48. The findings underline Britain’s wide and entrenched socio-economic inequalities in health, which the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted. Ministers have promised to make tackling them a priority as part of the commitment to levelling up, but a promised white paper on that has been delayed. Researchers led by Toby Watt said their findings were likely to be the most accurate published so far because they were based on data detailing patients’ interactions with primary care and hospital services, and unlike previous studies did not rely on people’s self-reported health. “In human terms, these stark disparities show that at the age of 40, the average woman living in the poorest areas in England is already being treated for her first long-term illness. This condition means discomfort, a worse quality of life and additional visits to the GP, medication or hospital, depending on what it is. At the other end of the spectrum, the average 40-year-old woman will live a further eight years – about 10% of her life – without diminished quality of life through illness,” Watt said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 17 August 2022 -
Content ArticleNon-communicable illness is responsible for 88% of the burden of disease in England, with the majority falling most heavily on the poorest in society. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted pervasive socioeconomic, ethnic and geographical health inequalities in our society. But quantifying health inequalities can be difficult due to the complexities of comparing people with multiple different long-term conditions (multimorbidity) and assessing the implications for their health care needs. In this analysis from the The Health Foundation, a novel tool known as the Cambridge Multimorbidity Score was used to assess the relative impact of different patterns of diagnosed illness on people and their use of the health care system.
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Content ArticleThe review, which has now concluded, advised the government on the health impact of potential ethnic and other biases in medical devices and made recommendations for more equitable solutions. The final report was published on 11 March 2024.
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Content ArticlePatients and providers often don't recognise skin cancer on darker skin. Medical school faculty and students are trying to change that.
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Content ArticleRAND Corporation and MedStar researchers examined the intersection of patient safety and racism, focusing on patient safety and health equity from clinician leaders' perspectives. An overarching emphasis of the work concerned the impact of racism and other related factors (i.e., bias) on patient safety events and potential interventions or changes (such as creating a culture of speaking up about racism in care) that can help prevent such events.
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News Article
Birmingham: 'Action not reports' needed on healthcare racism
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Action rather than reports is needed to tackle healthcare inequalities faced by black people in Birmingham, a charity says. It follows a report which found people from black communities continued to face racism and discrimination when accessing treatment. The city's director of public health said he was "horrified" by the finding. Dr Justin Varney said the system must be adapted to meet the needs of all. Charity The First Class Foundation wants to see implementation of changes and says among the healthcare problems in need of tackling are "microaggressions" faced by communities. The publication of the Birmingham and Lewisham African Health Inequalities Review followed an 18-month study commissioned by the areas' local authorities. It found disadvantages among the communities in housing, pollution and availability of green space had "all contributed to worse health". The report additionally highlighted how the communities were "exposed to structural racism and discrimination which leads to... chronic stress and trauma". Read full story Source: BBC News, 10 August 2022 -
Content ArticleHealth inequalities are not inevitable and are unfair. Many people from different backgrounds across our society suffer health inequalities which can negatively impact the whole community, not just those directly affected. Birmingham and Lewisham African Caribbean Health Inequalities Review (BLACHIR) set out to urgently reveal and explore the background to health inequalities experienced by the Black African and Black Caribbean communities. Birmingham is home to 8% of the Black African and Black Caribbean populations in England and 23% of Lewisham’s population is Black African or Black Caribbean (ONS 2011). The main aim of the Review is to improve the health of Black African and Black Caribbean people in the communities by listening to them, recognising their priorities, discussing, and reflecting on the findings and coproducing recommended solutions for the Health and Wellbeing Board and NHS Integrated Care Systems to consider and respond to.
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News Article
One in 25 heart attack deaths in north-east of England ‘preventable in London’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One in 25 people who die of a heart attack in the north-east of England could have survived if the average cardiologist effectiveness was raised to the London level, research shows. The research, undertaken by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), looked at the record of over 500,000 NHS patients in the UK, over 13 years. It highlights the stark “postcode lottery” of how people living in some parts of the country have access to lower quality healthcare. The results found that while cardiologists treating patients in London and the south-east had the best survival rates among heart attack patients, patients being treated in the north-east and east of England had the worst. Among 100 otherwise identical patients, an additional six patients living in the north-east and east of England would have survived for at least a year if they had instead been treated by a similar doctor in London. Furthermore, if the effectiveness of doctors treating heart attacks in these areas of the country were just as effective as the cardiologists in London, an additional 80 people a year in each region would survive a heart attack. The research also revealed a divide between rural and urban areas of England, with patients living in the former typically receiving treatment from less effective doctors compared with those in more urban areas. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 August 2022 -
Content ArticleThe US's response to monkeypox fails to put patients and their care at its centre, writes Eric Kutscher in the BMJ opinion article. As a primary care and addiction medicine physician, Kutscher has been dismayed by the number of patients he has treated over the past few weeks who’ve been infected with the vaccine-preventable monkeypox virus. Most have been in considerable pain and required strong analgesics, with some unable to even sit because of their skin lesions. Yet for many, the most agonising and scarring aspect of their infection is not their physical symptoms, but the complete removal of their humanity by the medical response to monkeypox. As a medical and public health community, we are exhausted after Covid-19, and our compassion fatigue is showing in our policies and procedures for monkeypox. The spread of the virus to previously non-endemic countries was only recently declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. Unlike with Covid-19, this is not a novel virus—we have the appropriate diagnostic testing, treatment, and even vaccines that we need. Yet, just as we have failed to deploy these tools to assist in outbreaks in African nations, we are now also failing our patients from a sexual minority—patients who are already underserved and justifiably mistrusting of a medical system.
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Content ArticleThis report by Richard Norrie, director of the Statistics and Policy Research Programme at Civitas, aims to scrutinise the Race and Health Observatory (RHO) rapid evidence review into ethnic inequalities in healthcare published in February 2022. The report highlights inconsistencies in the review's use of research and data and argues that its conclusions do not reflect the full body of evidence available concerning race and health outcomes. The author suggests that the review makes a false assumption that the needs of all ethnic groups are the same, which leads to its potentially inaccurate conclusions about the prevalence and causes of health inequalities.
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News Article
'Bolder government action' needed to address inequalities in dementia risk
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
"Bolder government action" is needed to address inequalities in dementia risk, the charity Alzheimer's Research UK has warned this week. The comments come in response to findings from four new studies presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) which link socio-economic deprivation with increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. Dr Susan Mitchell, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: "These findings are a stark reminder of the health gap between the most and least deprived in society, with the most deprived at a higher risk of developing dementia. "Ultimately, these inequalities are profoundly unfair, but they are also avoidable. The Government has a key role in addressing inequalities through a range of measures to improve poverty, employment, housing and education." She added: "We urge Government to make dementia prevention a key priority in its aim to level up healthcare across the country, and hope the forthcoming health disparities white paper lays the foundation for a fairer, healthier nation." Read full story Source: Medscape, 5 August 2022 -
Content ArticleThe Commission on Young Lives (COYL) was set up in September 2021, to propose a new settlement to prevent marginalised children and young people from falling into violence, exploitation and the criminal justice system, and to support them to thrive. Its national action plan will include ambitious practical, affordable proposals that government, councils, police, social services and communities can put into place. This detailed report by COYL examines the state of children and young people's mental health, describing the current situation as "a profound crisis." It examines the impact of the pandemic on young people's mental health, as well highlighting the lack of capacity and inequalities present in children and young people's mental health services. It then looks in detail at factors that contribute to mental health issues in children and young people and prevent marginalised groups from accessing mental health support.
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Content ArticleYoung people from different backgrounds with different lived experiences can have different physical and mental health outcomes. This briefing document by the Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH) offers a definition for health inequalities that is specific to young people, and a conceptual framework to help identify key causes and factors that influence health outcomes. As well as highlighting the impact of Covid-19 on young people's health and wellbeing, the paper focuses on different factors that will affect young people's health outcomes now and in the future, including education, employment, housing, geographical area, development of behaviours and relationships.
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Content ArticleThis practical guide was commissioned by The Health Foundation and NHS England to support NHS systems to tackle health inequalities. Co-written by the Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network and a reference group of national experts, stakeholders, service providers and people with lived experience of inequalities, the guide suggests practical action that systems can take to ensure equitable access, excellent experience and optimal outcomes for all. The guide covers four key areas for action and features good practice examples which systems and providers can adapt and apply to their local context. There are also checklists to assist system leaders, managers, clinicians, and operational staff, to design new models of care and embed sustainable action to drive down healthcare inequalities. The guide supports the national Core20plus5 approach to reduce healthcare inequalities which focuses on a population group of the core 20% most deprived nationally and those from inclusion health groups; outlining five clinical areas of focus.
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Content ArticleDisabled people's voices need to be valued and prioritised in the planning and delivery of health and care services. This long read sets out the findings of research carried out by The King's Fund and Disability Rights UK into how disabled people are currently involved in health and care system design, and what good might look like.
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Content ArticleThis briefing paper by thinktank The Centre for Mental Health explores evidence about the links between factors that worsen mental health, showing that living in poverty increases people’s risk of mental health difficulties, and that more unequal societies have higher overall levels of mental ill health. It also demonstrates that poverty and economic inequality intersect with structural racism to undermine the mental health of racialised and marginalised groups in society. Among other things, it highlights inequalities in access to primary care and mental health services across the UK.
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News Article
Londoners several times more likely to get life-saving treatment
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS and the Treasury need to make a renewed commitment to increasing the number of patients who benefit from thrombectomy, the Stroke Association has said, as it revealed the service was dependent on just 106 doctors in England. New analysis due to be published by the charity later this week – and shared with HSJ – also found only a quarter of thrombectomy units are open 24 hours, seven days a week, with 42% only operating during office hours and Monday to Friday. Despite an NHS long-term plan target of treating 10% of strokes with a thrombectomy by this year, only 2.8% were benefitting in December 2021 – a smaller proportion than in the US or some other Western European nations. It means nearly 6,000 people who could benefit from thrombectomy are missing out, the charity has calculated. The Stroke Association’s report also highlighted large apparent regional variation in the share of stroke patients receiving the treatment — with London patients several times more likely to receive the treatment than elsewhere. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 27 July 2022 -
Content ArticleIs good-quality health care being provided for women in prison? As the government proceeds with plans to build 500 more prison places for women, this new Nuffield Trust analysis uses HES data to look at women prisoners' use of hospital services, finding that they face a series of challenges and risks in prison because of barriers to accessing health and care services.
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Content ArticleInfographic highlighting statistics on ethnic health inequalities in the UK.
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Content ArticleTwo years into the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that gender differences exist, and that women, men, and gender minorities are differentially impacted by the pandemic.
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News Article
NHS waits force patients to pay for private ops
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Long NHS waiting times appear to be pushing people into paying thousands of pounds for private treatment. There were 69,000 self-funded treatments in the UK in the final three months of last year - a 39% rise on the same period before the pandemic. Experts said it was a sign of how desperate people had become. The BBC has seen evidence of people taking out loans and resorting to crowdfunding to pay for private treatment. The figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) do not include those who have private insurance - instead they are the people paying the full cost of treatment themselves, leaving them liable for huge bills. Patient groups warned there was a risk of a two-tier system being created, with the poorest losing out because they were the least likely to be able to afford to pay for treatment. Patient watchdog Healthwatch England said waits for treatment were one of the most common concerns flagged by patients, and warned the situation risked "widening health inequalities". Chief executive Louise Ansari said for most people going private "simply isn't an option", especially with the cost-of-living crisis. "People on the lowest incomes are the most likely to wait the longest for NHS treatment. This leads to a worse impact on their physical health, mental health and ability to work and care for loved ones." Read full story Source: BBC News, 21 July 2022
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