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Showing results for tags 'Health Disparities'.
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News Article
Over half of ethnic minority NHS leaders consider quitting due to racism
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Just over half of senior ethnic minority leaders have considered leaving the NHS due to experiencing workplace racism a survey suggests. The survey was carried out by the NHS Confederation’s BME Leadership Network and its 123 respondents included chief executives, directors and senior managers. Responses were collected from network members online before three roundtables were held with senior ethnic minority leaders to understand their experiences and the challenges they have faced in relation to discrimination. The survey found: 51% of respondents said they had considered leaving the NHS in the past three years because of their experience of racist treatment while working. More than 20% said they had experienced verbal abuse or abusive behaviour targeting racial, national or cultural heritage five times or more in the last three years. 69% had experienced this behaviour from other leaders or managers within their organisation at least once in the same timeframe. 57% had experienced it from leaders or managers in another organisation at least once over the same period. Joan Saddler, NHS Confederation’s director of equality and partnerships, said the NHS was at risk of losing “committed, highly skilled and motivated talent to institutional racism and discrimination”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 17 June 2022 You may also be interested in reading: BMA: Racism in medicine -
Content ArticleThis report from the BME Leadership Network spotlights the findings from a recent survey and engagement on the experience of senior black and minority ethnic leaders in the NHS.
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News ArticleOnly half of healthcare professionals feel they have sufficient tools to manage the long-term damage that sickle cell disease brings, new research has revealed. The in-depth study by Global Blood Therapeutics - carried out across 10 countries including the UK, US and Canada - shows that patients living with the illness remain dramatically underserved by healthcare systems, while healthcare professionals don’t feel like they have the knowledge of the disease or their patients, to properly treat them. More than two in five (43%) doctors and nurses cited difficulties due to having different ethnic backgrounds from their patients, it was revealed, while almost three quarters (73%) stated patients of lower economic status can be more difficult to treat. Almost a third of healthcare professionals (31%) found it challenging to understand their patients’ needs. Sebastian Stachowiak, Head of Europe and GCC at Global Blood Therapeutics, told The Independent that the survey “confirms the lack of options for physicians” and expressed hope that, with recent advances in available treatment, patients can be better served in the future. The study also found that almost half (46%) of patients say that emergency room healthcare providers did not believe them about their symptoms, while 48% said that they have been treated like a drug seeker in the emergency room. Read full story Source: The Independent, 14 June 2022
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Content ArticleA new multinational survey, on more than 1,300 patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals in 10 countries, shines a needed light on the misunderstood realities, unseen burden and care challenges of sickle cell disease. The Sickle Cell Health Awareness, Perspectives and Experiences (SHAPE) survey, one of the largest global burden of disease surveys conducted in sickle cell disease, identified long-term health complications of sickle cell disease as a key concern among 1,300 patients and healthcare professionals surveyed from 10 countries The survey also revealed that sickle cell disease patients' caregivers face profound physical, psychosocial, and economic burdens resulting from taking care of people living with the disease. The findings of the survey were presented during a poster presentation at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2022 Hybrid Congress. “Sickle cell disease is a lifelong condition that causes damage in the body and has a profound impact on the quality of life of those who suffer from it and their caregivers. The SHAPE survey is important because it illustrates how vital it is that we understand our patients’ needs, and it suggests what we within the medical community can do to help change perspectives, increase education and awareness, and improve care,” said Dr. Baba Inusa, professor and consultant of paediatric haematology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London and chair of the National Haemoglobinopathy Panel in England. “These results are a wake-up call, and I believe that the actions that follow can enable us to help drive a better dialogue and improved conversations around the management and care of this long-neglected and devastating disease.”
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News Article
Child diabetes referrals in England and Wales jump 50% amid obesity crisis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of children being treated at paediatric diabetes units (PDUs) in England and Wales has increased by more than 50% amid a “perfect storm” of rising obesity levels and the cost of living crisis, health leaders have said. Diabetes UK said alarming obesity levels among children had led to a “concerning climb” in the number diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and predicted that the cost of living crisis could lead to further problems in the years to come. Data from NHS Digital shows that almost one in seven children start primary school obese – a rise of almost 50% in just a year. More than a quarter are obese by the time they finish primary school. The high levels of obesity combined with the squeeze on personal finances are creating a “perfect storm which risks irreversible harm to the health of young people”, Diabetes UK said. It accused the government of “letting our children down” as it called for concerted action to tackle obesity. Chris Askew, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “We are very concerned that this spike in childhood obesity will translate into an even greater increase in children with type 2 diabetes in the coming years, a crisis fuelled by longstanding health inequalities and made worse still by impacts of the cost of living crisis." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 15 June 2022 -
Content ArticleIn this podcast for The Guardian, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, about the impact of the cost of living crisis on people's health. They talk about the ways that poverty makes people sicker and why falling income is so bad for the country’s health.
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Content ArticleAccording to patient safety campaigners, hundreds of women have been forced to endure “barbaric” pain while undergoing hysteroscopy tests after being denied pain relief options and anaesthetists were not available. HSJ recently reported that campaigners have identified at least 240 women who underwent the procedure without being told they were entitled to a general anaesthetic to manage the pain of the invasive test and we have seen similar stories on the hub community forum on the topic. Guidance for doctors says pain relief should always be discussed. Instead, these women were found to be underinformed about their own rights and expected to simply endure what can be an incredibly painful process of internal investigation. Just because some women report only minimal or no discomfort, that does not mean this is a painless procedure; for those who do suffer, the experience can be very traumatic. To say these women did not need and could not be provided with a choice of anaesthetic or other analgesic is a form of medical gaslighting, writes Hannah Fearn in this article for the Independent.
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Content ArticleThis long read by The King's Fund aims to explain the reforms brought about by The Health and Care Act 2022, and what these changes will mean in practice. it gives short and long answers to the following questions: What are the main changes brought about by the Act? Is this an unnecessary top-down reorganisation? Will the Act lead to greater involvement of the private sector? Does the Act give ministers more power over the day-to-day running of the NHS? Will the Act make any difference to patients? Does the Act tackle the big challenges the health and care system currently faces?
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News Article
Cost of living: Soaring bills damaging people's health, say medics
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Rises in the cost of living are already having a negative impact of people's health, health professionals warn. BBC News has been told of people skipping meals or cutting back on medication, because of money worries. The Royal College of Nursing says people are having to make heart-wrenching choices that compromise their health and wellbeing. Along with GPs and hospital doctors, they warn health inequalities between rich and poor risk becoming worse. Laura Brant, 28, has already had to make some tough choices about a treatment keeping her alive. Having lived with kidney disease since the age of seven, she has already had two kidney transplants - and now needs another. Laura is dependent on a dialysis machine to carry out the filtering process usually performed by the kidneys. Without it, she could be dead in a week. Laura was having dialysis at home - but the machine used so much electricity and water the bills started to mount rapidly. "I'd say that it's the straw that broke the camel's back, really, with the cost of running the dialysis machine, the water it uses, the electric," she says. "And it was adding to my anxiety, like, 'How am I going to pay to do this treatment every month?'" Royal College of Physicians president Dr Andrew Goddard says some of his respiratory-medicine colleagues are hearing of patients choosing to turn off oxygen supplies to save money. "Respiratory disease disproportionately affects those least able to afford to improve their social circumstances," he says. "It seems likely the cost of living crisis will widen this disparity further." Read full story Source: BBC News, 9 June 2022 -
Content Article
ARMA - MSK Health inequalities resources
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Health inequalities
The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) has compiled relevant and useful resources and information specifically about musculoskeletal health inequalities. The resources include research studies, reports and reviews, and cover these areas: Social deprivation Ethnicity Sex, gender and sexual orientation Health literacy and education level Multiple factors Children and young people Webinars -
Content ArticleThe current hospital backlog has had a huge impact on many patients waiting for treatment. But if you are a woman, on a low income or from an ethnic minority background, you are more likely to have a worse experience of waiting for care. Research from Healthwatch has highlighted people were unhappy with the communications they received and the lack of support the NHS gave them to help with things like pain relief or accessing physiotherapy. These concerns were not experienced equally by all, and findings were particularly stark among disabled people, those with long term health conditions, and those on lower incomes. A new poll of 1,000 adults on NHS waiting lists shows that a poorer experience of waiting can be linked to factors such as wealth, disability, level of education, gender or ethnicity.
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News Article
NHS waiting lists: Women, low earners and ethnic minorities worst affected
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Women, low earners and ethnic minorities are faring worse on NHS waiting lists, according to research. Healthwatch, a patient watchdog, warned there was a risk that those with “more demands on their lives” such as long hours or caring responsibilities could end up at the back of the queue. It urged hospitals to be proactive in managing waiting lists and communicate with patients who might otherwise be left in limbo. The Healthwatch survey found 54% of women had waited more than four months for treatment, compared with 42% of men. They were also more likely to have had treatment delayed or cancelled, and to feel that a delay to treatment had made an impact on their ability to work. Some 54% of people on lower incomes had been waiting more than four months for hospital care, compared with 34% of higher wealth individuals. They reported a greater impact on their mental health and their ability to work. And 57% of respondents from ethnic minorities had faced a delay to or cancellation of hospital treatment, compared with 42 per cent of white British people. Louise Ansari, Healthwatch England’s national director, said the factors could have a “layering effect” that meant people had a much poorer experience, calling for “an additional specific focus on those groups” so that they do not end up “in worse and worse health”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 8 June 2022 -
News Article
Messenger at odds with Javid over NHS diversity jobs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Sajid Javid’s claim that the number of NHS roles dedicated to promoting equality and diversity should be cut is incorrect and not what the government-commissioned review into NHS management recommended, according to its author. The review by General Sir Gordon Messenger and Leeds Teaching Hospital chair Dame Linda Pollard was published Wednesday. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday evening, the health secretary said: “In my view, there are already too many working in roles focused solely on diversity and inclusion, and at a time when our constituents are facing real pressures around cost of living, we must spend every penny on patients’ priorities. “As this report sets out, it should be the responsibility of everyone to encourage fairness and equality of opportunity which is why we must reduce the number of these roles.” Speaking later to HSJ, Mr Javid was asked if there was any area of NHS management cuts should be made. He said: “I would like to see fewer managers in terms of diversity managers and things, because I think it should actually be done by all management and all leadership, and not contracted out as some kind of tick-box exercise.” However, when HSJ spoke to General Messenger he said: “The report does not recommend the reduction of EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) professionals. “What it does say though, is that if one successfully inculcates equality, diversity and inclusion to every leadership’s responsibilities then that becomes an accepted, instinctive, understood part of being a leader and a manager at every level then the requirement for dedicated EDI professionals should reduce over time." Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 8 June 2022 -
News Article
Duty of all NHS staff in England to fight discrimination, review says
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
All the NHS’s 1.5m staff in England should tackle discrimination against disadvantaged groups, not just bosses and specialist diversity teams, a major review has concluded. NHS trusts will need fewer equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) teams if action against discrimination does become “the responsibility of all”, according to the report. The review of NHS leadership said the health service should adopt a different approach to equality issues in order to overcome the widely recognised disadvantages faced by certain groups of its own staff, which include lower pay and chances of promotion among Black and ethnic minority doctors compared with white medics and low BAME representation in senior managerial ranks. The inquiry, undertaken by Genl Sir Gordon Messenger and Dame Linda Pollard, was commissioned last year by Sajid Javid, the health secretary. The report concluded that: “Most critically, we advocate a step-change in the way the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded as the personal responsibility of every leader and every member of staff. “Although good practice is by no means rare, there is widespread evidence of considerable inequity in experience and opportunity for those with protected characteristics, of which we would call out race and disability as the most starkly disadvantaged. “The only way to tackle this effectively is to mainstream it as the responsibility of all, to demand from everyone awareness of its realities and to sanction those that don’t meet expectations.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 June 2022 -
Content ArticleIn April 2022, Whose Shoes were invited to run a workshop in Croydon in support of the HEARD campaign - Health Equity and Racial Disparity in Maternity. Women and families from Croydon came together to talk to healthcare professionals about what makes a difference in maternity care, and raising awareness of some of the issues faced by people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities - not just the 'service users' but staff experiences too.
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Content ArticleThe Accessible Information Standard is a set of principles for the presenting, sharing and discussing information with patients. It aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand, and any communication support that they need from health and care services.
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EventuntilAfter decades of gender health inequality, the much-anticipated Women’s Health Strategy is an opportunity to improve the lives of all women, but especially those in lower socio-economic areas. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show women’s life expectancy varies by almost eight years across England, ranging from 78.7 years in the most-deprived areas to 86.4 in the least. Girls born in the most-deprived areas of England will have almost 20 fewer years of good health compared with those in the least. Women living in the most-deprived areas have a higher incidence of poor mental health and are more likely to have early onset dementia compared to those in the least-deprived areas. With a backlog of 1.5 million cervical screening tests missed annually, an average of 8 per cent fewer women from the most-deprived areas attended their cervical screening in 2021. This free King's Fund online event, will consider the challenges to improving women’s health in the most-deprived areas of England and will explore what needs to happen on the ground to narrow the health inequalities gap and improve diagnosis, early interventions, and treatment for women. The event will look at learning from successful case studies and how these can be applied across different pathways. Register
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News Article
Racial disparity in cancer diagnoses via screening in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Black people are more than a third less likely than white people to be diagnosed with cancer via screening in England, according to the first study of its kind, prompting calls for targeted efforts to improve their levels of uptake. Screening programmes save lives by preventing cancer from occurring or spotting it earlier, when treatment is more likely to be effective. In England, screening for cervical cancer is offered to women aged 25 to 64, breast cancer screening is offered to women aged 50 to 70, and everyone aged 60 to 74 is offered a bowel cancer screening home test kit every two years. The latest research, however, lays bare stark disparities in screening diagnosis rates between different ethnic groups for the first time. The study of more than 240,000 cancer patients over a decade found that 8.61% of patients were diagnosed via screening. Broken down by ethnicity, the figure for white people was 8.27%, almost exactly the same as the national average, but among black people it was 5.11%. The findings suggests that black people are 38% less likely to be diagnosed via screening than white people. Diagnosis via screening in mixed-race patients was much higher at 9.49%, and higher still in Asian patients at 10.09%, almost double the rate for black patients. The results were published in the British Journal of Cancer. Jabeer Butt, the chief executive of the Race Equality Foundation, said the findings should prompt urgent action. “Cancer screening saves lives,” he said. “That’s why it is so important that effective outreach and culturally appropriate interventions are prioritised to reduce health inequalities. “We know that awareness of cancer symptoms is lower among minority ethnic groups, particularly black Africans, with higher reported barriers to seeking help. But we also know from previous research on colorectal cancer interventions that speaking to someone who explains the steps of the screening process ahead of time can lead to improvements in screening uptake in minority patients." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 6 June 2022 -
Content ArticleUK Asian and Black ethnic groups have poorer outcomes for some cancers and are less likely to report a positive care experience than their White counterparts it was found in a study from Martins et al. reported in the British Journal of Cancer. The study investigated ethnic differences in the route to diagnosis (RTD) to identify areas in patients' cancer journeys where inequalities lie and targeted intervention might have optimum impact. Across the 10 cancers studied, most patients were diagnosed via the two-week wait (36.4%), elective GP referral (23.2%), emergency (18.2%), hospital routes (10.3%), and screening (8.61%). Patients of Other ethnic group had the highest proportion of diagnosis via the emergency route, followed by White patients. Asian and Black group were more likely to be GP-referred, with the Black and Mixed groups also more likely to follow the two-week wait route. However, there were notable cancer-specific differences in the RTD by ethnicity. These findings suggest that, where inequalities exist, the adverse cancer outcomes among Asian and Black patients are unlikely to be arising solely from a poorer diagnostic process.
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News ArticleDoctors’ routine dismissal of women’s debilitating health problems as “benign” has contributed to gynaecology waiting lists soaring by 60% to more than half a million patients, a senior health leader has said. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) president, Dr Edward Morris, told the Guardian that waiting lists for conditions such as endometriosis, prolapse and heavy bleeding had increased by a bigger proportion than any other area of medicine in the past two years. Many such conditions are defined as medically benign despite being life-limiting and progressive in some cases. In medicine, “benign” is traditionally used to indicate non-cancerous conditions, but Morris said institutionalised gender bias meant the term was used more widely in gynaecology, resulting in conditions being “normalised” by non-specialists and deprioritised within the NHS. We have to change the language. We have to call it what it is,” said Morris. “These conditions cause huge amounts of suffering to women. Being lumped in a topic called benign gynaecology downplays the importance and suffering.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 June 2022
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News Article
Ukraine refugees not accessing NHS despite need
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Many Ukraine refugees who were receiving regular care before leaving the country say they have not continued it since arriving in the UK, prompting warnings they have not been ‘empowered to seek support’. Data published by the Office for National Statistics earlier this month on the experiences of visa holders entering the UK under the Ukraine Humanitarian Schemes revealed 74 per cent of those surveyed who had been receiving regular treatment before they left Ukraine said this had stopped since arriving in the UK. Meanwhile, 65% of those who were receiving regular prescriptions for medications or drugs while in Ukraine had not accessed these since arriving in the UK. Refugee Council policy and research officer Kama Petruczenko warned refugees “are facing many barriers which are not currently being addressed”. Ms Petruczenko added: “As the ONS data shows, those who need to speak with health professionals are unable to because of the language barrier and it is very likely that many of the respondents who said they did not need medical assistance, are unable to understand how the UK health system works and are not empowered to seek support.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 1 June 2022 -
Content Article
Medical misogyny by Iona Winters (30 May 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Women's health
Twelve years ago, Iona Winters had a TVT-O (transvaginal tape through the obturator region) implanted to assist her bladder, after decades of gynaecological surgeries. Last year she had the mesh removed by two specialist surgeons. In this blog, Iona describes the pain she has to endure, her experiences of medical misogyny and discusses the international mesh scandal. -
EventIn this conversation, James Munro, CEO of Care Opinion, will speak with Dr Lauren Paige Ramsey of the University of Leeds. They will be talking about the safety of people with learning disabilities in care settings, and what we can learn about that from feedback shared on Care Opinion. Here is the research we will be discussing: Systemic safety inequities for people with learning disabilities: a qualitative integrative analysis of the experiences of English health and social care for people with learning disabilities, their families and carers Do join us for this conversation: everyone is welcome. You don't need any academic or research experience. You don't even have to read the paper! Each conversation will last about 15 minutes, followed by time for questions. Once you register for this event you will be able to post comments and questions, in advance or during the conversation. You can also share the event, or post questions, on Twitter using the hashtag #corc The conversation will be recorded and available here immediately after the event, or later via the Care Opinion blog.
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Content ArticleMaternal outcomes for Black women are significantly worse than for white women - Black women are four times more likely to die during pregnancy, labour, or postpartum and are twice as likely to have their baby die in the womb or soon after birth. They are also at an increased risk of readmission to hospital in the six weeks after giving birth. This report by the organisation Five X More presents the findings of a survey into black women's experiences of maternity services in the UK. The survey aimed to understand how maternity care is delivered from the perspective of women from the Black community, and 1,340 Black and Black mixed women responded, sharing their experiences. It seeks to highlight the real life encounters behind the known disparities in maternal care. Women reported far more negative experiences than positive, and most of these experiences centred around interactions with healthcare professionals. The authors highlight three factors related to healthcare professionals that contribute to damaging interactions, to do with their attitudes, knowledge and assumptions. The report includes many quotes from Black women about their experiences of NHS care and the damaging long-term consequences of this, such as fear of having another baby, reluctance to engage with health services and mental health issues.
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News Article
Autism diagnosis six years longer for girls, research finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
"I knew I always felt different, but I didn't know I was autistic." For Rhiannon Lloyd-Williams, it would take until she was 35 to learn just why she felt different. Now research by Swansea University has found it takes on average six years longer to diagnose autism in women and girls than in males. A study of 400 participants found that 75% of boys received a diagnosis before the age of 10 - but only 50% of girls. It also found the average age of diagnosis in girls was between 10 and 12 - but between four and six for boys. Now charities in Wales are calling for greater investment into services to help better understand autism in females and speed up a diagnosis. "The parents responding to the study said there was a marked impact on the girls mental health while waiting for a diagnosis," said Steffan Davies, who carried out the research. "Girls represented in the study had a lot more pre-existing diagnosis, which suggests they are being misdiagnosed with anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and that tends to defer from the root diagnosis which tends to be autism." Autism UK said this gender gap has long been an issue and is the down to the diagnosis criteria and research used, which has been focused around young boys. "Many girls end up missing out on education, because the environment they're expected to learn in is just too overwhelming, while accessing healthcare can be difficult. Women are often not believed," said executive director Willow Holloway. Read full story Source: BBC News, 23 May 2022
