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Showing results for tags 'Health Disparities'.
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News Article
Florida doctors can soon deny patient care based on personal, religious beliefs
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A controversial new Florida bill will allow physicians to opt out of performing certain services because of "sincerely held" religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. The bill, part of a "medical freedom" legislative package signed last week, permits healthcare providers to make conscience-based objections to providing medical care and protects them from getting sued or losing their licenses. Critics say the new law could exacerbate health disparities and lead to discrimination against certain groups of patients, including LGBTQ+ individuals and women seeking reproductive healthcare. Psychologists could refuse to treat someone for gender dysphoria, for example. Doctors could refuse to prescribe birth control, administer childhood vaccines, or accept patients with state insurance. Kenneth W. Goodman, professor and director of the University of Miami's Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, told Medscape Medical News the legislation could upset a longstanding precedent. "To deny care based on unspecified and unarticulated 'moral, ethical, or religious reasons' opens the door to neglect, abandonment, and suspicion," Goodman said. "It undermines two millennia of a cornerstone of medical ethics: take care of your patients — no matter who they are." Read full story Source: Medscape, 18 May 2023 -
Content ArticleThis BMJ article by journalist Andrew Kersley reports on a meeting of 157 medical experts and academics held at the Royal Society of Medicine on poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, which took place in May 2023. One academic at the event warned that the long term effect of ongoing economic inequality on life expectancy was worse than six unmitigated covid pandemics. The three solutions proposed at the meeting that received the most support were: a national strategy to tackle poverty the nationwide delivery of “more affordable, quality, secure social and rental housing” urgently increasing the rate of Universal Credit as well as removing the restrictions related to total benefits and multiple children.
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Content ArticleWhat a subway killing reveals about New York City’s revolving-door approach to mental illness and homelessness.
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News ArticleHealthcare leaders are rolling out new NHS training to help speed up dementia diagnoses among Black and Asian people following criticism about a lack of support for patients from minoritised communities, The Independent has revealed. An awareness campaign is being launched in England to help those from ethnic minority communities receive a prompt diagnosis and get the support they need at the earliest opportunity. The announcement follows a critical report which found that thousands of south Asian people with dementia are being failed by “outdated health services designed for white British patients”. Dr Bola Owolabi, director of the Healthcare Inequalities Improvement programme at NHS England, said: “The pandemic put a greater spotlight on longstanding health inequalities experienced by different groups across the country. “While there are many factors involved, the NHS is playing its part in narrowing the gap and ensuring equitable access to services through taking targeted action where needed to improve outcomes." Read full story Source: The Independent, 21 May 2023
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Content ArticleThis report by The King's Fund is part of new research project that explores how NHS providers and integrated care systems (ICSs) are approaching inclusive recovery. It highlights that in 2022, people in the most deprived areas were twice as likely to be waiting more than a year for elective care compared to people in the least deprived areas. The report explores three big questions health and care leaders should be asking themselves and their teams about inequalities in their elective backlog:How are we measuring inequalities and whyDo we know why inequalities existHow will we know if things are improving?
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Content ArticleRecently, there has been a concerning increase in the number of deaths of pregnant women, especially from Black, Asian and deprived backgrounds. In addition, there have been several investigations into safety issues in maternity services, such as the Ockenden, East Kent, and Shrewsbury and Telford report. This National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Collection highlights evidence in priority areas, identified in the East Kent report, to support high-quality care and avoid safety issues in maternity services.
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News Article
Male GPs in England less likely to refer patients for IVF, report finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Male GPs are less likely to refer eligible patients for IVF, research by a fertility charity suggests, raising concerns about access to NHS-funded treatment. The Progress Educational Trust’s (PET) report highlights “utter confusion” and a lack of knowledge among GPs about eligibility criteria for NHS-funded treatment, which it says is exacerbating the so-called IVF postcode lottery. GPs typically make the initial referral to fertility clinics, meaning that they play a crucial role in access. “For NHS treatment, GPs are the main initial gatekeeper. If you’re not getting pregnant, that’s who you go to for advice and support,” said Sarah Norcross, the director of PET. “It struck me that, when people have a known cause of infertility, male GPs still weren’t passing them on.” The report is based on a survey of 200 GPs and commissioners across England, carried out by an independent research company, which investigated knowledge of national fertility guidelines and criteria they use for referral decisions. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 19 May 2023 -
News ArticleMore than 26,000 adults with severe mental illness die prematurely each year from preventable physical illnesses, analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests. New data from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities shows 120,273 adults in England with severe mental illness, including psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia, died before the age of 75 between 2018 and 2020. Of these, the College estimates 80,182 deaths (two in three) were potentially preventable, which is an average of 26,727 people each year. Preventable deaths include deaths from diseases like cancer and heart disease which could have been prevented with earlier detection and treatment or lifestyle changes. While adults with severe mental illness are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours like smoking and drinking alcohol excessively, they are also less likely to access screening and treatment for a range of reasons including stigma associated with having a mental illness. While cancer is the leading cause of premature death among those with a severe mental illness, it also significantly increases the risk of dying before the age of 75 across a range of physical health conditions. Adults with severe mental illness are on average: 6.6 times more likely to die prematurely from respiratory disease 6.5 times more likely to die prematurely from liver disease 4.1 times more likely to die prematurely from cardiovascular disease 2.3 times more likely to die prematurely from cancer. Read full story Source: Royal College of Psychiatrists, 17 May 2023
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News Article
Babies are dying because of NHS failings, poverty and inequality, charities warn
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Hundreds of babies are dying unnecessarily because overstretched maternity services are delivering substandard care and struggling to overcome entrenched poverty and racial inequalities, a report has warned. The report by baby loss charities Sands and Tommy’s says the government’s aim to halve the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in England by 2025 is stalling, while there is no target in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Stillbirths are creeping up in England after falling in the past decade. Babies dying before and during delivery rose to just over four in every 1,000 births in 2021. Similarly, long-falling rates of neonatal deaths, where newborns die within the first four weeks of birth, are also rising. There were 1.4 deaths of newborn babies for every 1,000 births in 2021, compared with 1.3 in 2020. Robert Wilson, head of the charities’ joint policy unit, said the government and NHS need to make fundamental changes. “The UK is not making enough progress to reduce rates of pregnancy loss and baby death, and there are worrying signs that these rates are now heading in the wrong direction,” he said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 May 2023 -
Content ArticleIn 2022 the charities Sands and Tommy’s came together to form a Joint Policy Unit. Together they are focussed on achieving policy change that will save more babies’ lives during pregnancy and the neonatal period and on tackling inequalities in loss, so that everyone can benefit from the best possible outcomes. This first report from the Unit brings together a range of evidence to identify the key changes needed to save more babies’ lives and reduce inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss. None of the individual data it contains is new, but it gives decision makers a clear view of where we are now, and where action is required to make progress.
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Content Article
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. It has a wide range of symptoms and can affect both children and adults—people with ADHD may find it hard to focus on or complete tasks, feel restless or impatient, experience impulsiveness and find it hard to organise their time and their things.[1] ADHD can have devastating mental health implications and research studies have linked ADHD to increased suicide and mortality rates. This means that being unable to access effective treatment can be a patient safety risk for people with ADHD. In this blog, Lotty Tizzard, Patient Safety Learning’s Content and Engagement Manager, explores the state of ADHD diagnosis and treatment in the UK. She looks at why many are concerned about the waiting times for adults and children seeking an ADHD assessment and speaks to Elsa*, who was diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s, about her experiences. *Name changed -
Content ArticleThis guide aims to help health and social care workers provide dementia care, which corresponds to the needs and wishes of people from a wide range of ethnic groups, especially minority ethnic groups.
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News ArticleThe death rates for black women in childbirth were revealed in a recent report from MPs and were described as “appalling”, yet action, not words, are needed for what could be considered breaches of the Human Rights Act. Ministers are not giving priority to reducing the gap in health inequalities, write Nicola Wainwright and Suleikha Ali in a commentary to the Times. "If the response to the review is foot-dragging from the government and senior health service officials, then legal action may be the only way to draw focus to this issue and to try to reduce the number of ethnic minority women and babies dying unnecessarily." The report, published by the women and equalities committee last month, highlights the “glaring and persistent” disparities faced by ethnic minority women compared to their white counterparts with regards to pregnancy and birth. However, these same disparities have been known and reported on for 20 years, while progress on improving the situation has been shockingly slow. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 11 May 2023
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Content ArticleIn this letter to The Lancet, Thomas Cueni, Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations argues that the need to focus on equitable rollout of vaccines in the event of a future pandemic is a key global health priority. He proposes that Governments, pharma companies and other stakeholders should focus on the challenges that led to the inequitable rollout of vaccines, which he identifies as vaccine nationalism and need for more diverse manufacturing. He highlights an industry proposal for equitable response to future pandemics supported by vaccine manufacturers and biotechnologies. the proposal involves manufacturers setting aside a percentage of pandemic tools for allocation to susceptible populations in low-income countries.
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Content ArticleEconomist Dana Peterson estimates that the economic toll of racism against Black Americans was $16 trillion over the past two decades. Discriminatory lending, wage disparities and inequities in access to higher education, among other factors, have limited the Black community’s ability to generate personal wealth and economic growth. Other minority communities have had similar experiences, and the impact goes far beyond the economy; each of these factors also takes an enormous toll on the health and wellbeing of people of colour. This is the recording of a panel discussion hosted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in which economic, scientific and policy experts discuss how we can build a more equitable and healthier future for everyone.
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News Article
Figures show maternal death rate race disparity
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Figures showing the risk of maternal death being almost four times higher among women from black ethnic minority backgrounds compared with white women in the UK have been published. The figures, which relate to 2019 - 2021, have been released by MBRRACE-UK, a collaboration involving the University of Leicester. The MBRRACE-UK collaboration (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries), led from Oxford Population Health's National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, looked at data on women who died during, or up to six weeks after, pregnancy between 2019 and 2021 in the UK. The report showed the risk of maternal death in 2019 - 2021 was almost four times higher among women from black ethnic minority backgrounds compared with white women. Marian Knight, professor of Maternal and Child Population Health at Oxford Population Health and maternal reporting lead, said: "Persistent disparities in maternal health remain. "It is critical that we are working towards more inclusive care where women are listened to, their voices are heard, and we are acting upon what they are telling us." Read full story Source: BBC News, 11 May 2023 -
Content ArticleHealth literacy, defined as an individual's ability to access, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions about their health and healthcare, plays a critical role in determining health outcomes. Wider determinants of health, on the other hand, refer to a range of social, economic, and environmental factors that influence an individual's health status. This article aims to explore the relationship between health literacy and the wider determinants of health, and how understanding this connection can contribute to more effective population health management and health equity.
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News Article
Practices eradicate racial inequalities in blood pressure control
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
GPs in South London have eradicated a large gap in blood pressure control between white patients and those from a Black or minority ethnic background, after a year-long project. AT Medics Streatham PCN in Lambeth found that among their patients under 80 diagnosed with hypertension, there was a 12% inequality gap in blood pressure control, with 67% of white patients and 55% of black patients treated to target. The two practices in the PCN have 45,000 patients, with around 3,100 diagnosed with hypertension. They set up a centralised recall system and made use of practice pharmacists and healthcare assistants to provide guidance, education around self-care, lifestyle and medicines. Dr Tarek Radwan, GP director said: ‘This project has delivered incredible results, and this is all down to the dedication of our amazing team, especially our administrators, healthcare assistants and pharmacists. "The last 12 months have proved that we can not just reduce but actually eradicate health inequalities and raise the quality of care for everyone at the same time. "I know the difference this will make to our local communities, and it really shows what is possible with a highly motivated multidisciplinary team." Read full story Source: Pulse, 3 May 2023 -
News Article
NHS treatment algorithms ‘not taking transgender patients into account’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A host of algorithms used by medics to assess disease risk and help make decisions on treatment are failing to take transgender patients into account, doctors have said. Many metrics and thresholds in medicine, including ideal body weight, alcohol clearance rates, kidney function and risk of cardiovascular disease vary by gender. A team of UK doctors and medical students have issued a warning over a lack of evidence as to whether trans patients should be considered for these gender-based scores according to their gender assigned at birth or the gender they have transitioned to – or whether alternative scores are required. In an effort to tackle the issue, the team have launched a research initiative called Trans Gap Project. Dr Michael Niman, a junior NHS doctor and chair of the project, said: “Currently, daily medical decisions involving gender-based scores have limited to no research for the trans community. This means that trans patients are often forgotten about or not considered in the medical world, leading to a significant gap in their access to appropriate medical care.” “When scores that haven’t considered trans people are used, patient autonomy is impaired for trans and gender-diverse patients, as they can’t make true informed decisions on their care – which is one of the bioethic pillars,” Niman said. In some cases, there could be safety concerns. “Clinicians are currently faced with uncertainty regarding the best clinical practice to address these scenarios, owing to a lack of evidence-based guidance,” Niman said. “It is vital clinicians take a vested interest in the research of gender-based scores for the trans community due to the importance of safe practice considerations within the NHS.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 May 2023 -
Content ArticleWhen something goes wrong in health or care, patients need to understand their rights to complain and seek resolution. The Equality Advisory Support Service Helpline (EASS) supports individuals who wish to achieve an informal resolution when they feel they have experienced discrimination or want to understand their human rights. This article, written by the EASS for The Patients Association, explains an individual's rights under the Equality Act 2010 and what to do if you believe they’ve been violated.
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Content Article
Black and Asian bereaved parents whose baby died during pregnancy or shortly after birth have shared their experiences as part of the Sands Listening Project. The 56 parents who took part shone a light on care that works well, while also highlighting barriers, biases, and poor care. In the report, published by Sands, you can read more about: the findings pregnancy loss and baby deaths among Black and Asian babies in the UK real-life experiences and case studies what needs to change. Follow the link below to access the Listening Project report on the Sands website. -
Content ArticleThis new report from the British Red Cross describes how asylum seekers struggle to access the internet and lack digital tools. The British Red Cross explained that the report aims to improve understanding of the experiences of digital exclusion among people seeking asylum, and how these experiences may impact access to, and experience of, healthcare. Researchers conducted interviews with 30 people currently seeking asylum across England for the report. The researchers themselves also had lived experience of seeking asylum.
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Content ArticleThis report by the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA) is based on data from 33,251 children and young people receiving care from a paediatric diabetes unit (PDU) in 2021/22 in England and Wales. It found that the increase in incidence of Type 1 diabetes observed in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic was followed by a continuing increase in the numbers of children newly diagnosed with the condition in 2021/22. Other key findings include: Almost all of those with Type 2 diabetes were overweight or obese, and almost half had a diastolic or systolic blood pressure in the hypertensive range. Despite reductions in the percentages recorded as requiring additional support between 2020/21 and 2021/22, over a third of children and young people were assessed as requiring additional psychological support outside of multidisciplinary meetings. Inequalities persist in terms of the use of diabetes related technologies in relation to ethnicity and deprivation.
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News Article
Britain’s dental health desperately needs a check-up
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
“Nobody cares about me. Nobody wants to help me. I don’t want to be here anymore.” Difficult words to hear from a small child, but for Molly Tippetts, aged five with a nasty tooth infection, the outburst was the culmination of two years of pain – all because she couldn’t get an appointment to see a dentist. Molly is just one example of the UK’s dental-health crisis. An increasing number of people cannot access dental care at all; others – including children and expectant mothers – find themselves on years-long waiting lists. Even though the pandemic is over, NHS practitioners admit the country is in a crisis that shows no sign of ending. New research shows one in four people suffering from toothache put off going to the dentist because of the cost. Dentistry is now the number one issue raised with Healthwatch, the independent statutory body representing NHS patients, with four in five people who contacted them saying they found it difficult to access dental care. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recently warned that even toothbrushes were a “luxury item” for some families, and that children’s dental health was a “national disgrace”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 25 April 2023 -
Event
Black Maternal Health APPG Meeting
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
untilThe Black Maternal Health All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is having a meeting to discuss various updates and new improvements that have been made in the maternity world. The meeting will be hosted and chaired by Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, Chair of the APPG and the Secretariat of the APPG is provided by Five X More CIC The E8 Group and Mimosa Midwives. The APPG aims to raise awareness of the issue of racial disparities within maternal healthcare and offer solutions to end this. Register
