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Showing results for tags 'Health inequalities'.
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Content ArticleIn this webinar recording, Alex RK, a barrister, writer and educator, takes stock of the mental capacity and mental health law and policy landscape as at August 2023. It primarily focuses on England & Wales, but also includes developments in the UK and further afield, including thinking about the implications of the French language version of Article 19 CRPD providing not for ‘living independently’, but ‘autonomie de vie’.
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EventuntilPublic Policy Projects is holding a roundtable "Improving access to genomic testing and medicine for better outcomes and reduced inequalities" on the 20th September from 10:30am to 12pm on Zoom. This session will be chaired by Parker Moss, Chief Commercial & Partnerships Officer at Genomics England, and will seek to explore how genomic technologies can be better utilised, and how services can be appropriately coordinated, to ensure that emerging technology can be used as a tool for reducing inequalities and bettering the overall standard of care for cancer patients in the NHS. The hosts are looking for individuals from Cancer Alliances, ICB, Genomic Laboratory Hubs, Cell Pathology Centres, and Clinical Diagnostic Centres to attend and share their experiences and views at this session. Find out more and register to attend
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Content ArticleThe Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme, which is delivered by MBRRACE-UK, has published a report on UK Perinatal Deaths for Births from January to December 2021. Overall, it found that perinatal mortality rates increased across the UK in 2021, with 3.54 stillbirths per 1,000 total births and 1.65 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births (3.33 and 1.53 respectively in 2020). However, there was a wide variation in stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates across organisations, though these rates increased in almost all gestational age groups. It was also found that inequalities in mortality rates by deprivation and ethnicity remain, but the most common causes of stillbirth and neonatal death are unchanged (for example, congenital anomalies continue to contribute to a significant proportion of perinatal deaths).
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News Article
Millions of women in UK face severe period pain but symptoms dismissed
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Millions of women and girls experience debilitating periods, yet nearly one-third never seek medical help, and more than half say their symptoms are not taken seriously, according to research. A survey of 3,000 women and girls for the Wellbeing of Women charity found that they are often dismissed as “just having a period”, despite experiencing severe pain, heavy bleeding and irregular cycles that can lead to mental health problems. Almost all of those surveyed, who were between 16 and 40 years old and based in the UK, had experienced period pain (96%), with 59% saying their pain was severe. 91% had experienced heavy periods, with 49% saying their bleeding was severe. Prof Dame Lesley Regan, the chair of Wellbeing of Women, said: “It’s simply unacceptable that anyone is expected to suffer with period symptoms that disrupt their lives, including taking time off school, work, or their caring responsibilities, all of which may result in avoidable mental health problems. “Periods should not affect women’s lives in this way. If they do, it can be a sign of a gynaecological condition that requires attention and ongoing support – not dismissal.” Wellbeing of Women has launched its “Just a Period” campaign, which Regan said aims to address “the many years of medical bias, neglect and stigma in women’s health”. This includes tips on how to get the most out of seeing your GP and what women should do if they feel they have been dismissed. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 September 2023 -
Content ArticleEvent analysis is a valuable tool to improve patient safety and quality of care by identifying root causes of incidents and implementing corrective actions to prevent future similar events from occurring. When we analyse adverse events in healthcare and do not incorporate an equity lens, however, we are missing a crucial piece of the investigative puzzle. Health equity is essential to improving health and well-being and can be costly if not addressed as explained in this Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) blog
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Content ArticleA global shortage of an estimated 18 million health workers is anticipated by 2030, a record 130 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and there is the global threat of pandemics such as COVID-19. At least 400 million people worldwide lack access to the most essential health services, and every year 100 million people are plunged into poverty because they have to pay for healthcare out of their own pockets. There is, therefore, an urgent need to find innovative strategies that go beyond the conventional health-sector response. WHO recommends self-care interventions for every country and economic setting as critical components on the path to reaching universal health coverage (UHC), promoting health, keeping the world safe and serving the vulnerable.
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News Article
Female surgeons sexually assaulted while operating
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Female surgeons say they are being sexually harassed, assaulted and in some cases raped by colleagues, a major analysis of NHS staff has found. The Royal College of Surgeons said the findings were "truly shocking". Sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape have been referred to as surgery's open secret. There is an untold story of women being fondled inside their scrubs, of male surgeons wiping their brow on their breasts and men rubbing erections against female staff. Some have been offered career opportunities for sex. Nearly two-thirds of women surgeons that responded to the researchers said they had been the target of sexual harassment and a third had been sexually assaulted by colleagues in the past five years. Women say they fear reporting incidents will damage their careers and they lack confidence the NHS will take action. It is widely accepted there is a culture of silence around such behaviour. Surgical training relies on learning from senior colleagues in the operating theatre and women have told us it is risky to speak out about those who have power and influence over their future careers. Read full story Source: BBC News, 12 September 2023 Related reading on the hub: Breaking the silence: Addressing sexual misconduct in healthcare Calling out the sexist and misogynist culture within healthcare: a blog by Dr Chelcie Jewitt, co-founder of the Surviving in Scrubs campaign GMC's Good medical practice 2024 -
Content ArticleResearch published in the British Journal of Surgery demonstrates that sexual harassment and sexual assault are commonplace within the surgical workforce and rape happens. This report from the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery is a call to action, with a series of recommendations, for healthcare institutions to face up to the shocking reality of sexual misconduct within their organisations. Further reading: Sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape by colleagues in the surgical workforce, and how women and men are living different realities: observational study using NHS population-derived weights Calling out the sexist and misogynist culture within healthcare: a blog by Dr Chelcie Jewitt, co-founder of the Surviving in Scrubs campaign GMC's Good medical practice 2024
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Content ArticleThis research examined sexual misconduct occurring in surgery in the UK, so that more informed and targeted actions can be taken to make healthcare safer for staff and patients. A survey assessed individuals’ experiences with being sexually harassed, sexually assaulted, and raped by work colleagues. Individuals were also asked whether they had seen this happen to others at work. Compared with men, women were much more likely to have seen sexual misconduct happening to others, and to have it happen to them. Individuals were also asked whether they thought healthcare-related organizations were handling issues of sexual misconduct adequately; most did not think they were. The General Medical Council (GMC) received the lowest evaluations. The results of this study have implications for all stakeholders, including patients. Sexual misconduct was commonly experienced by respondents, representing a serious issue for the profession. There is a widespread lack of faith in the UK organizations responsible for dealing with this issue. Those organizations have a duty to protect the workforce, and to protect patients. Further reading: Breaking the silence: Addressing sexual misconduct in healthcare Calling out the sexist and misogynist culture within healthcare: a blog by Dr Chelcie Jewitt, co-founder of the Surviving in Scrubs campaign GMC's Good medical practice 2024
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Content ArticleThe model of general practice is changing and, at the core of this, general practice is moving away from a model of 'seeing a GP' to a model that is 'consulting with the multi-disciplinary team'. National Voices set up a project to understand awareness and experience of multidisciplinary teams across two groups: frequent users of primary care services and those who experience health inequalities. This report presents those insights and includes recommendations on how to improve experiences of multidisciplinary teams within general practice amongst populations who experience health inequalities and frequent users of primary care services. In particular, the report highlights how primary care teams can build trust and assure people that general practice has oversight of their care.
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Content ArticleThe USA President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology have released their report to the US President, Joe Biden, on patient safety. The report contains recommendations aimed at dramatically improving patient safety in Amercia.
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Content ArticleFrom endometriosis to heart attacks, this Guardian article look into the causes and symptoms, and explore gender disparities in quality of care
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News Article
NHS staff to be asked about sexual harassment for the first time
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS staff will be asked if they have experienced sexual harassment or inappropriate behaviour in the workplace for the first time. In a letter, NHS England chief delivery officer Steve Russell said the upcoming annual staff survey would include the following question: “In the last 12 months, how many times have you been the target of unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature in the workplace? This may include offensive or inappropriate sexualised conversation (including jokes), touching or assault.” Mr Russell said the anonymous answers to the new question would “help us understand the potential prevalence of sexual misconduct in your organisation and inform further action to protect and support staff across the NHS”. It comes as NHSE launches the health service’s first sexual safety charter to help protect staff from harassment and inappropriate behaviour. The charter is an agreement comprising 10 pledges, including commitments to provide staff with clear reporting mechanisms, training, and support from managers. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 6 September 2023 -
News ArticleTonjanic Hill was overjoyed in 2017 when she learned she was 14 weeks pregnant. Despite a history of uterine fibroids, she never lost faith that she would someday have a child. But, just five weeks after confirming her pregnancy she seemed unable to stop urinating. She didn’t realize her amniotic fluid was leaking. Then came the excruciating pain. “I ended up going to the emergency room,” said Hill, now 35. “That’s where I had the most traumatic, horrible experience ever.” An ultrasound showed she had lost 90% of her amniotic fluid. Yet, over the angry protestations of her nurse, Hill said, the attending doctor insisted Hill be discharged and see her own OB-GYN the next day. The doctor brushed off her concerns, she said. The next morning, her OB-GYN’s office rushed her back to the hospital. But she lost her baby. Black women are less likely than women from other racial groups to carry a pregnancy to term — and in Harris County, where Houston is located, when they do, their infants are about twice as likely to die before their 1st birthday as those from other racial groups. Black fetal and infant deaths are part of a continuum of systemic failures that contribute to disproportionately high Black maternal mortality rates. “This is a public health crisis as it relates to Black moms and babies that is completely preventable,” said Barbie Robinson, who took over as executive director of Harris County Public Health in March 2021. “When you look at the breakdown demographically — who’s disproportionately impacted by the lack of access — we have a situation where we can expect these horrible outcomes.” Read full story Source: KFF Health News, 24 August 2023
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News ArticleAn NHS body is encouraging women with breast cancer from minority backgrounds to take part in more clinical trials, after research found they are under-represented in studies that can offer life-saving treatment. The pilot project, supported by the NHS Race and Health Observatory, is intended to improve representation in breast cancer clinical trials partly through culturally sensitive communications to people from racially diverse backgrounds. Research from the UK Health Security Agency suggests young black women are more likely to have aggressive breast cancer tumours, experience poorer care and have higher mortality rates, but are significantly under-represented in clinical research. Their lack of inclusion in trials could be partly down to distrust of the research process and a lack of knowledge, according to research by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research. The project, which works in conjunction with Macmillan Cancer Support and the pharmaceutical company Roche, will run for a year and look at developing new ways for people with breast cancer to access clinical trials. It will develop action plans to improve representation and provide enhanced support for patients. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 31 August 2023
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News Article
A public defibrillator may be a mile away in deprived areas
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
In the most deprived areas of England and Scotland, the nearest 24/7 accessible defibrillator is on average a round trip of 1.8 km away—over a mile—according to a pioneering study supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). The researchers, led by Dr Chris Wilkinson, senior lecturer in cardiology at Hull York Medical School, used data from national defibrillator network The Circuit to calculate the median road distance to a defibrillator with unrestricted public access across Great Britain's 1.7 million postcodes. Among the 78,425 defibrillator locations included, the median distance from the centre of a postcode to a 24/7 public access defibrillator was 726.1 metres – 0.45 miles. In England and Scotland, the more deprived an area was, the farther its average distance from a 24/7-accessible defibrillator – on average 99 metres more in England, and 317 metres farther in Scotland for people living in the most compared with the least deprived areas. There was no link between defibrillator location and deprivation in Wales. The researchers said they hoped the findings, presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Amsterdam and published in the journal Heart, would lead to more equal access to defibrillators. They noted that there were over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) annually in the UK; in England nearly 30% happened at weekends, and 40% between 6pm and 6am. Read full story Read research study: Automated external defibrillator location and socioeconomic deprivation in Great Britain (28 August 2023) Source: Medscape, 29 August 2023 -
Content ArticleThe early use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) improves outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). This study in the journal Heart investigated AED access across Great Britain according to socioeconomic deprivation. The authors found that in England and Scotland, there are differences in distances to the nearest 24/7 accessible AED between the most and least deprived communities. They concluded that equitable access to ‘out-of-hours’ accessible AEDs may improve outcomes for people with OHCA.
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News Article
‘Cost of living crisis’ contributing to stillbirths, research finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The cost of living squeeze is a significant factor in some stillbirths, according to case reviews carried out in one of England’s most deprived areas. The review was undertaken in Bradford last year, and concluded: ”the current financial crisis is impacting on the ability of some women to attend essential antenatal appointments”. Missing these appointments was a factor in a range of maternity safety events, including stillbirths, it said. The researchers are now calling for new national funding to help ensure expectant parents do not miss important appointments because they cannot afford to attend. The research findings include: ‘Did not attend’ rates increased due to lack of funds for transport to antenatal appointments; “Lack of credit on phones prevented communication between women and maternity services, for example, making [them] unable to rearrange scans or appointments”; Wide spread incidence of “digital poverty, [for example] a lady with type 1 [diabetes] was unable to monitor her glycaemic control over night due to only having one phone charger in the house”; and “Families with babies on a neonatal unit going without food in order to finance transport to and from the unit.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 25 August 2023 -
News ArticleThe United States is in the middle of a maternal health crisis. Today, a woman in the US is twice as likely to die from pregnancy than her mother was a generation ago. Statistics from the World Health Organization show the United States has one of the highest rates of maternal death in the developed world. Women in the US are 10 or more times likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than mothers in Poland, Spain or Norway. Some of the worst statistics come out of the South - in places like Louisiana, where deep pockets of poverty, health care deserts and racial biases have long put mothers at risk. Dr Rebekah Gee: The state of maternal health in the United States is abysmal. And Louisiana is the highest maternal mortality in the US. So, in the developed world, Louisiana has the worst outcomes for women having babies." A third of Louisiana's parishes are maternal health deserts – meaning they don't have a single OB-GYN, leaving more than 51 thousand women in the state without easy access to care and three times more likely to die of pregnancy related causes. Read full story Source: CBS News, 20 August 2023
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Content ArticlePeople living in deprived areas experience the most significant health inequalities in terms of access, experience and outcomes. There are large reductions in life expectancy for those living in the most deprived areas compared to people living in the least deprived areas. NHS England commissioned a research project into access, experience and outcomes related to health services in socio-economically deprived communities. This communications and engagement toolkit is an output of the research. The toolkit is designed to be used by communications and engagement professionals and others across the NHS with a responsibility for communicating to and engaging with people in the most deprived areas.
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News ArticleHundreds of migrants have declined NHS treatment after being presented with upfront charges over the past two years, amid complaints the government’s “hostile environment” on immigration remains firmly in place. Data compiled by the Observer under the Freedom of Information Act shows that, since January 2021, 3,545 patients across 68 hospital trusts in England have been told they must pay upfront charges totalling £7.1m. Of those, 905 patients across 58 trusts did not proceed with treatment. NHS trusts in England have been required to seek advance payment before providing elective care to certain migrants since October 2017. It covers overseas visitors and migrants ruled ineligible for free healthcare, such as failed asylum seekers and those who have overstayed their visa. The policy is not supposed to cover urgent or “immediately necessary” treatment. However, there have been multiple cases of people wrongly denied treatment. Dr Laura-Jane Smith, a consultant respiratory physician and member of the campaign group Medact, said: “I had a patient we diagnosed as an emergency with lung cancer but they were told they would be charged upfront for treatment and then never returned for a follow-up. This was someone who had been in the country for years but who did not have the right official migration status. A cancer diagnosis is devastating. To then be abandoned by the health service is inhumane.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 20 August 2023
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Content ArticleChris Graham of the Picker Institute and Jacob Lant from charity National Voices join host Annabelle Collins to discuss patient experience revealed by recent national surveys, how the findings should be used to improve quality and reduce health inequalities, and whether there is a bigger role for “real-time” experience measures.
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Content ArticleGeorgia Stevenson discusses NHS England’s Long Term Workforce Plan, evaluating its potential to alleviate staffing shortages, enhance training routes, and ultimately improve care quality in maternity and neonatal services.
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Content ArticleThere is a well-established case for involving communities and people with lived experience in health and care policy, service design and delivery. NHS England guidance on working in partnership with communities highlights the financial benefits and improvements to quality and health outcomes that working with local communities brings. But could this involvement go further? In this article, Loreen Chikwira, Researcher at The King's Fund looks at the arguments for the use of intersectional approaches in understanding people’s lived experience of care in tackling ethnic health inequalities. These intersectional approaches help health and care providers shift their focus from people’s behaviours to also identifying and addressing ways of working that create and reinforce inequalities and poor experiences of care.
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EventuntilProfessor Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, will be kicking off Patient Partnership Week 2023 on Monday 25th September. Prof Owolabi, who also works as GP in the Midlands, will be in conversation with Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association. They'll be talking about the vital role partnerships with patients and communities play in tackling health inequalities. Sign up for this free event which will be held on Zoom About CORE20PLUS5 Prof Owolabi has spearheaded NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 approach to narrowing healthcare inequalities. Core20PLUS5 is a national approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. It defines a target population – the ‘Core20PLUS’ – and identifies ‘5’ clinical areas that require improvement. The Core20 refers to the most deprived 20% of the population. The PLUS are groups identified in a local area such as ethnic minority communities or people with multiple long-term health conditions. The 5 are these clinical areas: maternity, severe mental illness, chronic respiratory disease, early cancer diagnosis, and hypertension.
