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Showing results for tags 'Health inequalities'.
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Content ArticleIn this Health Foundation blog, senior data analyst Anne Alarilla looks at what the organisation has learned from involving patients and the public in its analytical projects. Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in research allows patients and the public to be involved in decisions about what an organisation does and how it interprets and communicates analysis. It means that research is carried out in line with the ethical principle of ‘nothing about us, without us’. In the blog, Anne outlines four key lessons: If you’re new to this, work with experienced PPIE practitioners Incorporate lived experiences when developing and refining analysis plans Ensure the people you engage with understand what you’ll do with the findings Make the findings relevant to patients and the public
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Content ArticleThis tool developed by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities aims to provide intelligence about the wider determinants of health to help improve population health and reduce health inequalities. Wider determinants, also known as social determinants, are a diverse range of social, economic and environmental factors which impact on people’s health. They are influenced by the local, national and international distribution of power and resources which shape the conditions of daily life, and they determine the extent to which different individuals have the physical, social and personal resources to identify and achieve goals, meet their needs and deal with changes to their circumstances. The tool is updated on an ongoing basis and provides data on the wider determinants, as well as resources to help organisations take further action to tackle health inequalities.
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Content ArticleThis article by the consultancy firm Carnall Farrar looks at the opportunity the newly established Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) have to improve health outcomes, tackle inequalities, enhance productivity and support broader social and economic development. The relationship between deprivation and health outcomes is well known and evidenced, and by working collaboratively, the NHS, local authorities and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations can address the wider determinants of health outcomes, starting with the impact of deprivation.
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Content ArticleThe Stroke Association's Saving Brains campaign aims to raise awareness of thrombectomy, a game-changing surgical treatment for stroke that many patients in the UK are currently missing out on. Thrombectomy can prevent further damage occurring to the brain in people having a stroke. It is a time-critical treatment and there is variation in access to the procedure across the country, In this video, stroke patients Karen and Phil talk about their experiences of treatment. Karen was able to have a timely thrombectomy and regained full mobility immediately following the procedure. Phil wasn't able to access thrombectomy due to the service not being available in his area at weekends; as a result, his recovery has been slower and more difficult.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The Times, Deborah Ross describes her negative experience of NHS maternity care during and after labour, and how this has put her off having more children. During her 72-hour labour and subsequent hospital admission, she was denied pain relief, did not feel listened to and was not informed as to why her baby had been transferred to NICU.
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Content ArticleIn 2021. the National Quality Board (NQB) refreshed its Shared commitment to quality, which describes what quality is and how it can be delivered in integrated care systems (ICSs). It reflects the ambition set out by the NQB in 2015: "We want improving people’s experiences to be as important as improving clinical outcomes and safety." This document provides an overarching context for work on improving experience of care as a principal and integral part of delivering safe and effective care. It sets out a shared understanding of experience and what the best possible experience of care looks like, and outlines key components for delivering the best possible experience of care: Co-production as default for improvement Using insight and feedback Improving experience of care at the core priority work programmes The NQB was set up in 2009 to promote the importance of quality across health and care on behalf of NHS England and Improvement, NHS Digital, the Care Quality Commission, the Office of Health Promotion and Disparities, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Health Education England, the Department of Health and Social Care and Healthwatch England.
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Content ArticleWhile many physicians may avoid discussing the subject, a study showed that who gets addressed with the honorific “Dr.” may depend on gender, degree and specialty.
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Content ArticleThe failure to consider the needs of diverse groups of people badly impacts experience of care. Sarah Sweeney, Head of Policy at National Voices points out how the NHS needs to change the way it communicates with people regarding care.
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Content Article'State of Care' is the Care Quality Commission's annual assessment of health care and social care in England. The report looks at the trends, shares examples of good and outstanding care, and highlights where care needs to improve.
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Content ArticleThis article by Carrie Murphy looks at the practice of inserting a 'husband stich' or 'daddy stitch', where midwives or obstetricians make an unnecessary extra stitch when repairing episiotomies or tearing from birth. The belief is that it will make the vaginal opening tighter and therefore increase pleasure for the woman's sexual partner. The author highlights that this is a real practice that has been carried out on women for many years, and describes the ongoing impact it can have on women affected, many of whom don't realise they have been given too many stitches. This misogynistic and unethical practice can cause additional pain for women during sex. The women featured in this article state that they did not consent to the practice, being vulnerable after childbirth and in many cases unaware of what a 'husband stitch' was. Angela Sanford reports only finding out that she had a 'husband stitch' five years after birth at a cervical screening appointment where the nurse expressed concern. Murphy expresses her concern that the practice may still be carried out without women's consent, leaving them feeling violated and in pain.
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Content ArticleMany are still reporting minimisation of their Long Covid symptoms – and it’s partially attributable to the fact that female patients are routinely dismissed. Five women share their experiences.
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Content ArticleThe aim of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is to deliver additional diagnostic capacity in England by providing quicker and more convenient access for patients and reducing pressure on hospitals. The vision is for CDCs to be ‘one-stop shops for checks, scans and tests’, designed to achieve early diagnoses for patients and timely treatment and intervention, and are part of the offer of more place-based, person-centred approaches to care, removing some of the known barriers to access. But are CDCs living up to their promise?
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Content ArticleThis article* is an update from Dr Henrietta Hughes, Patient Safety Commissioner for England.
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Content ArticleThe All Party Parliamentary Group on Menopause (the APPG), chaired by leading parliamentary campaigner Carolyn Harris MP, has published its final report following a year-long inquiry into the subject. The MPs findings demonstrate that widespread action is needed across all spheres to improve the situation for those going through the menopause, and the families, friends and colleagues affected by it. Menopause symptoms can have a debilitating impact on the day-to-day lives of women. Whether from the inability to get the right diagnosis at the right time, difficulties in accessing HRT, a lack of support from their employer while struggling at work, or simply not being able to recognise what is happening to them and their bodies and seek help. Despite the fact that 51% of the population will experience the menopause, the entrenched taboo around women’s health issues has meant that the support for the 13 million women currently going through peri-menopause or menopause is completely inadequate. The APPG is particularly concerned about the socio-economic divide emerging between women who are able to access the right treatment, and those who lose out in the postcode lottery and do not have the financial means to seek treatment elsewhere.
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Content ArticleThe burden of multiple conditions is unevenly distributed across the population, and evidence shows that people living in the most deprived areas are developing conditions on average 10-15 years earlier than those living in the least. This report from The Taskforce on Multiple Conditions established by The Richmond Group of Charities, outlines a series of key questions and opportunities for change, designed to support and shape the plans and actions of everyone responsible for the delivery of health and care services. The research for the report focused on four areas of England containing communities on low incomes, people from minority ethnic groups and people living in both urban and rural environments. A rapid evidence review into the literature on health inequalities and multiple long-term conditions was also carried out to inform the report.
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Content Article
NICE and health inequalities (October 2022)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in NICE
Health inequalities are differences in health across the population, and between different groups in society, that are systematic, unfair and avoidable. This webpage from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) outlines a definition of health inequalities. highlights factors that cause them, explores their effects and talks about how NICE can help health services tackle health inequalities. -
Content ArticleThese resource lists compiled by US insurance company MedPro Group, highlight a number of expert and evidence-based sources that can be used to increase awareness of safety issues, identify areas of risk and determine mitigation strategies. They cover a wide range of healthcare safety topics: Advanced practice providers Anaesthesia and surgery Artificial Intelligence Bed safety and entrapment in senior care Behavioural health Behavioural health in senior care Burnout in healthcare Culture of safety Cybersecurity Disclosure of unanticipated outcomes Disruptive behaviour Elder abuse Electronic Health Records Emergency medical Treatment and Labour Act Emergency preparedness and response Emergency preparedness and response in senior care organisations Ergonomics and safe patient handling Falls and fall risk in older adults Handoffs and care transitions Health equity and social determinants of health Health literacy and cultural competence Healthcare-associated infections Healthcare compliance HIPAA Human trafficking and trauma-informed care Infection prevention and control in ambulatory care settings Infection prevention and control in dentistry Infection prevention and control in senior care organisations Informed consent LGBT+-inclusive care Maternal morbidity and mortality Medical marijuana Medication safety during care transitions Obstetrics and gynaecology Opioid prescribing and pain management Patient engagement Pressure injuries in older adults Sepsis Social media in healthcare Staff shortages and workforce issues Suicide screening in primary care Telehealth/telemedicine Violence prevention in home healthcare Violence prevention in the Emergency Department Wrong-site procedures
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Content ArticleWeb-based personal health records (PHRs) have the potential to improve the quality, accuracy and timeliness of health care. However, the international uptake of web-based PHRs has been slow. Populations experiencing disadvantages are less likely to use web-based PHRs, potentially widening health inequities within and among countries. This study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research aimed to identify the predictors of awareness, engagement and use of the Australian national web-based PHR, My Health Record (MyHR). The study found a strong and consistent association between digital health literacy and the use of a web-based PHR. The authors suggest that improving digital technology and skill experiences may improve digital health literacy and willingness to engage in web-based PHR. They also suggest that uptake could be improved through more responsive digital services, strengthened healthcare and better social support.
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Content ArticlePolicymakers are increasingly emphasising the role of health services in addressing social and economic factors that shape health, but guidance on how this should be done in practice is limited. This long read from The Health Foundation outlines a framework to understand potential approaches for NHS organisations to address social factors that shape health, focusing on local and regional action. It describes four categories of potential approaches, from more narrow interventions focused on improving care for individual patients, to broader partnerships to improve health of populations.
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Content ArticleThe National Association for Healthcare Quality® (NAHQ) has conducted research on the advancement of the quality and safety agenda and has published the results in a new workforce report. NAHQ’s Healthcare Quality and Safety Report answers the question: “Is today’s healthcare workforce doing the work that will advance clinical priorities of quality, safety, equity, value, and system sustainability?”
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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 ArticleRealistic Medicine is Scotland's approach to a sustainable health and social care system. The Realistic Medicine Podcast shares the stories, experiences and projects of teams and communities across Scotland. In this episode, Dr Graham Kramer, National Clinical Lead for Self Management and Health Literacy, talks about health literacy and the importance of people being able to understand and engage in their own health and healthcare.
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Content ArticleIn England, around 10 million adults and 12,000 children have a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition. Ethnic minority groups, people from lower income households and those living in areas of high deprivation are most affected. In this guest blog for the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, highlights the role that MSK health inequalities play in people's lives. She looks at the link between socio-economic disadvantage and poor health outcomes, and discusses the wider implications of disability due to MSK conditions. She describes work being done by the NHS, and highlights ARMA's work to narrow MSK health inequalities through listening to the experiences of underserved communities and working in partnership to improve care.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The Cut magazine, author Rae Nudson looks at the sometimes severe pain that women face when having gynaecology examinations and procedures, and how this has been accepted and normalised by healthcare professionals. She highlights a lack of understanding about the complex nature of pain, which leads to an expectation that women just need to 'put up' with pain during cervical screening, IUD fitting, hysteroscopy and other procedures. Speaking to women who have had painful and traumatising experiences, she discusses the long-term impact that these negative experiences can have, including putting women off attending potentially life-saving screening appointments. She also outlines the particular problems faced by Black women during gynaecological procedures, caused by incorrect assumptions that they feel pain less and are more able to tolerate it. These assumptions are rooted in historical oppression and racism, but research demonstrates that they still have a bearing on how healthcare professionals treat women from Black and other minority backgrounds.
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Content ArticleThe Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) has launched a commission on Covid-19, Disablism and Systemic Racism to explore how the worst impacts of Covid have fallen on Disabled people, particularly those from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups. The Commission is examining the extent to systemic neglect of social care over many years has caused negative outcomes that have been worsened by confused approaches by the Government during the pandemic. This includes poor implementation of policy and conflicting guidance. The work will gather evidence, scrutinise the Department of Health and Social Care’s policies and responses to the pandemic, including ways in which systemic racism may have further worsened outcomes for disabled people of colour, and build solutions and support for transformative and sustainable change in social care, based on justice and human rights. The Commission is calling on Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups to share their views and experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic as part of its 'Call for Views and Experiences'. They are also keen to hear from families, carers and people who work in social care.
