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Showing results for tags 'Health inequalities'.
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Content ArticleAs the race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 has reached phase 3 clinical trials, concerns are increasing about the low rates of trial participation in important subgroups, including Black communities. Recent data show that although Black people make up 13% of the US population, they account for 21% of deaths from COVID-19 but only 3% of enrollees in vaccine trials. This problem threatens both the validity and the generalisability of the trial results and is of particular concern in vaccine trials, in which differences in lifetime environmental exposures can result in differences in immunologic responses that could affect both safety and efficacy. Despite long-standing calls from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve the participation of underrepresented subgroups in drug trials, the problem persists. Warren et al., in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, explore what the barriers are to greater participation of Black people in COVID-19 trials.
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Content ArticleDisparities in healthcare exist because of socioeconomic factors, structural racism and implicit bias. The panelists in this video identify the problems and discuss what solutions are in place that could improve health disparities such as medical education, more training for underrepresented minority physicians, more funding for research, and fast-tracking publication of research. Furthermore, the panelists explore how the field of dermatology and other medical specialties can address these issues.
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EventWestminster Health Forum policy conference. The agenda: Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the ethnic minority community, and priorities for improving health outcomes. The health and social care response to inequality through the pandemic and taking forward new initiatives. Understanding the data and risk factors for COVID-19 in ethnic minority groups. Wider health inequalities faced by people in ethnic minorities - addressing underlying factors, and the role of COVID-19 recovery strategies in supporting long-term change. Priorities for providing leadership in tackling health inequalities in the workforce. Driving forward and ensuring race equality in the NHS. Providing support to the ethnic minority health workforce and taking forward key learnings from COVID-19. Next steps for action in race disparity in healthcare. Book
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EventuntilIt is impossible in the year 2020 to ignore the glaring inequalities in our healthcare system. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, coupled with local Black Lives Matter activity following the killing of George Floyd, underscore the threat systemic racism poses to lives in the UK as well as the US. Though these events have prompted much discussion in the medical community, this injustice is not new: data has long demonstrated a link between ethnicity and health outcomes. What can we, as doctors and medical managers, do to close this health gap and ensure all patients can expect the same quality of care, treatment and outcomes in the future? Seeking to answer this question, the BMA committee for medical managers (CMM) are hosting a free, online panel discussion to explore how increasing diversity in medical leadership can lead to better outcomes for all. Register
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Content ArticleIn this Episode of the 'This Is Nursing' podcast series, Gavin Portier speaks to Amanda McKie, Matron -for Learning Disabilities & Complex Needs Coordinator at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. In this episode Amanda talks about health inequalities, mental capacity, advocacy and high profile key documents such as Death by Indifference, the LeDer Mortality programme and the current case of Oliver McGowan. Learning disabilities is a life long condition and they can present in any areas of health care. In this podcast we discover how important it is to have an understanding an appreciation and insight into the care experience of a person with a learning disability and their parents or carers.
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Content ArticleOn 30 May 2020, NHS England and the NHS Confederation launched the NHS Race and Health Observatory, a new centre to investigate the impact of race and ethnicity on people’s health and to identify and tackle the specific health challenges facing people of black and ethnic minority origin.
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Content ArticleThis report is the product of a review by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, commissioned by the Labour Party, into the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. In her introduction to the report, Baroness Lawrence says: "Black, Asian and minority ethnic people have been overexposed, under protected, stigmatised and overlooked during this pandemic – and this has been generations in the making. The impact of Covid is not random, but foreseeable and inevitable – the consequence of decades of structural injustice, inequality and discrimination that blights our society. We are in the middle of an avoidable crisis. And this report is a rallying cry to break that clear and tragic pattern."
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News ArticlePoorer mothers are three times more likely to have stillborn children than those from more affluent backgrounds, according to a new study. The wide-ranging research, conducted by pregnancy charity Tommy’s, also found that high levels of stress doubled the likelihood of stillbirth, irrespective of other social factors and pregnancy complications. Unemployed mothers were almost three times more at risk. The government has been urged to take immediate action to address the social determinants of health and halt the rise in pregnant women who face the stress of financial insecurity. Researchers said getting more antenatal care can stop women from having a stillbirth — with mothers who went to more appointments than national rules stipulate having a 72% lower risk. Ros Bragg, director of Maternity Action said, “If the government is serious about combatting stillbirths, it must address the social determinants of health as well as clinical care. Women need safe, secure employment during their pregnancy and the certainty of a decent income if they find themselves out of work. It is not right that increasing numbers of pregnant women are dealing with the stress of financial insecurity, putting them at increased risk of serious health problems, including stillbirth.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 29 October 2020
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News Article
Fears of 'two-tier' system as NHS waiting lists prompt more people to go private
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Concerns are growing that long NHS waiting times caused by the coronavirus crisis are exacerbating pre-existing health inequalities and creating a “two-tier” system, as more people turn to the private sector for quicker treatment. As leading doctors warn mass cancellations of NHS operations in England are inevitable this winter after waiting times reached the highest levels on record this summer, data shows a rise in the number of people self-funding treatment or investing in private health insurance. “COVID-19 has not impacted everyone equally, and there is clearly a risk that the backlog in routine hospital treatment is going to add to those inequalities if some people are able to get treatment faster because they’re able to pay,” said Tim Gardner, from the Health Foundation thinktank. As the NHS heads into winter and a growing second wave of the virus, experts stressed the need to help those affected by the backlog now. “There is a need to prioritise the most urgent cases, but simply because someone’s case isn’t urgent doesn’t mean it’s not important. It doesn’t mean that people aren’t waiting in pain and discomfort, or waiting anxiously for a diagnosis,” said Gardner. “We think it’s incumbent on the health service to make the best possible use of the capacity it’s got. But also it needs to make sure it’s supporting people while they’re waiting. We just can’t have people left in limbo.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 October 2020 -
Content ArticleBlack, Latinx, and Native Americans are experiencing disproportionate burdens of infections, hospitalisations, and deaths from COVID-19. Similar disparities are observed in other countries where minority groups face hurdles in accessing health, education, and social services as well as affordable, healthy food. These stark manifestations of health inequities have emerged in the wake of a body of evidence linking obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease — conditions that disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations — with severe outcomes from COVID-19. Though the factors underlying racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 in the United States are multifaceted and complex, long-standing disparities in nutrition and obesity play a crucial role in the health inequities unfolding during the pandemic.
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News Article
Racial discrimination widespread in NHS job offers, says report
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have been hindered in their search for senior roles because of widespread “racial discrimination” in the NHS, according to a report from the Royal College of Physicians. The RCP, which represents 30,000 of the UK’s hospital doctors, found that ingrained “bias” in the NHS made it much harder for BAME doctors to become a consultant compared with their white counterparts. “It is clear from the results of this survey that racial discrimination is still a major issue within the NHS,” said Dr Andrew Goddard, the RCP’s president. “It’s a travesty that any healthcare appointment would be based on anything other than ability.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 21 October 2020 -
Content Article
Independent Living: Keeping in touch (14 October 2020)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
In this article for Independent Living, Philip Anderson reflects on the significance of touch, and possible impact of COVID-19 for those who are deprived of touch. Philip is an advocate for barrier-free accessibility, equality, and inclusiveness for persons with disabilities. He is involved in several initiatives in the NHS, and with various disability, and accessibility advisory groups. -
EventuntilHealth inequalities are deep, persistent and hard to change. Solutions call for systemic changes at an organisation level, whole-system partnerships and investment. What can we do to address health inequality as individuals working in healthcare? This webinar brings together a multidisciplinary faculty of speakers to highlight the ways individual healthcare professionals can help to reduce health inequality, despite their prevalence. Register
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Content ArticleTelemedicine has potential to address inequity in healthcare but not until certain barriers are addressed. This article from Joanna Pearlstein in Wired discusses how physicians and care organisations have to be creative and rely on partnerships and local resources, such as school district hot spots or public library broadband access, to make the system reliably work for all their patients.
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Content ArticleThe stark and enduring inequality in mental health outcomes between black and white people is being addressed by two psychiatrists who want to tackle decades of unfounded assumptions. Keith Cooper reports
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Content ArticleThe State of Care is the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. The care that people received in 2019/20 was mostly of good quality. But while the quality of care was largely maintained compared with the previous year, there was generally no improvement overall. And in the space of a few short months since then, the pandemic has placed the severest of challenges on the whole health and care system in England.
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News Article
England's 'fragile' care sector needs immediate reform, says regulator
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The government must immediately deliver a new deal for social care with major investment and better terms for workers, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said, as it warned that the sector is “fragile” heading into a second wave of coronavirus infections. In a challenge to ministers, the regulator’s chief executive, Ian Trenholm, said overdue reform of the care sector “needs to happen now – not at some point in the future”. Boris Johnson said in his first speech as prime minister, in July 2019: “We will fix the crisis in social care once and for all.” But no reform has yet been proposed, and more than 15,000 people have died from COVID-19 in England’s care homes. Trenholm said Covid risked turning inequalities in England’s health services from “faultlines into chasms” as the CQC published its annual State of Care report on hospitals, GPs and care services. The report reveals serious problems with mental health, maternity services and emergency care before the pandemic, and says these areas must not be allowed to fall further behind. The regulator argued that the health system’s response to the pandemic needs to change. After focusing on protecting NHS services from being overwhelmed, health leaders must now adapt to prevent people who need help for non-Covid reasons from being left behind, it said. These include people whose operations were cancelled and people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, and people living in deprived areas who have suffered more severely from the impact of Covid. “Covid is magnifying inequalities across the health and care system – a seismic upheaval which has disproportionately affected some more than others,” said Trenholm. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 16 October 2020 -
Content Article
Black women’s health matters (October 2020)
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Women's health
To mark Black History Month 2020, blog site Hysterical Women has launched it's first mini series, exploring black women’s healthcare experiences. The contributions of five black writers, shine a light on: black health and healthcare experiences black motherhood, black pain black mental health the experiences of black healthcare professionals. -
Content ArticleThe Health Foundation has launched a time-limited UK-wide inquiry to consider:how people’s experience of the pandemic was influenced by their health and existing inequalitiesthe likely impact of actions taken in response to the pandemic on people’s health and health inequalities – now and in the future.The inquiry is gathering evidence from a wide range of sources to highlight implications for the government decision making and the investment needed to ensure everyone can enjoy the same opportunity for good health and wellbeing. The Health Foundation aim to share the findings from the inquiry in Summer 2021.
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News ArticleOne of the earliest signs that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people were being disproportionately harmed by the coronavirus pandemic came when the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNAR) published research in early April showing that 35% of almost 2,000 Covid patients in intensive care units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were non-white. A lot has happened in the intervening six months with numerous reports, including by the Office for National Statistics and Public Health England (PHE), confirming the increased risk to ethnic minorities and recommendations published on how to mitigate that risk. However, as the second wave intensifies, the demographics of those most seriously affected remain remarkably similar. ICNARC figures show that the non-white proportion of the 10,877 Covid patients admitted to intensive care up to 31 August was 33.9% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This rises to 38.3% of patients admitted since 1 September, albeit of a much smaller cohort (527 intensive care admissions). The government mantra “we’re all in this together” proved to be little more than an empty rallying cry early in the pandemic and the ICNARC figures show it remains the case that people in the most deprived socioeconomic groups make up a greater proportion of patients in critical care. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 October 2020
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Content ArticleThe COVID-19 pandemic clearly illustrates the intersection of structural racism, social risk factors, and health. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on COVID-19 infection and mortality rates show high incidences in specific geographic regions. Further investigation within Louisiana revealed that rates of hospitalisation and death in Black patients were twice as high as would be expected on the basis of demographic representation. It has been hypothesised that increased exposure to COVID-19 among Black Americans is attributable to greater representation in service occupations and a greater likelihood of living in inner cities with high population density.
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Content ArticleMedicine is a mirror for the racial injustice in our society; it is a field riddled with racial disparities in everything from research funding to patient care to life expectancy. There may be no population of patients whose healthcare and outcomes are more affected by racism than those with sickle cell disease (SCD). Patients with SCD are too often marginalised and dismissed while seeking medical care when their bodies hurt and they cannot breathe. As medical leaders around the United States issue statements denouncing racial injustice and calling for us to “dismantle racism at every level,” we must ensure that these pledges translate into durable improvements for patients with SCD. Alexandra Power-Hays and Patrick T. McGann propose a number of changes to reduce the impact of racism on patients with SCD in the US.
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Content ArticleAppalling racial inequities in health exist in nearly every realm that researchers have examined. These inequities are a dramatic manifestation of the structural violence that plagues our society. Deborah Cohan, an obstetrician, gives her perspective on this in her article in the New England Journal of Medicine. "How am I confronting the underlying forces that facilitate increased suffering and death among certain groups because of their skin color? Although it’s necessary, it is not enough for me to provide respectful health care to pregnant women of color. If I truly want to be part of the solution, I need to explore those parts of me that are most unwholesome, embarrassing, unflattering, and generally not discussed in the context of one’s career." Her goal is to dismantle the insidious thoughts that reinforce a hierarchy based on race, education, and other markers of privilege that separate her from others. "These thoughts, fed by implicit bias, are more common than I find easy to admit. Although I know not to believe everything I think, I also know that thoughts guide attention, and attention guides actions. Until I bring to light and hold myself accountable for my own racist tendencies, I am contributing to racism in health care."
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Content ArticleLockdown has been a seismic shock for every family and community. Sadly, the voices of the hardest hit have been heard the least. This report sets about to change this by exploring pandemic and lockdown reflections from a diverse group of expectant and new parents during the critical first months and years of their babies’ development. Charities Best Beginnings, Home-Start UK and Parent-Infant Foundation were alarmed that the voices of parents with new babies have been absent from key pandemic responses. As a result, they worked with Critical Research to survey 5,000 new and expectant parents on their lockdown experiences and found a mixed picture, shining a light on huge disparities between different families and communities.
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News ArticleNHS leaders are being encouraged to have ‘difficult discussions’ about inequalities, after a trust found its BAME staff reported being ‘systematically… bullied and harassed’, along with other signs of discrimination. A report published by Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust found the trust’s black, Asian and minority ethnic staff are more likely than white staff to be bullied or harassed by colleagues, less likely to reach top jobs, and experience higher rates of discrimination from managers. It claims to be the first in-depth review into pay gaps and career progression among BAME workforce at a single trust. The new report revealed that, in a trust survey carried out last year, some BAME staff described being subjected to verbal abuse and racial slurs by colleagues; had left departments after being given no chance of progression; and been “systematically… bullied and harassed”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 22 September 2020
