EVIDENCE ON HEALTH INEQUALITIES

Reducing health inequalities has been placed alongside health gain as a core objective of government policy. The Department of Health (DH) Standards and Planning Framework  and NHS Improvement Plan  highlight the need for healthcare organisations to provide leadership and in partnership with other agencies, to act to reduce inequalities in health, in access to and outcomes of health and social care, and in patient experience. The Standards require the basic principles of equality and human rights to be met in all aspects of health and social care provision, and are underpinned by Treasury-DH PSA targets relating to health inequalities. Intrinsic to the shift in policy focus from “sickness” to “health and wellbeing” is the prioritisation of public health, measures to tackle the underlying determinants of poor health, primary/secondary prevention, and a reduction in inequalities.

These documents build on the Acheson inquiry and a raft of previous policy initiatives designed to reduce health inequalities.  The White Paper on public health highlighted health inequality issues, and is to be followed by a DH report on trends in health inequalities and progress in meeting national targets.

National Standards, Local Action states:

PCTs and their partner organisations should demonstrate that they have taken account of different needs and inequalities within the local population, in respect of area, socio-economic group, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, faith and sexual orientation, on the basis of a systematic programme of health equity audit and equality impact assessment. This should address issues of race equality. Health equity audits identify how fairly services or other resources are distributed in relation to the health needs of different groups. By using evidence on inequalities to inform decisions on investment, service planning, commissioning and delivery, health equity audits should help organisations address inequalities in access to services and in health outcomes, such as the inequalities experienced by black and minority ethnic group.

Much of the disadvantage in health and access to healthcare experienced by ethnic minorities is related to deprivation rather than race.