Kate K.’s Post

For #thoughtfulthursday I wanted to share and highlight Pathway and Crisis recent report released. It can be found at the link below https://bit.ly/3PdTyF4 Here are some of its key findings: 1) NHS pressures are creating barriers to care for people in inclusion health groups  2) Stigma and discrimination can exacerbate these barriers 3) People in inclusion health groups have poor experiences across all major aspects of healthcare 4) Many current practices present a threat to the safety of people from inclusion health groups 5) Intermediate care offers safety after hospital discharge 6) Housing is a foundation of health 7)People in inclusion health groups experience the worst health outcomes in society – and they are getting worse 8)Invisible in the data, invisible to decision-makers Some of these outcomes are absolutely shocking and the report again highlights the issue of hospitals discharging people to the streets as I highlighted in last weeks #thoughtfulthursday. However the report also highlights other issues such as 64% of people were refused access due to lack of ID or proof of address; 79% of people were unable to access care due to their multiple complex needs and 85% of patients experienced stigma/discrimination amongst staff. Below are some of the comments made; “Anyone with complex needs really struggles to access services. They are told by social services that their support needs are too high, by mental health that they need to be in recovery, and they usually wait to seek treatment for physical health until it is a severe need. Equally when these clients access hospitals- staff are dismissive, don’t understand substance misuse adequately and just add to a lifetime of experience of services working against them.” Voluntary and Community Sector Manager, South East “People living complicated lives can often find themselves at the edge of services, not ticking enough or ticking too many boxes to meet service thresholds” Specialist Housing Worker, South East We need to work together and highlight this issue so please consider writing to your MP and sharing this widely. PS - their definition of people in inclusion health groups is - People in inclusion health groups generally include people facing homelessness, people engaged in sex work, migrants in vulnerable circumstances, Gypsy, Roma, Travellers, and those in contact with the criminal justice system. People in inclusion health groups often share the experience of housing precarity, if not actual homelessness, trauma and deep social exclusion.

Health disparities are a stubborn stain on our society. But what if the solution wasn't just in clinics? Join us in exploring the transformative power of public policy in shaping health equity. We'll delve into the social determinants of health – income, education, housing, and employment – and how effective policies can dismantle these barriers. Together, let's build a future where health is a right, not a privilege. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gZ-eQf-x #HealthEquity #PublicPolicy #SocialDeterminantsofHealth #HealthForAll #PolicyMatters #SocialDeterminants #EquitableSociety #HealthJustice #Policies #HealthcarePolicies #EconomicPolicies #americanhhm #AmHHM

Sharing this post from the fabulous Pathway people re the Inclusion Health workforce : - please complete as relevant and also share widely as appropriate!! National Survey for People Working with Inclusion Health Populations    Do you deliver frontline care or services, or are you a manager or system leader working with some of the most excluded groups in society such as people experiencing homelessness, sex workers, Gypsy, Roma, Travellers or vulnerable migrants?    If the answer is yes, we want to hear from you in our second national survey for people working with these inclusion health groups.    By completing the survey, you will provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in meeting the health and care needs of these excluded groups. Your feedback is of huge value and will be central to Pathway’s second ‘Homeless and Inclusion Health Barometer’ report, which is used as a key influencing resource to drive national improvements for inclusion health groups.    The responses to our first survey helped us to outline the significant challenges we face, but also to highlight the innovation, hard work, compassion and collaboration that exists. You can read the full report here. - link for hyperlink https://lnkd.in/ePxeHzj6   To take part, please sign up to the Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health HERE. You will then be sent a link to complete the survey, which will close on Friday 15th of November. If you are already a member, please check your inbox for the link. - link for hyperlink https://lnkd.in/efafS-T6   Hosted by Pathway, the Faculty is a national, multidisciplinary network for people involved in healthcare and support for excluded groups. Membership is free and gives you access to fortnightly e-newsletters on the latest developments in inclusion health, plus networking and professional support including specialist sub-groups dedicated to Mental Health, Primary Care, Nutrition, Outreach Workers, Occupational Therapists, Students and System Leaders & Managers. 

Interesting report out today from the Kings Fund “Tackling health inequalities: seven priorities for the NHS” Intergenerational England Intergenerational England fully supports the call for a bold, preventive approach to addressing health inequalities. We believe that intergenerational solidarity is vital to this effort. By connecting younger and older generations, we can directly address the report’s seven priority actions. Intergenerational initiatives reduce health disparities by fostering social cohesion, reducing isolation, and promoting mental and physical well-being. These programs build inclusive communities where all generations benefit. Health Inequalities Strategy: Intergenerational connections are crucial for social equity, fostering communities where all ages feel valued. Prevention: Engaging people across ages in shared activities helps prevent ill health, reduce isolation, and improve mental health. Community Relationships: Our model empowers communities to create intergenerational programs that foster cooperation, moving from ‘power over’ to ‘power with.’ Tackling Inequities: These programs cultivate empathy and reduce discrimination, promoting diversity and inclusion. Empowering NHS Staff: Training staff to support intergenerational initiatives helps mitigate health inequalities in communities. Partnerships and Decision-Making: We work with ICSs to integrate intergenerational programs into local health strategies for sustainable impact. Supporting the VCSE Sector: We urge greater investment in VCSE organisations to scale intergenerational work that addresses health inequalities. Intergenerational work must be central to the NHS’s 10-year plan, driving prevention and fostering healthier, more inclusive communities for future generations. The King's Fund Emily Abbott NHS England NHS Confederation #healthinequalities #equalityanddiversity #determinantsofhealth

...𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂, 𝒂 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔. 𝑨 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆. 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔, 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝒋𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇.... 𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑨𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑶𝑪𝑰𝑨𝑳 𝑫𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑺 𝑶𝑭 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑯: 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑶𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑯 𝑬𝑸𝑼𝑰𝑻𝒀. The Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are the non-medical factors that influences health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social positions and political systems. The SDH have an important influence on health inequalities. The unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries. In countries at all levels of income, health and illness follow a social gradient, “the lower the socioeconomic position, the worse the health”. Examples of the social determinants of health include income and social protection, education, unemployment and job insecurity, working life conditions, food insecurity, housing, early childhood development, social inclusion, and access to affordable health services. Research shows that the social determinants can be more important than health care or lifestyle choices in influencing health. Addressing SDH appropriately is fundamental for improving health and reducing longstanding inequities, which requires action by all sectors and civil society. Scaled up and systematic action is necessary for effective delivery to addressing inequities in health and promoting healthier populations. Pursuing health equity means striving for the highest possible standard of health for all people and giving special attention to the needs of those at greatest risk of poor health, based on social conditions. Action requires not only equitable access to healthcare but also means working outside the healthcare system to address broader social well-being and development. #DocXplorer #PublicHealth #EquityInHealth #CommunityHealth #HealthAdvocacy

Health equity is about the fair achievement of good health and wellbeing, and not simply the equal distribution of health care. It is a multidimensional concept that must be viewed within the context of inequities that affect health — including socioeconomic status, education, the physical environment, employment, and social support networks. It ensures that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their optimal health regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, preferred language, or other factors that affect access to care and health outcomes. United Nations UN Women World Health Organization Medicus Mundi Switzerland My 2 Cents: https://lnkd.in/eBnHvZWQ

While women are major consumers of healthcare services and play a central role as health navigators and caregivers for their families, structural factors can challenge their ability to get the health care they need. Factors, including national and state policies that shape the health care delivery system to research priorities and discriminatory economic and societal forces, can deprioritize women’s health concerns. Access challenges are greater for women who are in low-income households, who face structural and societal racism and discrimination, who struggle with complex or understudied medical conditions, or who live in states or communities that have enacted or invested in policies and programs that do not support their health needs. #mmhreading #maternalhealthpolicies #maternalmentalhealth KFF Health News https://lnkd.in/g848JdNz

April marks National Minority Health Month, and this year's theme, "Be the Source for Better Health," urges us to tackle the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) - highlighting the importance of culture, community, and connection in improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities. The 2024 focus is on taking action, convening communities, considering data, committing to culturally appropriate services, and collaborating for innovative solutions. Join the conversation using #SourceForBetterHealth, #MinorityHealth, and #NMHM24 to share insights and actions towards health equity. Let's be the change and pave the way for a healthier future for all. #BeTheSource

Despite a universal health service free at the point of use, those on the lowest income live a decade less, with more disability, than those on the highest incomes, and this is only getting worse with time. Does your work and the service your system provide widen or narrow the health inequality gap? Coventry has done this at scale, and achieved some impressive reductions in deprivation and young people out of work/education. “Considering how policymaking would affect the health outcomes of the population had been embraced as a default way of working” So start by asking the questions, are we doing the right thing, and is there a better way? https://lnkd.in/eveB2nu9 https://lnkd.in/ecDmtXRU #core20plus5 #healthinequalities #healthcreation

📢 Wealth Inequality drives Health Inequality: An analysis of primary care services in the UK 👇 Explore the latest RPP publication on how inequalities in wealth are contributing to health inequalities in the UK, particularly in access to primary care. https://lnkd.in/em_kdA2c