Current challenges to health equalities

ViewsMay 11th, 2015

Cecilia Anim receiving the 2013 Bevan Prize for Health & Wellbeing

As a working nurse, I sadly see on a daily basis the all too real impact that inequality has on health.

There is a widening gap in health equality between the most deprived and the wealthiest in our society. The sad reality is that disadvantaged groups, who have poor educational achievement and who are on much lower incomes, are much more likely to suffer from ill health.

How a child’s parents have done in school is a powerful predictor of child health – there is a correlation between educational levels and child health. Good education improves health; poor health harms progress and attainment. Pupils with better health and wellbeing are likely to achieve more academically so more children living in deprived areas will struggle to learn and achieve at school, which may perpetuate the cycle of poverty and poor health outcomes.

If you are worrying about your housing needs as well as your income and job security, then it’s understandable that health maintenance will get pushed down your list of concerns.

More than 29% of households in Wales have incomes below the minimum needed for an acceptable standard of living^[1]. Falling incomes haven’t been helped by rising prices – which have been rising faster than wages and faster than benefits. People are struggling to live a healthy life on their current income.

Over one million adults and children were provided with emergency food in the UK by the Trussell Trust in 2014-15^[2]. Food poverty is a risk factor for developing diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease, obesity and diabetes. People living in poverty with a poor diet will also be more likely to die earlier than their peers.

So how do we meet these challenges?

Local, regional and national initiatives which prioritise disadvantaged groups is one way of reducing health inequalities and lessening the pressure on our acute and community care settings. The Welsh Government’s Flying Start^[3]and Families First^[4]schemes prioritise disadvantaged children and families to address the gap in health equality. The Primary Care Plan^[5]also places responsibility on Welsh health boards to identify the health and wellbeing needs of the population and plan services to meet their needs.

As nursing professionals, we can also encourage patients to make positive changes for their health: taking part in more exercise, stopping smoking and cutting down alcohol intake. We are in a unique position to view our patient’s needs and circumstances holistically. We can recommend full packages of support and care required as we work closely with other agencies outside the NHS.

We can also help to carry out direct interventions for individuals and families; we can assess their needs and help ensure that the right services are commissioned. We can make sure that vulnerable groups are prioritised and provide leadership, support community empowerment and act as advocates for change.

I am proud that the RCN and other organisations across the UK, like the Bevan Foundation in Wales, are working to help close the gap between the wealthiest and poorest in our society to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities for a healthy life.