Tackling health inequalities for your patients and communities
Why is change needed?
Health inequalities are differences in health between different societal groups that are avoidable and unfair. These inequalities arise due to conditions in which individuals are born, grow up, live, and work in. The Marmot Review in 2010 was a landmark piece of work that outlined the fact that people living in the poorest neighbourhoods will not only die an average of seven years sooner than their counterparts living in the richest neighbourhoods, but they will also spend more of their lives with disability. The Marmot Review 10 Years On highlighted how this health gap has grown between wealthy and deprived areas.
Throughout The Big GP Consultation, participants spoke passionately about both the need for tackling health inequalities, and the role we can play in doing so. This is explored in more detail in the “The Evolving Role of the GP: Society and the Environment” section of the Final Report.
Participants felt we could have a tangible impact at a number of levels, including:
How can I change this?
Before you can impact upon health inequalities, it is first important to have a good understanding of what they are, and how they arise. The eLearning module from our friends at Fairhealth is a brilliant introduction to health inequalities, viewed through a primary care lens:
Introducing health inequalities in Primary Care
Once you have developed this baseline understanding, you can then start impacting directly upon the patients that you see. As a GP or GP Trainee, you are in an excellent position to do this in so many of your consultations. That said, it’s often tricky to know how to do this in practice. This excellent module walks you through exactly this; the practical steps you can take to have an impact:
A practical guide to reducing health inequalities in Primary Care
How do I get started?
Once you understand health inequalities and how you as an individual can tackle them, you are now in a position to think about how your practice and your PCN can do so. As a GP or GP trainee, you are very well placed to lead your colleagues in taking direct action to reduce health inequalities for your patients.
To do this, you may start by developing a project idea. The above module – A practical guide to reducing health inequalities in Primary Care – is a great source of inspiration here.
Alongside this, developing some basic leadership skills will really help to make your work a success. The module below is a great place to start, as it walks through the skills that are specifically of use when leading work in the health inequalities space.
Leading for health equity
What are my next steps?
These are all steps that The Big GP Consultation Team would be very happy to support you with. Please do email us with a summary of your plans, and how we may be able to help, and we’ll be back in touch with you as soon as possible.
Develop…
…your understanding of what health inequalities are, and how to tackle them.
Equip…
…yourself with leadership skills required to impact change more broadly.
Formulate…
…an idea to tackle health inequalities, using the above resources for inspiration.
Find…
…those who will support you in your mission to #narrowthegap.
How could I take this further?
Within this space, you’ll soon see that you can achieve much more when working together than you can when working alone. The Deep End Networks are a great place to meet like-minded people who are passionate about tackling health inequalities. They are a brilliant source of knowledge, experience, and connections.
After the first network was established in Scotland, many other areas have now developed their own Deep End Networks – we have listed a few of these below. To find a Deep End Network in your area, the best way is often to Google “[Your area] Deep End GP.” If no success, you may want to contact one of the nearby networks below to ask about your area. If a network doesn’t yet exist, you may even want to set one up…
Scotland
North East North Cumbria
East of England
Yorkshire and the Humber
Plymouth
Ireland
You may also want to explore other available resources to broaden your understanding of health inequalities, and how to impact upon them. Pathway host some excellent resources on healthcare for homeless people, for example. For members, the RCGP have also created a Health Inequalities learning resource.