An Essay on Contemporary Debates: Health Inequalities in the UK

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of health inequalities in the UK, defining the concept and highlighting its significance as a major area of concern. It delves into the various dimensions contributing to these inequalities, including socioeconomic status, protected characteristics, vulnerable groups, and geographical location. The essay examines the multifaceted ways in which health inequalities impact individuals, increasing health risks and disparities across different social groups. Furthermore, it analyzes the approaches taken by the UK government to address these inequalities, such as place-based strategies and the Population Intervention Triangle, and offers recommendations for improvement, including promoting equity from conception, creating healthy environments, ensuring meaningful employment, and providing social protection. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of addressing these inequalities to improve the overall health and well-being of the UK population.

Contemporary Debates

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Health inequalities in UK............................................................................................................1
Ways in which health inequalities affect people in UK..............................................................2
Approaches taken by government to reduce these health inequalities........................................3
Recommendations of ways in which these inequalities can be reduced and overall health
outcome for people can be enhanced...........................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Health inequalities can be defined as a kind of unfair or unavoidable treatment or
differences in health of overall population (Collishaw and et.al., 2019). Health inequality is an
area of concern which is present because of presence of differences within different groups of
society. It basically arises because of conditions in which an individual lives or overall physical
condition of an individual. It is important to address these inequalities presence in health because
it can impact overall physical and mental health and wellbeing of an individual and health care
outcome of such people can also get impacted. This essay will lay emphasis upon health
inequalities as a major area of concern in UK and ways in which government approaches are
addressing these inequalities in order to be reduced or diminished. In this essay, overview of
presence of health inequalities in UK will be provided, its impact on people, government
measures to reduce it and future recommendations to diminish it completely has been focused
upon.
MAIN BODY
Health inequalities in UK
Health inequalities in UK is one of the main areas of concern in UK because of which
health of overall population of UK is getting impacted, and differences between individuals or
groups within society is increasing continuously (Currie and Bray, 2019). Main reason because
of which these inequalities in UK are increasing due to race, age, living conditions, work,
environment etc. it is important to address this issue and reduce inequalities in health so that
overall physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing of people is not impacted.
Health inequalities exist in range of dimensions and characteristics. First is socio
economic status and deprivation. It is one of the main dimensions on the basis of which
inequalities in UK are increasing. This dimension consists of characteristics such as low income,
unemployment, individuals living in deprived areas. Another dimension due to which
inequalities exist are protected characteristics of an individual that includes: race, sex, disability,
sexual orientation (Rougeaux and et.al., 2017). Another dimension is vulnerable groups of
society that includes: migrants, travelling community people and many more. Last dimension on
the basis of which people face inequality is geographical location that includes urban and rural.
to creates the policies of social protection that influences of life disturbing events such as Covid
19, more facilities regarding to cure this type of disease.

It is important for government to focus upon reducing these inequalities in health because
due to this difference between health behaviour of people is changing and as a result overall
outcome of health is also getting impacted (Rougeaux and et.al., 2017). There are various
reasons because of which it has become important to focus upon this area of concern because it
is slowly changing overall perception of people and ways in which they behave with vulnerable
people including disabled people etc. It is vital to address such inequalities presence within
health as it can impact overall physical as well as mental health of persons ,especially the health
care people’s are also impacted due to such inequalities .
Ways in which health inequalities affect people in UK
There are many different ways in which health inequalities affect people and their overall
health (Rougeaux and et.al., 2017). It majorly increases overall risk associated with health of
people of different groups of society. Within the United Kingdom there are several general
improvements within health that cannot considered as beneficial equally for all the social groups
as well as it is less clear regarding their policies that can decreases it. Such health inequalities are
known as systematic structural differences within health status between several social groups in
population. The term health inequalities focuses on multiple impacts on health status as it is
closely associated with socio economic status, employment, education , housing and income and
many more. It is also concerned with several causes of diseases. The social determinants for
health as well as health inequalities pose specified issues regarding policymakers (Friel. and
Jamieson, 2019) . As causes are multifaceted as well as solution must be too. Therefore
policymakers also require long term, needs the collaboration of several agencies and in addition
to this generate few results that are measures initially. Until the policy processes are understood,
present as well as future policies are unable to achieves their aims as well as objectives. There
are also some of the polices that decreased overall levels of smoking. In addition to lack of
evidence regarding effective policies is important provides the policies in order to overcome
health inequalities which is currently proposed through United Kingdom’s government. Other
nations have also begun in order to develop health problems that are similar to that.
 New Zealand- “The New Zealand Health strategy”
 United States- Healthy People 2010 is considering as a set of national health
objectives. It goals is to enhance quality as well as years regarding healthy life
and also reduces health disparities.

Approaches taken by government to reduce these health inequalities
In order to reduce health inequalities there are certain approaches which is being taken by
UK government. One of them is Place based approaches identifies in order to make an important
change to health results at a population level it is vital to not just treat disease or the causes of
disease but to covers broad elements of health as well as considered the influence of protective
and psychosocial factors. The NHS has plays role not only terms of services it commissions but
also by working alongside partners by its contribution to the civil sphere as well as policies it
deploys such as use of Social
Value act by taking community various approaches that also provides contribution that also
communities also make improves health results (Veenstra. and Abel, 2019). Instead of increasing
life expectancy the differences within health result between the least deprived communities
continues to grow as well as develops. It has been found that there exists 19 year gap within
healthy life expectancy between the least and most deprived areas of England. Individuals living
within areas that are more deprived nearly of their lives within comparatively poor health,
compared alongside only about sixth for within areas for most of the deprived areas. Such types
of health inequalities are avoidable and unfair (Nickel. and von dem Knesebeck, 2020).
They are the one that cut individual’s lives short as well as leads to living with impaired health
and wellbeing. So, it is costing a huge amount by the NHS, local authorities and national
economies on health. Thus, it is resulting in creating demand for health care services including
£4.8 billion on secondary care
The heath inequalities can be overcome by finding out what are drivers of it. Such type
of model focuses on interplay between behavioral, physiological as well as a wider determinants
regarding health. It also focuses on ability considered to be more healthy is underpinned through
environmental and the wider socio economic circumstances at local level. It also highlights on
various means that focuses on treatment alone to unable in order to reduce inequalities rather of
local systems working together alongside, joint planning, strong leadership scale that leads to
tackle health inequalities.
In order to develop a system in local areas this will be useful in reducing inequalities.
Such as Public Health England, by collaborating with Local Government Association has
produced a new resource. Here, the place-Based Approaches is also used in order to solve this
issue.. Along with that Population Intervention Triangle (PIT) which provides a framework

through which inequalities in health can be reduced. It offers a practical framework for acting on
health inequalities which undertake action around different assets that enable population level
reductions in inequalities (Mackenbach, 2019).
Recommendations of ways in which these inequalities can be reduced and overall health
outcome for people can be enhanced
Mentions below are some of the recommendation
Promote equity from conception- During the pregnancy time the child’ development starts
with the mother’s health. As the baby born there are several factors that impact child such as
social, physical economical and many more. All of such critically impacts the growth as well as
development of child as it affects well being, occupational opportunities. It is recommended that
pre and postnatal interventions decreases health inequalities as well as improves child and
maternal health outcomes, specifically if such are aimed at the low and middle income nations.
Creates healthy places for people- it is noticed that the environment where individuals live as
well as work impacts profoundly as taking various actions in order to promote fair planning as
well as inequity roving habitats within both urban and rural areas by the help of proactive
planning is consider as an vital for long term health equity. There is also Sustained investment
within rural development , removing polices as well as process that leads to the poverty and also
decreases the displacement of people as well as enhance setting within which individuals live as
well as work. Also it is recommended that Climate change as well as other polices in order to
avoid environmental degradation must also obtain health impartiality.
significant employment and decent work- Joblessness is known as one of the main element of
health equity as poor working conditions, indecent work can result within damage of self esteem
as it is recommended that several actions are taken in order to make full and fair employment as
national as well as international economic policymaking are vital in order to accomplish health
inequity. As improving working conditions are decreases the accidents, reduce harmful
exposures as well as decreases the work associated stress and also reduces health damaging
behaviours (Nickel. and von dem Knesebeck, 2020).
People from every generation whether they are children, adolescents, ,young people, infants or
older person all of them requires social protection as specially during the periods of grave
disturbances such as disabilities, pandemic diseases such as Covid 19, unemployment ,social

protection is vital. It is recommended that government must be proactive in order to creates the
policies of social protection that influences of life disturbing events such as Covid 19,where not
only old people dead but also young generation also suffers a lot. Such as providing them relief
fund, better hospital as within hospital more number of ventilators for all people, more number
of health care workers and many more facilities regarding to cure this type of disease. As
Healthcare systems itself be known as social determinant regarding health. As within a good
system there are well trained motivated as well as capable workers that also improves the health
equity. A poor system may makes things more badly as delay within such health service. In order
to deal, this action that is vital is for government in order to gives universal health coverage. This
would also include various provisions of proper, reasonable services that focus on disease
prevention, health promotion, as well as societal development (Jaffe, Lee, Huynh. and Haskell,
2020).
CONCLUSION
From the above it had been concluded that exists due to various social issues that exist in
society such as gender inequality, discrimination, ineffective implementation of polices and
many more. These inequalities highly impact on social life of people as they do not get proper
health care services. The health inequality can be solved with the help of Place based approaches
Influence of protective factors as it deploys as well as use of social value act as well as improves
health results. Also focused on various recommendations such as Promote equity from
conception, Creates healthy places for people as well as meaningful employment and decent
work. Report also focused on inequalities exists are protected characteristics of an individual that
includes: race, sex and geographical location that include urban and rural inequalities. It also
increases overall risk with health and focuses on multiple impacts that are closely associated as
employment, education and policies in order to tackle health and Inequalities proposed through
United Kingdom’s government.

REFERENCES
Books and Journal
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