Socioeconomic Factors and Healthcare Access in the UK: A Report

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This report analyzes health promotion strategies in the UK.

Empowering Service Users in the UK to promote good health
1

Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
Task 1............................................................................................................................................3
Task 2..........................................................................................................................................12
Task 3..........................................................................................................................................15
Task 4..........................................................................................................................................17
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................20
References..................................................................................................................................21
2

Introduction
Healthcare services must be centred on service users in order to provide a good quality of
health and social care services. The implementation of policies in healthcare is a complex
process as it needs to consider the perspective of the care users. In the present study, a
detailed discussion about the services of health and social care in order to empower the service
users is done in detail. The models, techniques and government policies in order to achieve the
quality in health care are also highlighted in the study. The study revolves around the
perspective of a refugee family residing in UK and the methods by which they can attain good
health services.
Task 1
“Explain the effects of socio-economic influences on health”
The social determinants of health care are the social and economical factors that may influence
health care policies. The determinants include various factors that may have an impact on the
health of people like Rajesh and Shubha are facing many economic and social barriers in order
to receive health care services. The factors that may affect the health and social care of such
vulnerable people are as follows:
Status of Income: Income of people is the most important factor that may affect the quality of
healthcare they can receive. Families of individuals like Rajesh and Shubha are not financially
stable so, they might not get the proper access to healthcare as compared to families with better
financial status. Gap between the income statuses determines the difference in the healthcare
services that people will receive.
Education: The education helps people to understand the healthcare services and may affect
their level of confidence. In the given case scenario, Rajesh and Shubha are not educated that
influences their approach towards the health and social care services. Rajesh due to lack of
education is unable to communicate with the service providers which is causing a linguistic
barrier.
Employment: Unemployment is the most significant reason due to which the individuals have
to suffer from financial instability. The people having employment can get access to appropriate
3

health and social care services. In the present context, Rajesh and Shubha have not been able
to get employment in UK which is the main issue that is causing them financial trouble. Lack in
employment can be considered as a reason due to which they are unable to get proper health
and social care.
Genetics: Genetics is one of the reasons which may cause health issues in people. People
may inherit certain health problems that may affect them in future. For example, Rajesh and
Shubha belong to a culture where obesity is a sign of wealth and prosperity. This can affect their
health condition and may result in several health issues.
Lifestyle of individuals: The lifestyle of people can determine their health condition and also
the health care services they may need. Some families like Rajesh and Shubha may lack in
physical activities and spend most of their times indoor. This may be the reason for severe
health problems as the children are not allowed to spend time in outdoor due to dangerous
neighbourhood.
Food Habits: The type of food habits may also lead to health issues. Due to unemployment and
financial issue, Rajesh and Shubha mostly rely on the fast food and fizzy drinks. This is also a
significant factor that may affect the health of the family.
The family is suffering from recent cuts by the government in the income of the family. The
inability to secure employment and the difference in the culture has been affecting the health of
the family. The body mass index (BMI) of the children has been a concern for their health. The
family also has a new born male child and the health of the newborn infant can also be affected
due to the social determinants like lifestyle and employment.
4

5
Lifestyle of individuals: The lifestyle
of people can determine their health
condition and also the health care
services they may need. Some
families like Rajesh and Shubha may
lack in physical activities and spend
most of their times indoor.
Food Habits: The type of food habits
may also lead to health issues. Due
to unemployment and financial issue,
Rajesh and Shubha mostly rely on
the fast food and fizzy drinks.
The body mass index (BMI) of the
children has been a concern for their
health. The family also has a new
born male child and the health of the
newborn infant can also be affected
due to the social determinants like
lifestyle and employment.
Employment: Unemployment is the
most significant reason due to which
the individuals have to suffer from
financial instability. The people
having employment can get access
to appropriate health and social care
services. In the present context,
Rajesh and Shubha have not been
able to get employment in UK which
is the main issue that is causing
them financial trouble.
Genetics: Genetics is one of the
reasons which may cause health
issues in people. People may inherit
certain health problems that may
affect them in future.
Status of Income: Income of people
is the most important factor that may
affect the quality of healthcare they
can receive. Families of individuals
like Rajesh and Shubha are not
financially stable so, they might not
get the proper access to healthcare as
compared to families with better
financial status.
Education: The education helps
people to understand the healthcare
services and may affect their level of
confidence. In the given case
scenario, Rajesh and Shubha are not
educated that influences their
approach towards the health and
social care services
For Q1

“Assess the relevance of government sources in reporting on inequalities in health”
Inequality in health can be affected by certain factors like community, individual and government
policies. The unequal health condition is a major concern in UK due to the increment in
refugee’s family. The government has been trying to introduce new legislations like Health and
Social Care Act 2012 to reduce the inequalities in the health and social care that is being
provided to people. The analysis has been performed to understand the result of the health of
citizens of UK (Coyne, 2015). The sources have identified that life expectancy of people of UK
have been decreased by around 6.9 years due to health issues. The sources also suggest that
almost 60% of the people are suffering from diabetes, which is the most prime health issue of
UK. The studies are as follows:
Acheson Report
This report was published in 1988 according to which the mortality rates of the citizen of UK
have been declining in the last few years due to health issues. The inequalities in health of
people has also widened where people living in the most deprived areas of the country has
been raised in number. The report has made certain recommendations in order to overcome
these problems in the context of health care. The recommendations are as follows:
● The policies made by the government must decrease the inequalities in regard of health
care (Deehan and Wylie, 2018).
● The families that have children need to be prioritized as they are the most vulnerable
care seekers.
● The inequalities in the term of income of the families also need to be reduced by
introducing certain legislations like Equal Pay Act
● The lifestyle of the people along with their standard of living needs to be improved by the
government.
These recommendations may help people like Rajesh and Shubha. They may need support of
government in order to acquire financial stability. The lifestyle also needs to be improved as the
family has been dependent on fast food and fizzy drinks. Owing to bad neighbourhood, the
children of the family are restricted from going outdoors. This also needs to be considered by
the government. Government needs to help the families to improve their health condition.
The Black Report
This report was published in 1980 which describes the health of the people of UK and the
inequalities in health conditions in different social class. The report highlights four methods that
6

can help to identify the reasons due to which the socio-economic gap of the people is widening
in terms of health:
Artefact: The widening gap in the health of the people can be determined by the analysis of
statistics and data that can be gathered with the help of information from the health care
organisation. The death certificates issued can be helpful in this context as the age and reason
of death of certain people can be identified (Fullwood et al., 2018). A person can be described in
differently in different statistics for example the family of Rajesh and Shubha are identified as
immigrants and they are provided by council house by the government but their financial
position is not determined which is also very significant to be considered.
Social Selection: The social position can be determined with the help of certain elements like
the areas where the family are living and the income they are acquiring (Johnson et al., 2018).
The gap in social status of people is one of the reasons in unequal health services they receive.
The government must help the family of Rajesh and Shubha to get employment so that they can
enhance their social position.
Behaviour: The behaviour of a person or family can also be a determining factor in health
issues (Luchenski et al., 2018). Families living in the most deprived areas have unhealthy
lifestyle or behaviour as they rely mostly on fast food and unhealthy drinks. This behaviour can
damage the health of the families like Rajesh and Shubha.
Material Circumstances: Families of the individuals like Rajesh and Shubha have limited
amount of materials that can help them to overcome their poverty. The resources like money
and other such materials in the family are not up to the mark which can be a reason that may
affect their health and mental state. The new born child of the family needs to be provided with
materialistic benefits so that they do not suffer from health issues in the future.
Independent Enquiry
This enquiry was held in 2008, which includes public consultation and their feedbacks on the
viewpoint of some witnesses and stakeholders. In the inquiry, it has been concluded that the
people with disabilities are subjected to certain risks due to the failure of making certain
“reasonable adjustment” in services that are required to be done under the Disability
Discrimination Act. The report also highlights the essential recommendations that the
organisations of healthcare need to follow in order to incorporate the adjustments and eliminate
the inequalities in health issues. The recommendations are as follows:
7

● Incorporation of wider determinants in regard of health cares so that families of different
social backgrounds can be included.
● The policies developed by the government should not be only disease oriented but for all
round development of lifestyle of people. This can reduce the health issues that may
arise in the future.
● The policies should not only be dominated by National Health Service or health care but
must include social improvement of people.
● The policies of health care must comprise of the measure of both long term outcomes
and short term processes (Macaulay et al., 2018).
● The local priorities also need to be considered in the policies for entire nation.
In order to improve the living conditions of Rajesh and Shubha, the government needs to
promote mechanisms that include regular evaluation of their health and social conditions.
8

9
For Q2
Inequality in health can be affected by
certain factors like community,
individual and government policies.
The unequal health condition is a
major concern in UK due to the
increment in refugee’s family. The
government has been trying to
introduce new legislations like Health
and Social Care Act 2012 to reduce
the inequalities in the health and
social care that is being provided to
people.
These recommendations may help
people like Rajesh and Shubha. They
may need support of government in
order to acquire financial stability. The
lifestyle also needs to be improved as
the family has been dependent on fast
food and fizzy drinks.
The widening gap in the health of the
people can be determined by the
analysis of statistics and data that
can be gathered with the help of
information from the health care
organisation. The death certificates
issued can be helpful in this context
as the age and reason of death of
certain people can be identified.
Families of the individuals like
Rajesh and Shubha have limited
amount of materials that can help
them to overcome their poverty. The
resources like money and other such
materials in the family are not up to
the mark which can be a reason that
may affect their health and mental
state.
This enquiry was held in 2008, which
includes public consultation and their
feedbacks on the viewpoint of some
witnesses and stakeholders. In the
inquiry, it has been concluded that
the people with disabilities are
subjected to certain risks due to the
failure of making certain “reasonable
adjustment” in services that are
required to be done under the
Disability Discrimination Act. The
report also highlights the essential
recommendations that the
organisations of healthcare need to
follow in order to incorporate the
adjustments and eliminate the
inequalities in health issues.

“Discuss reason for barriers to accessing healthcare”
A study called “Doctors of the World” can help to determine the reasons that create barriers for
vulnerable people like Rajesh and Shubha in order to access health care. It can be observed
from the study that almost 39% of the individuals who visit a general practitioner (GP) are
refused to register in healthcare organisations due to certain barriers. The reasons and barriers
that can affect the healthcare of the people like Rajesh and Shubha are as follows:
● Difference in culture: Rajesh and Shubha belong to Hindu culture due to which they
can feel alienated from the people living in UK. The belief of the concerned family is that
being obese is a sign of wealth and prosperity. This can be a barrier in getting access to
proper healthcare for the concerned family.
● Difference in language: Rajesh has little knowledge in English and the interpreter
service provided by the government for no cost has been cut off. This causes a barrier in
proper communication and transfer of information between the service providers and
Rajesh.
● Unemployment: The concerned family have been not able to find employment in UK.
This resulted in financial instability of the family and therefore is a barrier in accessing
proper healthcare services.
● Lack in Benefits: The concerned family used to get certain benefits like council home,
financial benefits and free of cost interpreter. The government has made certain cuts
due to which these benefits are no longer provided to Rajesh and Shubha. This has also
been a barrier for the family to get access to health care.
10

11
For Q3
A study called “Doctors of the World”
can help to determine the reasons
that create barriers for vulnerable
people like Rajesh and Shubha in
order to access health care. It can be
observed from the study that almost
39% of the individuals who visit a
general practitioner (GP) are refused
to register in healthcare organisations
due to certain barriers
Rajesh and Shubha belong to Hindu
culture due to which they can feel
alienated from the people living in UK.
The belief of the concerned family is
that being obese is a sign of wealth
and prosperity.
Rajesh has little knowledge in
English and the interpreter service
provided by the government for no
cost has been cut off. This causes a
barrier in proper communication and
transfer of information between the
service providers and Rajesh.
The concerned family have been not
able to find employment in UK. This
resulted in financial instability of the
family and therefore is a barrier in
accessing proper healthcare
services
The concerned family used to get
certain benefits like council home,
financial benefits and free of cost
interpreter. The government has
made certain cuts due to which these
benefits are no longer provided to
Rajesh and Shubha. This has also
been a barrier for the family to get
access to health care.
A person can be described in
differently in different statistics for
example the family of Rajesh and
Shubha are identified as immigrants
and they are provided by council
house by the government but their
financial position is not determined
which is also very significant to be
considered.

Task 2
Introduction
The essay highlights the models that can be used for health promotion and also the link
between the models and strategies that needs to be implemented by the government. It also
discusses about the roles of various health care professionals along with the role of routine that
can promote healthy lifestyle in the concerned family.
Discussion
“Analyse the links between government strategies and models of health promotion”
There are several models that can be implemented to achieve health promotions. The models
can help the service providers in order to maintain a good quality health services. They are as
follows:
Beattie’s Model: This model is used to analyse the social and cultural norms of a country that
can affect the health promotion of that particular country. The strategy in the context of health
promotion can be developed with the help of this model. The model consists of basically four
quadrants that can help to identify the methods to implement health promotion (O’Rourke et al.,
2018).
The model includes personalising counselling and communal development, which can help the
service providers with knowledge in order improve the quality of healthcare (McCaffrey, 2018).
Personal counselling is the method to empower the individuals who seek care services.
Community development is based on helping the community instead of an individual. This
model can be very useful to serve vulnerable families comprising of the individuals Rajesh and
Shubha as it can help them to understand the services that are being provided. As the
community development can help the concerned family to feel secure and they can share their
belief with others who have same cultural belief so that they can empathize with each other.
“Social Cognitive Theory”
This theory can be helpful to observe the health related issues on the basis of social activities of
the family. The two stages are as follows:
12