Child Mortality and Social Deprivation

Child Mortality and Social Deprivation
National Child Mortality Database 13 May 2021

• This report, which is based on data for children who died between April 2019 and March 2020 in England, finds a clear association between the risk of child death and the level of deprivation (for all categories of death except cancer). More specifically, Child Mortality and Social Deprivation states that over a fifth of all child deaths might be avoided if children living in the most deprived areas had the same mortality risk as those living in the least deprived – which translates to over 700 fewer children dying per year in England.

The Data Divide

The Data Divide
Ada Lovelace Institute 25 March 2021

• Public attitudes to tackling social and health inequalities in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
• Findings of a telephone-based, nationally representative survey of 2,023 UK British adults, to explore public attitudes towards a range of technologies deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic for health outcomes, including mental and physical-health apps, symptom-tracking apps, digital contact-tracing apps and vaccine passports.

Data modelling tool can forecast vulnerability of local populations to COVID-19

Data modelling tool can forecast vulnerability of local populations to COVID-19
NIHR 11 February 2021

• Researchers have analysed 6,789 small areas in England and assessed the association between COVID-19 mortality in each area and five vulnerability measures relating to ethnicity, poverty, and prevalence of long-term health conditions, living in care homes and living in overcrowded housing. They developed a Small Area Vulnerability Index (SAVI) modelling tool, which forecasts the vulnerability of the local population to the virus.

Equity, health inequality and quality improvement

Equity, health inequality and quality improvement Discussion Paper
Healthcare Improvement Scotland December 2020

• This paper was developed as an internal working document to inform discussions around QI planning and measurement within Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
• See Equity, health inequality and quality improvement [blog] Health Foundation 3 February 2021
Q member, Sharon Wiener-Ogilvie shares Healthcare Improvement Scotland's recent work around incorporating inequalities into QI work.

Ethnicity, race and inequality in the UK

Ethnicity, Race and Inequality in the UK
Policy Press 2020

• A free to download commentary by some of the UK’s foremost scholars of race and ethnicity on data relating to a wide range of sectors of society, including employment, health, education, criminal justice, housing and representation in the arts and media. 
• Chapter 4 Health inequalities by Karen Chouhan and JamesNazroo p73-92

Ethnicity and clinical outcomes in COVID-19

Ethnicity and clinical outcomes in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Lancet 12 November 2020 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100630

• Analysis of data from 50 studies (8 UK) found that individuals of Black and Asian ethnicity are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection compared to White individuals; Asians may be at higher risk of ITU admission and death. These findings are of critical public health importance in informing interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality amongst ethnic minority groups.

Scaling COVID-19 against inequalities

Scaling COVID-19 against inequalities: should the policy response consistently match the mortality challenge?
J Epidemiol Community Health 03 November 2020. doi: 10.1136/jech-2020-214373

• The mortality impact of COVID-19 has thus far been described in terms of crude death counts. This research aimed to calibrate the scale of the modelled mortality impact of COVID-19 using age-standardised mortality rates and life expectancy contribution against other, socially determined, causes of death in order to inform governments and the public.

Key elements of a successful integrated community-based approach aimed at reducing socioeconomic health inequalities in the Netherlands: A qualitative study

Key elements of a successful integrated community-based approach aimed at reducing socioeconomic health inequalities in the Netherlands: A qualitative study. 

PLoS ONE 15(10): e0240757. 20 October 2020 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240757

• Since 2010, the Zwolle Healthy City approach, an integrated community-based approach, has been implemented in the Dutch municipality of Zwolle. This approach is proven successful in reducing health inequalities. The current study identified nine perceived key elements that contributed to the success of the approach.

COVID-19 and Inequalities: Levelling-up in our post-pandemic future

COVID-19 and Inequalities: Levelling-up in our post-pandemic future
NIHR 16 October 2020

• Recording of a one-hour seminar explores how existing health inequalities and social determinants of health are interacting with COVID-19 to create a Syndemic Pandemic effect – where we are witnessing closely intertwined and mutually enhancing health and social determinants combining to exacerbate the impact of COVID-19. 

Health service use in the last two years of life

Health service use in the last two years of life
The Strategy Unit October 2020

• A series of reports that describe the health services that patients use in the last 2 years of their lives. Reports are available for the Midlands region as a whole and for each of the 11 Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP) or Integrated Care Systems in the region.
• The reports contain important insights into
• the services that patients use,
• how the patterns of service use change as patients approach death,
• differences in experience by ethnicity, deprivation and cause of death
• the costs of hospital treatment at the end of life and how this varies by STP
• levels of non-beneficial treatments
• the additional hospital capacity that may be required to accommodate the projected increase in deaths over the next decade

Health Equity Assessment Tool (HEAT)

Health Equity Assessment Tool (HEAT)
PHE 24 September 2020

• HEAT is a practical framework that enables multiple audiences to systematically embed action on health inequalities and equalities in their work programme or service. The resources include case studies demonstrating practical application of the tool and the main benefits of applying it in different work areas.
• Accompanied by an e-learning module to equip professionals with essential skills for undertaking a HEAT assessment.

Women, BAME and rural physicians struggle to access research

Women, BAME and rural physicians struggle to access research
Royal College of Physicians 27 August 2020

• A new survey from the Royal College of Physicians has found inequalities in access to research for women doctors, doctors from BAME backgrounds and those working in rural areas.

Internet access – households and individuals, Great Britain: 2020

Internet access – households and individuals, Great Britain: 2020
ONS latest update 7 August 2020

• Internet access in Great Britain, including how many people have internet access, what they use it for and online shopping. Based on a nationally representative sample of households in Great Britain. Includes:
• Table 6: Internet Activities, by Age Group, Sex and Disability Status, 2020
• "Looking for health-related information (eg injury, disease, nutrition, improving health etc)"
• Metrics added 2020 -
• "Making an appointment with a medical practitioner via a website or app"
• "Using other online health services via a website or app instead of having to go to the hospital or visit a doctor, for example getting a prescription or a consultation online"
• "Accessing personal health records online"

Height by deprivation decile in children aged 10 to 11

Height by deprivation decile in children aged 10 to 11
PHE 4 August 2020

• Ad-hoc analysis of child (aged 10 to 11 years) height by deprivation and ethnic group, calculated from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP).

Mapping and working with marginalised communities

Mapping and working with marginalised communities
Ambition for Ageing July 2020

• A workbook to guide you in identifying and supporting seldom heard communities in your neighbourhood. Part of A spatial approach to working with marginalised communities.

Digital inequalities during COVID-19

Offline and left behind: how digital exclusion has impacted health during the covid-19 pandemic

BMJ Opinion 3 July 2020

• Healthcare’s sudden transformation into an online service has come at a cost for many,

DevicesDotNow

Good Things Foundation 21 August 2020

• The DevicesDotNow campaign targeted digitally excluded households without access to the internet.
• The DevicesDotNow Interim Impact Report #3 End of Campaign Impact Report  looks at campaign activity between 24 March - 31 July. It outlines: our ambitions, our achievements to date, who we have reached, who we have yet to reach - and tells some of the stories from the people that have received devices.

Straddling the divide: Digital exclusion during COVID-19 and beyond
ILC 29 May 2020

• COVID-19 risks widening inequalities caused by digital exclusion, but also acts as a catalyst to accelerate digital inclusion efforts.  If digital exclusion, often associated with social exclusion and poor health, is not tackled, there is a risk that existing health inequalities could increase. But COVID-19 has also created a chance to address digital exclusion.
• See also: What are the implications of COVID-19 for digital exclusion and what happens next? [video] 18 June 2020

Exploring the vulnerability to COVID19 between communities in England

Exploring the vulnerability to COVID19 between communities in England
Place-based longitudinal data resource 18 June 2020

• Graphical association between mortality from COVID19 in each the 6,791 Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs) in England and the proportion of the population from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, income deprived, over 80 years old, living in care homes, living in overcrowded housing and having been admitted in the past 5 years for a chronic health condition.
• "Our findings indicate high levels of vulnerability to COVID19 are clustered within the North West, West Midlands and North East regions."