Health Inequalities
Health Inequalities are avoidable and unfair differences in access to health, and experiences and outcomes of health.
Things that sometimes impact health inequalities include:
- Socio-economic status and deprivation, eg, unemployed, low income, people living in deprived areas (eg, poor housing, poor education and/or unemployment)
- Protected characteristics, eg, age, sex, race, sexual orientation, disability
- Vulnerable groups of society sometimes known as ‘inclusion health’ groups but that might include people who are vulnerable, migrants, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, rough sleepers and homeless people and night/sex workers.
Dorset Health Inequalities Group
The group leading the Health Inequalities Programme for the Dorset ICS is made up of focused, committed individuals who are setting out to create conditions in all our services to improve access, reduce gaps and develop new solutions to support health equity.
Protected Characteristics
The protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination), pregnancy and maternity, race—this includes ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality, religion or belief—this includes lack of belief, sex, sexual orientation.
ED&I
Equality, diversity and inclusion.
Inclusion Health groups
Inclusion Health has been used to define a number of groups of people who are not usually well provided for by healthcare services, and have poorer access, experiences and health outcomes. The definition covers people who are homeless and rough sleepers, vulnerable migrants (refugees and asylum seekers), sex workers, and those from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
Health Promotion
Enabling people to increase their control over their health.
Equality
Being equal in status, rights, or opportunities.
Equity
Distinct from equality, equity acknowledges that people do not all start from the same position, and therefore makes adjustments to imbalances.
Population Health
The overall health of a society, community or population, including the distribution of health in the group.
Proportionate Universalism
Is the delivering of services proportionate to the level of need. Services are universally available and are able to adjust to the level of need.
Social Determinants of Health
These are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. The determinants also cover the wider forces that shape this, like economics, environment, social policies and politics.
Social gradient
The linear decrease in health that coincides with decreasing social position.