{"id":10966,"date":"2026-03-23T12:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T12:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/?p=10966"},"modified":"2026-03-23T13:26:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:26:53","slug":"a-perfect-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/a-perfect-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"A perfect storm – health inequalities and the impact of COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Health inequalities are largely due to the unfair and unjust inequalities in society in which people are born, live, work and age.<\/p>\n

The unequal distribution of the social determinants of health, such as education, housing and employment, drives inequalities in physical and mental health, reduces an individual\u2019s ability to prevent sickness, or to take action and access treatment when ill health occurs. These inequalities are complex and embedded in society but they are also preventable. The dimensions of inequality are complex and overlapping as represented in the\u00a0overlapping dimensions of health inequalities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Health inequalities such as deprivation, low income and poor housing have always meant poorer health, reduced quality of life and early death for many people. The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly exposed how these existing inequalities – and the interconnections between them such as race, gender or geography, are associated with an increased risk of becoming ill with a disease such as COVID-19 (Coronavirus (COVID-19) Related Deaths by Ethnic Group, England and Wales: 2 March 2020 to 15 May 2020<\/a>;\u00a0Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Importantly, as a result of the pandemic, we are all more aware of what is meant by health inequalities and the ways in which they impact on people\u2019s lives. Therefore, it is vital to act now and drive forward work programmes that reduce inequalities, prevent poor health and improve people\u2019s opportunities for better health. It is vital too that the structural inequalities in our society \u2013 unemployment, overcrowded housing, and a lack of green space, as a few examples, are tackled because it is changes at the root cause that will reduce health inequalities in the long term.<\/p>\n

One of the positive outcomes of COVID-19 has been the explosion of access to services online. In the main this has been received positively by residents. They have attended consultations online via phone or zoom calls, with GPs, nurses and sexual health clinics. It has enabled people to obtain contraception, medicines and advice. However, the downside of this for say young people living at home, is the potential lack of privacy (medicines arriving via the post or consultations being overheard), while for those who are not equipped with access to the internet, are excluded altogether from this new type of access.<\/p>\n

Local government, aware of the circumstances of so many of their residents, is focussing on reducing these inequalities, working with the wider health system to enable recovery from the pandemic and to build sustainable and healthier futures.<\/p>\n

This overarching briefing will describe the national literature on COVID-19 risk factors and the evidence to date on inequalities, drawing out key themes. It will examine both the impact of COVID-19 on inequalities and the impact of the pandemic restrictions on inequality. It will explore what steps councils are taking to reduce those inequalities.<\/p>\n

Each of the supplementary briefings will examine these key themes in greater detail, introducing case studies from local authorities around the country that offer ideas and opportunities for supporting residents and reducing some of those inequalities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Health inequalities: Learning disabilities and COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n

For people with an intellectual and development disability, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a traumatic loss of routine, activities and contact with family and carers that was hard to understand and to cope with.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Health inequalities: Mental health and COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n

COVID-19 and resultant restrictions disrupted and routines, activities and relationships that we all rely on to manage our mental health day-to-day.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Health inequalities: Deprivation, poverty and COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n

The unequal impact of the coronavirus in our communities can be measured by rates of mortality among the most deprived. Deprivation underpins almost all inequalities.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Health inequalities: Age, gender and COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age is a significant risk factor for COVID-19 mortality. This is due in large part to physiological changes that come with ageing.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Health inequalities: Ethnicity and COVID-19<\/strong><\/p>\n

It became clear early in the pandemic that ethnicity was a factor in both the impact and outcome of the disease.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

What local government is doing<\/h3>\n

There is wide recognition that a system wide approach is required to have an impact on the severity of health inequalities people face. Joint working between the civil, service and community sectors as illustrated below\u00a0can enable system wide impact. Health inequalities are now on the agenda of every integrated care system as they bring together partners from health, social care, the voluntary sector and public health.<\/p>\n

View the\u00a0components of the population intervention triangle<\/a>\u00a0in Place based approaches for reducing health inequalities.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>References<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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  1. Office for National Statistics,\u00a0Coronavirus (COVID-19) Related Deaths by Ethnic Group, England and Wales: 2 March 2020 to 15 May 2020<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Public Health England,\u00a0Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19<\/a>\u00a0GOV.UK,\u00a02020<\/li>\n
  3. Bambra C, et al. J Epidemiol Community Health 2020,\u00a0The COVID-19 pandemic and health inequalities<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Marmot, Health Foundation,\u00a0Build Back Fairer:\u00a0The COVID-10 Marmot Review<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Centre for Economic Performance,\u00a0COVID-19 and the self-employed: Six months into the crisis<\/a>\u00a02020<\/li>\n
  6. Johnson P, Joyce, R, Platt, L, (2021) IFS Deaton\u00a0Review of Inequalities: A New Year\u2019s message<\/a>; Institute for Fiscal Studies, Nuffield Foundation<\/li>\n
  7. Office for National Statistics,\u00a0Why Have Black and South Asian People Been Hit Hardest by COVID-19?<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Carers UK (2020)\u00a0Caring behind closed doors: six months on<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. WHO (2020)\u00a0Gender and COVID-19 Advocacy Brief<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Global Health 5050, (International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)\u00a0The Sex, Gender and COVID-19 project<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Griffith DM, Sharma G, Holliday CS, Enyia OK, Valliere M, Semlow AR, et al.\u00a0Men and COVID-19: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Understanding Sex Differences in Mortality and Recommendations for Practice and Policy Interventions<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. PHE (2019)\u00a0Place based approaches for reducing health inequalities<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. Office for National Statistics,\u00a0Coronavirus (COVID-19) Related Deaths by Occupation, England and Wales – Office for National Statistics<\/a><\/li>\n
  14. Office of National Statistics \u201cCoronavirus (COVID-19)\u00a0Related Deaths by Ethnic Group, England and Wales: 2 March 2020 to 15 May 2020<\/a><\/li>\n
  15. Runneymede Trust\u00a0Overexposed and under-protected the devastating impact of COVID-19 on BME communities<\/a><\/li>\n
  16. PHE (2020)\u00a0COVID-19 deaths of people identified as having learning disabilities<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    Source: This content was originally published by the LGA<\/a>. All credit goes to the original author.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142,144,130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-10-20-mins","category-advanced","category-what-are-health-inequalities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10966"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10975,"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10966\/revisions\/10975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourdorset.org.uk\/inequalities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}