The Inequalities in Health Alliance (IHA) is a coalition of more than 250 organisations, convened by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), which campaigns for a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities. This guest blog post by Amy Murgatroyd, senior policy officer at the British Heart Foundation, is part of a series by IHA member organisations.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the UK’s biggest killers – accounting for nearly 500 deaths every day, with higher mortality rates experienced by the poorest communities. CVD is also an enormous drain on the UK economy, costing £30bn each year, and is one of the leading causes of people leaving the workforce early due to ill health. It impacts the poorer parts of the country more, as rates of economic inactivity follow the general trend of regional deprivation in the UK.
British Heart Foundation (BHF) has long been sounding the alarm on CVD inequalities. Earlier this year, we published a major report entitled Bridging Hearts, which explored the role of deprivation, sex and ethnicity on CVD outcomes. Our report shows that inequities in people’s access to the tools and resources needed for good heart health are endemic. From differences in access to healthy food or support to stop smoking, to patients’ interactions with the healthcare system, these inequalities are present across prevention, treatment and follow-up. For example, when it comes to prevention, we know that many of the key risk factors for CVD, such as obesity and smoking, are more prevalent in more deprived communities, but access to healthy food or support to quit smoking is worse. Through insights gained from interviews with heart patients, we also show that where a patient lives, their ethnicity and their sex can affect their experiences of cardiac services in the NHS. Patients have told us of their struggles to feel heard, believed and prioritised by the healthcare system.
Our report puts forward a number of recommendations for how inequalities in CVD should be addressed by the UK government and NHS systems – from ensuring adequate and equitable funding for public health, to improving the provision of culturally sensitive and accessible health information and support. Across all of our recommendations, however, it is clear that a cross-government approach is an essential catalyst for meaningful change. When the current government came into power, it pledged to deliver ‘a new way of doing government that is more joined up’. This would primarily be achieved through the implementation of a Mission Delivery Board, designed to ‘bring together all departments with an influence over the social determinants of health’, but so far any evidence of the board’s work has been held from public view. Now, with reports indicating that government may be stepping away from its mission-driven approach altogether, the initial dedication to a cross-government approach to health and the wider determinants could be at risk.
But, as a sector, we can use our collective voice to ensure this remains a key priority for government.
Many of the systemic inequalities highlighted in our report are mirrored across other long-term conditions. As a longstanding member of the Inequalities in Health Alliance, BHF understands the impact that such coalitions can have on government’s policy priorities. As a sector, we must continue to sound the alarm on the need for coordinated action to improve public health and reduce inequalities.
This piece is part of a series of guest blog posts by members of the Inequalities in Health Alliance.
Amy Murgatroyd
Senior policy officer, British Heart Foundation
