On its website, NHS England defines health inequalities as “unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population, and between different groups within society”.
As an illustration, the Health Foundation said in 2022 that a 60-year-old woman in the poorest areas of England has a level of ‘diagnosed illness’ equivalent to that of a woman of 76 in the wealthiest areas.
“Their desire and innovation could shift the dial on health inequalities, be it at national, regional and local level”
Inequalities are commonly highlighted, and rightly so, as key factors requiring action to help those directly affected and, ultimately, improve the overall health of the nation and to build a fairer society.
For example, they are regularly cited, almost as a given, in school geography textbooks and major government reports, alike, as something that needs to be reduced.
Sadly, such routine mentions largely seem to be just a tick box exercise and are simply words on a page that sound academically sage but do not result any positive change for those affected.
This was aptly demonstrated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which NHS England itself acknowledged had “shone a harsh light on some of the health and wider inequalities that persist in our society”.
Having said all that, I believe there is always hope. Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of nurses and midwives who are making a real difference through their leadership.
I was invited to attend an event hosted by the Florence Nightingale Foundation and HCA Healthcare UK to celebrate alumni from the former’s Windrush Leadership Programme.
In total, nine inspiring presentations were given at the event in London by alumni from the programme, which has been running now for six years.
Speakers included Oluwaseyi Akinlaja, Ross Anderson, Fritz Espedido, Trish Tsuro, Esther Omotosho, Christinah Makondo, Sanjithkumar Nair, Ruth Wall and Kendra Schneller.
These nurses and midwives are all role models and leaders, each in their own way bringing about improvements for their patients.
All are brilliant but I’d like to flag Kendra Schneller, a nurse practitioner who works with underserved communities such as people experiencing homelessness, refugee and asylum seekers.
I first met her in 2023 when she featured on a list of 75 nurses and midwives selected by Nursing Times, because they have contributed in a significant way to the service or are rising stars.
My main role at the event, however, was to chair a panel debate on the nurse and midwife role in reducing health inequalities in the next 20 years from a national policy and local perspective.
A weighty and important topic that sparked many strong views and powerful reflections from both the audience and my panellists. To boil it down, there was hope but many challenges to overcome.
Thank you to my panel of Kendra, North East London ICB nursing director Marsha Jones, and national maternity lead Wendy Olayiwola and director of nursing Liz Fenton, both at NHS England.
There was general agreement, I think, that there had been some progress in recent decades on reducing inequalities at local level, though nowhere near enough.
Looking ahead, however, nurses and midwives clearly do have the potential to play a crucial role if given the right backing and opportunities. They represent the largest clinical group in the NHS.
Their desire and innovation could shift the dial on health inequalities, be it at national, regional and local level. But to do so, they need far more support, funding and, more importantly, more of them.
Steve Ford, editor, Nursing Times