Addressing healthcare inequalities in a COVID-19 world
COVID-19 continues to challenge public health and healthcare systems both here in the UK and around the world as we brave one of the most difficult winters the NHS has ever faced. Cases and infection rates are currently rising, causing the UK to once again go into lockdown as many hospitals and trusts are being overwhelmed. We must continue to work together to do all that we can to support the NHS and stabilise its resilience. This urgently demands our focussed attention.
Even as we put our shoulders against the wheel we must also remember that with this New Year comes hope, delivered through the multiple vaccinations now being approved for roll-out and an ambitious timetable to inoculate the most vulnerable. While we need to remain vigilant about the potential for changes in the virus’s structure, there is currently a plan to bring us closer to the life we were leading before the first outbreak of the pandemic.
It will be tempting to embrace any new liberties with full enthusiasm. I myself have a list of activities that I’m looking forward to once again. However, even with the vaccine programme our relationship with COVID-19 won’t formally end. As I have previously commented, we need to accept and prepare our healthcare systems for a longer term relationship with this virus than we would like. Chris Witty, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) also highlighted this sentiment in his Annual Report [PDF], stating the COVID-19 pandemic is “likely to have an impact on public health globally, in the UK, and in England specifically, for many years”.
This emphasises an important conversation that needs to be had as we look to the future of the NHS and caring for our population within the legacy of this pandemic: the stark truth that health and social inequalities have intensified as a result of COVID-19.
Developing new methods of partnerships to improve patient outcomes
Sir Michael Marmot highlights in his report Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review that reducing health inequalities, including those exacerbated by the pandemic, requires “long-term policies with equity at the heart.”
A powerful example of this in action is through the development of rapid pathways to diagnosis and the creation of a network of elective Community Diagnostic Hubs (CDHs), which have been previously proposed by the Richards Report ‘Diagnostics: Recovery and Renewal’[i].
These “hubs” are set to overhaul the way diagnostic services, such as MR scans and X-rays, are traditionally delivered, by moving them away from hospital settings and into the community, for example on the high street or GP Surgeries.
CDHs will create local and easily accessible touchpoints for patients, minimising their need to attend hospitals focussed on the treatment of COVID-19 and established non-COVID illnesses. This will also ensure increased patient access, while protecting the NHS by reducing the burden on acute hospital sites.
This highlights how providers, government, industry and other stakeholders can come together to address fundamental gaps in our healthcare system and bring services closer to those who need it most.
Embedding digital technologies into the NHS to bolster patient care
In his annual report, Chris Witty highlighted that “there is evidence that people with medical emergencies, for example cardiovascular disease, stayed away from hospitals when presentation as an emergency would have been in their health interests.”
This chimes with findings from our collaborative report with researchers from Imperial College London, ‘Reducing Healthcare Inequality and Enhancing the NHS’[PDF], which indicates that waiting times for diagnostics, consultant-led treatment and cancer treatment have all been impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given the critical situation faced by the NHS, it is essential that regional radiology and pathology hubs are quickly rolled out, supported by state-of-the-art digital technology to improve the efficiency and safety of care delivered to patients.
By enabling an offsite senior radiologist to sit in remote Radiology Command Centres managing scans as they are conducted across several locations, we can also help mitigate the need for an unmanageable number of resources across the country. This will ensure every patient has access to the latest innovations in healthcare.
Access to healthcare is a fundamental right for all
The evidence is clear: The COVID-19 pandemic has added additional strains on the health and social care system and exacerbated the challenges faced by deprived communities.
Environmental issues, such as poor housing, air pollution and climate change, place additional burdens on vulnerable groups during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic – and it’s vital we take the steps needed to address these now.
At Philips UKI, we believe that technology has the potential to future-proof the NHS. However, we must work collaboratively to ensure that every patient, or their carer, can access this and that new technologies are adopted quickly by clinicians.
By ensuring that digital technologies come of age, we can unlock the wealth of benefits they can bring to both patients and the healthcare system, while also combating the inequalities that persist across our nation.
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UK&I Marketing Manager- Signify (Formerly known as Philips Lighting)
3 年Great article - would be interested to see if technologies such as UV-C lighting will be adopted to help control the spread of viruses & bacteria in Health care facilities - if anyone is keen to know more about UV-C please let me know #signify #philipslighting #uvcdisinfection
Helping organisations drive their AI initiatives
3 年Really interesting article on many fronts. The idea of taking things such as MRIs out of hospitals and onto the high street is particularly interesting at a time when the high Street is struggling. As well as freeing up valuable hospital space and separating this service could this repurpose many unused buildings? Could it even increase footfall to the high street?