'Discuss and explain what social inequalities in health care are and include how they come about and manifest in health care.'
Introduction:
Social inequalities in health can be defined as the extent to which there are differences, in the standard of wellbeing, amongst a group or population. These differences can be related to people’s lifestyles and working environments. They are deemed ‘inequalities’ because they are classed as being avoidable or unnecessary (WHO 2016). In England, the cost of treating problems arising from health inequalities has been estimated to cost at least £5.5 billion annually, demonstrating how inequalities have come to manifest in healthcare and how they are a public health issue (Frontier Economics, 2010). Public Health England (2010) defines public health as being an initiative brought
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To understand how to reduce these imparities, they need to be identified. The purpose of this essay is to explore what these inequalities are and how they have come to manifest in health care. This will be done through addressing subjects such as economic status, accessibility for service users, gender and ethnicity.
How have Inequalities Come to Manifest in Healthcare?
There are clear differences in quality of health between social classes. In England there is a large gap between the wealthiest in the population and those with who are most deprived. The impact of poverty on a populations standard of living has been demonstrated through data collected by the Office for National Statistics (2011). It has been highlighted in their reports that people living the poorest areas