SH4007QA Introduction to Health and Social Care Assignment Sample

Introduction to Health and Social Care Assignment Sample

Health outcomes are significantly influenced due to social determinants; this is considered as the conditions, in which people live, work, grow and age. In Hackney, rate of cardiovascular disease among lower socio-economic background groups are high and this is specifically depicting about the existing disparities leading to create profound impact on health of vulnerable individuals (Jantuah, 2020). Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) prove to be topmost leading cause of death in Borough with significant variation links with socio-economic ethnicity, status and access to care. The present report will focus on income as a major key social determinant and accordingly, its economic deprivation affecting CVD prevalence and outcomes will be analysed. Moreover, policies and provisions undertaken in Hackney for combating CBD would be highlighted.

Demographic Profile

Hackney’s population is approximately 261,491 associated with diverse ethnic composition “21.1% Black, 6.8% Mixed, 10.4% Asian and 53.1% White British. Borough consists with young population; the gender distribution is balanced with significant female majority (Rosati, 2021). However, socio-economic data states that unemployment and economic inactivity creating significant issues and reflecting about underlying social inequalities. Housing affordability and quality is found to be persisting issues influencing wellbeing of individuals (Rosati, 2021). Life expectancy rate of individuals living in socially deprived areas is comparatively low and this is specifying about health inequalities observed within CVD prevalence and outcomes among different groups.

Health Issue

Cardiovascular disease found to be Primary Health concern in Hackney; the prevalence and risk severity in adults is approximately 1.9% for Coronary Heart Disease and for stroke it is 1.1%. Furthermore, it has been evident that high mortality rate from CVD involves 350 deaths on annual basis (Pritchard et al, 2023). The major risk factors are hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol that consistently leading to CVD in Hackney. This is specifically experienced by socially deprived areas due to broader health inequalities. Hence, CVD found to be major concern in Hackney and there is need to specify significant focus on this area so that appropriate measures could be taken (Pritchard et al, 2023). The social determinants of health are creating health disparities due to which people from socially deprived areas are not able to access quality health care services and the rates of CVD are high among them which further lead to severe complications and even it leads to death.

Health Inequalities

Health inequalities in Hackney can be manifested as differences within CVD outcomes across diverse group; it is significantly linked with socioeconomic status, access to healthcare and ethnicity. The Marmot review depicts that social determinants such as- housing and income create significant impact on health inequalities and act as a barrier in accessing quality healthcare services (Townsend et al, 2022). In Hackney socially deprived communities suffers from higher rates of CVD, ineffective management of risk factors and increasing mortality rates. Ethnic population has been facing these risks due to cultural factors, barriers in accessing services and socio-economic disadvantages. These inequalities are rooted within system as limited resource reduces the ability for adopting healthy lifestyle whilst, low health literacy is often leading to CVD cases (Powell-Wiley et al, 2022). It is important to address all of these components so that structural barriers faced by vulnerable groups can be reduced. Hence, it is important to take significant measures related to health inequalities so that quality and equitable care can be ensured too all groups.

Social Determinants Of Health

Social determinants of health are explicated as the conditions that impacts health outcomes of individuals; these are identified as non medical factors such as-income, employment, housing, social support and education (Javed et al, 2022). In Hackney, income is one of the critical determinants impacting ability of individuals in accessing healthy food, quality healthcare services and safe housing. Individuals with lower income levels are not able to access these services due to which the risk of CVD is high among them. Poor diet, lack of physical inactivity and higher stress level; all of these contributes in development of CVD. From the evidence it has been identified that socially and economic deprived areas facing issues in accessing quality healthcare services due to limited financial resources. For example- an individual with lack of financial stability lives in substandard housing that is further linked to increasing risk of cardiovascular disease; in such environment individuals are not aware about the importance of healthy eating or physical exercise (Violi et al, 2023). Thereby, it is important to adopt such intervention that targets these social determinants so that root cause behind the health issue can be addressed.

Policy Issues

National policies- “NHS Long Term Plan” focuses on preventing and managing CVD cases through integration of lifestyle modification, equitable access and early detection of disease (Cooksley et al, 2023). This plan specifically advocating community based intervention, personalised care and digital health tools incorporation for reducing mortality and hospital admissions. This plan also involves integration of multidisciplinary teams so that individuals living in socially deprived areas can be approached and awareness among them can be developed; these groups lacks in financial stability and due to which they are not able to afford quality healthcare services and therefore, this plan specifically focusing on these groups. However, critics often argue that this policy only focuses on clinical care and this is not effectively addressing social determinants such as housing and income which are fundamental issue. Moreover, the plan is not addressing the root cause behind the increasing cases of CVD (Cooksley et al, 2023). The Public Health Outcomes Framework advocating regarding integration of health among all policies and encouraging local authorities to integrate health awareness within urban planning, social services and employment. In Hackney local strategy- “Hackney Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2026” seeks to enhance healthcare services, community engagement and encouraging people to adopt healthy lifestyle (Hackney strategy, 2022). This local strategy aims to improve behavioural pattern of individuals so they can adopt healthy lifestyle as this supports them to combat severe risks and further reduces potential risk related to CVD.

However, the major challenges are aligned with transition of policy and practice; it needs to be assured that interventions are reaching to targeted population such as- “individuals living in deprived areas” (Hackney strategy, 2022). From the literature it has been evident that multifaceted policies that incorporates social, economic and healthcare initiatives collectively provides better outcomes and effectively approaches socially deprived areas while reducing healthcare disparities. Both of the policies that established on national and local level are lacking in approaching people from deprived areas and there is need to integrate comprehensive and robust mechanism that specifically focuses on these individuals. Thus, prior emphasis requires to be made on addressing social determinants of health so that root cause can be addressed and extent of CVD among vulnerable population can be reduced. In this manner, effective outcomes could be gained and further significant support to individual from all communities can be ensured.

Public Health Provision

Public health refers to the science of protecting and improving health of individuals and communities. The aim of public health is to protect people by implementing interventions and policies for promoting healthy behaviour and tackling diseases. In Hackney public health provision for combating CVD complies with “Healthier Together Hackney” program; this focuses on offering weight management, smoking cessation and physical activity services (Public Health Provision, 2023). This initiative aims to encourage healthy behaviour among individuals and specifically targets those groups who are at the risk of developing CVD. The programme significantly emphasise on supporting community and addressing health disparities so that people from lower socio-economic background can access quality healthcare services. Hence, the prior focus is implied on reducing existing healthcare disparities by supporting individuals from all backgrounds. The culturally tailored intervention particularly for vulnerable population supporting in accessing quality health care services and often developing awareness regarding importance of adopting healthy lifestyle.

The program undertakes community health checkups which facilitating early detection of disease and accordingly, timely intervention are taken. The early detection helps in identification of risk factors such as-high cholesterol and hypertension which leads to severe illnesses. Therefore, there is no doubt in depicting that timely detection supports in taking appropriate measures on time and the risk of CVD can be minimised (Public Health Provision, 2023) This programme specifically focuses on addressing social determinants such as-access to healthcare services and lifestyle factors. The health care disparities have been reduced through implementation of multidisciplinary teams and further, people are encouraged to adopt healthy behavioural pattern. However, there is still gap persisting in addressing broader determinants related to income and housing. This is influencing individual’s health behaviour in negative manner and further leading to huge risk exposure. Moreover, in order to ensure consistent implication of public health provision there is need to increase resource allocation specifically, in deprived and ethnically diverse communities so that equals support and care can be ensured to these communities (Public Health Provision, 2023). The Healthier Together Hackney Programme also focuses on supporting mental well-being of individuals and improves their self-esteem; this reduces the risk related to CVD. Poor mental health outcomes aggregates physical health and contribute in risk of developing CVD. Thereby, the focus has been implied on maintaining mental as well as physical well-being.

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Conclusion

Conclusively this can be stated that it is important to address social determinants for improving health outcomes. In current context, income proves to be crucial social determinant that is leading to health inequalities and increasing in cases related to cardiovascular disease among individuals from lower social economic background in Hackney. However, current policies and community programmes aligned with promoting healthier lifestyle and early detection whilst, they are lacking in addressing the root cause behind health issue. There is need to combine economic, social and healthcare initiative collectively for solving major issues behind healthcare inequalities. It is important to ensure collaboration among all sectors for improving resource allocation and implementing targeted intervention that mitigates the impact of social determinants on CVD and foster equitable care.

References

Books and Journals

• Cooksley, T., Clarke, S., Dean, J., Hawthorne, K., James, A., Tzortziou-Brown, V. and Boyle, A., 2023. NHS crisis: rebuilding the NHS needs urgent action. bmj, 380.
• Jantuah, S., 2020. Hackney Marshes Neighbourhood Insight Report.
• Javed, Z., Haisum Maqsood, M., Yahya, T., Amin, Z., Acquah, I., Valero-Elizondo, J., Andrieni, J., Dubey, P., Jackson, R.K., Daffin, M.A. and Cainzos-Achirica, M., 2022. Race, racism, and cardiovascular health: applying a social determinants of health framework to racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 15(1), p.e007917.
• Powell-Wiley, T.M., Baumer, Y., Baah, F.O., Baez, A.S., Farmer, N., Mahlobo, C.T., Pita, M.A., Potharaju, K.A., Tamura, K. and Wallen, G.R., 2022. Social determinants of cardiovascular disease. Circulation research, 130(5), pp.782-799.
• Pritchard, Christopher J., George A. Lacey, Amon B. Hackney, Michelle Henshaw, Alicia J. Kulbicki, Manveer S. Saund, Alexius Akubueze, Anwar R. Baydoun, and Naomi Martin. 2023. "ETHNIC MINORITY MICROPARTICLES HAVE DISTINCT PRO-THROMBOTIC AND PRO-OXIDATIVE PHENOTYPES AND INTERACT DIFFERENTIALLY WITH ENDOTHELIAL CELLS IN VITRO: IMPLICATIONS FOR RISK TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE."
• Rosati, A., 2021. London: A Typographic Stroll in Hackney. Global Brooklyn: Designing Food Experiences in World Cities, p.111.
• Townsend, N., Kazakiewicz, D., Lucy Wright, F., Timmis, A., Huculeci, R., Torbica, A., Gale, C.P., Achenbach, S., Weidinger, F. and Vardas, P., 2022. Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in Europe. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 19(2), pp.133-143.
• Violi, F., Cammisotto, V., Bartimoccia, S., Pignatelli, P., Carnevale, R. and Nocella, C., 2023. Gut-derived low-grade endotoxaemia, atherothrombosis and cardiovascular disease. Nature reviews cardiology, 20(1), pp.24-37.

Online

• Hackney strategy, 2022. Available through: < https://hackney.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s82708/item%205e%20Health%20and%20Wellbeing%20Strategy%2022-26.pdf>
• Public Health Provision, 2023. Available through: https://www.better.org.uk/london/hackney/healthier-together-hackney