Kent and Medway Health Inequalities Social Marketing Research 

Task 

Health inequalities can be conceptualised as avoidable differences in the physical and mental health statuses of groups and communities of people. There are numerous factors that could impact a person’s health, including their age, sex, ethnicity, as well as their lifestyle, living and working conditions, and general socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions. 

This project focused on ethnic health inequalities, while understanding that a person’s ethnicity cannot be isolated from other factors that might impact them, such as socioeconomic conditions. Ethnic health inequalities have always existed in the UK, but the COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on these inequalities, in part due to the disproportionate impact COVID-19 initially had on ethnic minority groups. 

The Kent and Medway Turning the Tide Oversight Board were seeking to develop a strategy to drive down ethnic health inequalities in both the general population but also inequalities experienced by staff working in health and social care. To help develop such a strategy, TONIC were asked to collate insight and engagement which had been undertaken across Kent and Medway in relation to the health of ethnic minority people. 

Our Approach 

TONIC initially carried out a literature review to better understand existing health inequalities in the UK. This involved collating an abundance of research to help inform what ethnic health inequalities across the country could potentially be found in Kent and Medway as well. We then gathered information on ethnic health inequalities around the world, to improve our comprehension about what other countries have trialled to reduce ethnic health inequalities in their country and assess whether Kent and Medway could adopt some of these interventions and strategies. 

Following this, we worked in partnership with stakeholders to gather research that has been conducted in Kent and Medway from 2017 onwards. We organised and reviewed all local research and carried out a thematic analysis to identify key themes and reoccurring recommendations, to also help prioritise actions and recommendations. By triangulating data from the national literature review and the analysis of local insights, we conducted a gap analysis which helped identify groups in Kent and Medway who may not have been approached for insights, so they can be included in conversations around their health and wellbeing.  

Outcome 

TONIC produced a detailed report and presented the findings of this research to key stakeholders. Some findings from key issues included that people experienced language barriers and trust issues with healthcare services, which could have impacted their engagement with services. There were concerns around a perceived lack of consideration for religious and cultural traditions in healthcare services, as well as more generic barriers, such as financial constraints and difficulties making appointments. 

Together with stakeholders, recommendations were developed, drawing from suggestions made after local insights were collected. These recommendations included improving interpretation services and increasing the availability of English classes, as well as educating and strengthening ties to communities. Bringing together similar projects and organisations across Kent and Medway was also identified as one way of avoiding duplication and strengthening resources by combining them. Service adjustments were recommended to respect different people’s religions and cultures. A focus on staff training, monitoring, recruitment and retention was recommended to improve outcomes for ethnic minority staff working in health and social care.