Health Inequalities in Southwark

Introduction:

Health inequalities are associated with several social determinants such as financial, social, demographic, cultural and physical factors. Health inequalities can be referred to as the unequal distribution of health determinants in the different population group. This study is going to discuss the demographic profile, health issues and the social determinants of the Southwark borough of London. it will also discuss the policy issues in this borough by representing the detailed description of the national and local policies in Southwark. In addition to this, this study would also represent the public health provision of the in this borough, in order to discuss how these provisions impact the health framework of this borough, including aspects relevant to healthcare dissertation help, in order to discuss how these provisions impact the health framework of this borough. Finally, this study would conclude the overall discussion by highlighting the main point of this study.

Demographic profile:

Southwark is the inner London borough which is located in South London, England on the South bank of River Themes. It is connected to the Lewisham to east and Lambeth in the west. This borough had been created in the years 1965 when the three smaller councils in London amalgamated understand the London Government Act (1963). Southwark is governed by the Southwark London Borough Council (Southwark Council, 2018).

Population:

According to the current statistical database from Southwark Council, Southwark has 314,200 residents across its area (South London Council, 2017). Based on the current population it has ranked 34th position in England out of the 326 places.

Ethnicity:

There are different ethnic group residing in Southwark boroughs such as 54% of white, 11% of Asians, 25% of Black and 10% of other ethnic groups. Out of the white group, nearly 40% of the people in the white community belongs to the British population and rest are Gypsy and Irish. Out of the Asian population, 2% are Indians, 0.6% are Pakistanis and 1.4% are Bangladeshi. Majority of the people in Southwark is young and middle age people, therefore it is known as the young borough. Middle age people in this borough belongs to the age of 32.9years as compared to England with 39.8years and to London 34.8 years.

Age:

In Southwark, there are different age of people, out of which, majority of the population in this borough is young and middle age (20-50 years)

Life expectancy:

In Southwark borough, the female life expectancy is greater than the male. Female life expectancy in Southwark is 83.4 years as compared to that of England with 82.5 years. The male life expectancy in this borough is 78.2 years which is greater than England with a life expectancy for a male is 78.5 years.

Mortality /Morbidity:

According to Ford (2019), morbidity can be referred to as the unhealthy state of people. On the other hand, mortality is the state of being mortal. Southwark has shown increasing rates of mortality and morbidity due to deprivation, health inequalities and poor health condition of the deprived population. The main reason behind mortality and morbidity in this borough is cardiovascular disease, respiratory disorders and cancer.

Unemployment:

From the Office of National Statistics (ONS) database it is seen that, although unemployment rate in London has been dropped from 20% in 2010 to 12% in 2017, there are little changes in the overall unemployment rate in the South part of London. The statistical database from South London Council it is seen that three major boroughs of South London such as Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich have shown increasing rate of poverty and unemployment which affect the overall health status of these borough people. according to the evidence base report from the Borough council, Southwark has concentrated more on opening job opportunities for the residents as compared to Greenwich and Lewisham (Southwark Council, 2019).

Poverty:

Due to the increasing rate of unemployment Southwark Borough of London experience the higher rates of poverty. Majority of the people resides in the lower-class level of the society. Deprivation, health inequalities and social exclusion are the apparent outcomes of poverty.

Housing

In Southwark, there are poor housing facilities for the people who reside in the lower social class. Poor housing is the main reason behind contamination of infection, disease and unhealthy condition of the people. Although the London government focuses on improving the housing facilities and social infrastructure in the society, Southwark has not yet gotten proper governmental assistance in order to provide proper house and sanitation to the society people.

Health issues:

Coronary heart disease (CHD):

One of the major health issues in Southwark borough is Coronary Heart Disease. The main reason behind increasing are of mortality and morbidity in Southwark is the rising number of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). According to Ford (2019), Coronary heart disease is one form of cardiovascular disease. This health issue occurs due to the storing of excessive fats on the cell walls of coronary arteries. Due to taking huge alcohol, drugs, unhealthy diet and poor nutritional foods, people belonging to the deprived community Southwark suffers from Coronary Heart Disease. It is a deadly disease and is considered as the second cause of mortality in Southwark. According to the statistical database from Southwark Council, the mortality rate in Southwark is 38.4 as compared to 38.7 in England (Public Health England, 2018). Public Health England has published the health report it which it is stated that in Southwark the preventable death rate and morbidity rate is currently higher than the national and regional level. Moreover, the PHE, 2018 report also shows that, although the prevalence of coronary heart diseases has been reducing in the UK, there are 4401 cases of the heart stroke and coronary heart disease in Southwark during 2015-16. Cases of coronary heart diseases in Southwark accounts or 1.4% as compared to 2% in London and 3.3% in England (Southwark Council, 2018). Nearly seven million people in UK have been affected by the Heart stroke, coronary heart disease and heart failure. In the majority of the deprived children in Southwark, there is the risk of physical disability and sudden death due to the increasing rate of CHD.

Who is affected? Health Inequalities:

As stated by Shapo et al. (2018), health inequality is the inequal distribution of health determinants into a different group of the population. In Southwark, the majority of the people resides in the lower-class society which represents high level of deprivation, poverty and social exclusion. People suffering from unemployment, poor education, lower income level are the apparent victim of health inequality. In this aspect Marmont theory can be applied to understand that who is affected inn the Southwark borough due to the affect of social determinants. This theory is based on the effect of different social determinates on the health and wellbeing of people. Based on this theory, people in Southwark who reside at the below poverty level and are jobless, are highly prevalent to the coronary artery disease and heart failure. In Southwark, different socio-economic factors such as poverty, housing, unemployment and education are important agents that have potential impact on the overall health and wellbeing of the community people. people who suffers from unemployment, poverty and poor housing are highly prevalent to the Coronary Heart disease and heart failure. Moreover, they are also affected by infections and viruses easily, due to having or immunity power. Health inequality is associated with the poor distribution of the social; determinants in the society. In Southwark, there is the highest rate of youth unemployment as compared to the other boroughs of London. Although London is a rich city and the UK's major economic driver, this property is not equally shared with all the Londoners. From the ONS database, it can be stated that the majority of the areas and Boroughs in South part of London such as Greenwich, Southwark and Lewisham, most of the population are under the poverty line. More than 41% of children in South London live in the below poverty line which makes them unable to get proper health facilities and social care. in Southwark, 1.4% of the population suffers from coronary heart disease and 0.5% of the people suffer from heart failure. The main reason behind increasing are of mortality and morbidity in Southwark is the rising number of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). According to Cylus et al. (2015), poverty is the main reason of health inequality and premature death. In Southwark, people residing in the deprived community are unable to provide better education, healthcare facilities and decent living standard to their children.

Social determinants of health:

Social determinants are the factors that affect the overall health status in a country (Lucy and Burns, 2017). Unemployment act as one of the potential social determinants that developed the rates of Coronary Heart disease in Southwark. Health inequality in the society is also associated with unequal distribution of theses determinants which are as follows:

Unemployment:

According to Cylus et al. (2015), unemployment is the main reason behind different health issues. The rising unemployment in overall England, affect the current job market in Southwark borough of London. Moreover than 30% of the people suffer from unemployment and poverty in this borough. In Southwark, deprived and poor community are highly prevalent to Coronary arterial disease (CHD, this is because, majority of the jobless people in Southwark is addicted to different unhealthy practices, such as alcohol, smoking, drugs. From the current database from Southwark Council, it is seen that nearly 1.4% of the population in Southwark suffers from coronary heart disease and 0.5% of the people suffer from heart failure. Majority of the jobless people in Southwark, suffering from the Coronary Heart disease, are reported to have high amount of fats in the coronary artery due to their irregular intake of food and malnutrition. Unemployment is the main reason behind addiction to unhealthy practices such as alcohol drugs and narcotic agents. Due to the overuse of these alcohol and drugs, the majority of the people in Southwark suffers from the heart disease (Southwark Council, 2019). Moreover, jobless people suffer from severe depression, anxiety and restless ness which affect the blood flow to the coronary artery, thereby developing the chances of Coronary heart disease. More than 41% of children in South London live in the below poverty line which makes them unable to get proper health facilities and social care. In Southwark, 1.4% of the population suffers from coronary heart disease and 0.5% of the people suffer from heart failure. As a result, deprived and poor children of the jobless people are more prevalent to different health issues such as CVD, respiratory disorders, pulmonary disorders and cancer as compared to the people who belong the higher-class society. The longer people would stay in poverty and deprivation the more would be they [prevalent to health issues such as heart stroke, coronary heart disease.

Policy issues in Southwark:

National policy:

Strategies that are taken:

UK government has taken the Healthcare Policy 2010-2015, which focuses on reducing health inequalities in society and private the equal distribution of the social determinants of health in order to improve the health status in the community. This policy is developed to cover the different aspects of health inequalities, increasing health issues, infection and physical and mental disorders. Moreover, all these policies are highly effective in order to agree on the health issues in the Southwark borough of London.

The UK based health care policy and London healthcare policy focus on the common goal which is to educate the people regarding their health rights and opportunities in the society. Majority of people residing in rural and suburban areas in Southwark are unaware of the government healthcare facilities and free checkups.

Policymakers of Southwark are obliged to inform the people residing in the, deprives and interior community by their healthcare rights of responsibilities (NHS Southwark CCG 2018).

London health commission has taken the initiative regarding the implementation of Healthcare Policy Development. Moreover, Council also follows the UK HealthCare Policy that focuses on patient rights and responsibilities (Southwark council, 2018). Based on this policy:

People who need care in the society, would be provided with proper support and care irrespective of their age, sex, gender, religion and caste (Lucy and Burns, 2017). Based on this policy, is become highly effective for the people in Southwarkto get proper social psychological physical care and support from the health and social care workers.

Local policy:

Strategies taken by Southwark government:

As defined by NHS, public health is the health of the entire population in a country is known as public health (NHS, 2018). UK government has developed the Public Health Provisions to prevent disease, promote the health and prolong the life of the people.

Through developing the NHS trust in different rural and suburban villages, the Southwark Council aims to improve the health status the derived community by providing them, free medicines, primary care and health education. Moreover, Southwark Council has also appointed the Health Care Executives in rural and deprived areas, in which they visit the family of deprived people and assess their health needs (NHS Southwark CCG 2018).

Southwark also is going to improve its hospital treatment process like ultrasound, cardiac surgery, and ultra-sonic angiology, which assist this borough to provide better treatment to the patient suffering from heart disease.

Southwark has developed sufficient number of cardiac rehabilitations, advance treatment and facility, consultative healthcare and NHS Foundation Trust, which assist the community people to have good healthcare facilities (NHS Southwark CCG 2018).

Southwark Borough Council has also taken the healthcare initiatives which is associated with providing better care and support to the deprived community in order to eliminate the health issues in the society. Implementation of Health and Social Care Act (2012), is one of the important initiatives taken by Southwark council, which is focused on providing the equal card and support to the needy people.

There are several GP in the Southwark Borough. Moreover, Southwark also has Community pharmacy, SELDOC Southeast London Doctor’s Cooperative and District nurses in order to provide the proper healthcare facilities to the people.

Conclusion:

From the discussion, it can be concluded that Southwark is the multicultural borough of London, which has a growing population. It has cases of unemployment, health inequalities and poverty in the majority of locality. Deprived people suffering from heart disease, heart stroke and coronary heart disease. However, the UK government has taken initiatives to provide health support to Southwark people by implementing proper healthcare policies. Moreover, the government has also helped the Southwark council to beat the mortality and morbidity cases by improving the overall healthcare framework.

Reference list:

Boshari, T., Sharpe, C.A., Poots, A., Watt, H. and Pinder, R.J., 2018. Public health and alcohol licensing policy in local government: an observational study of licensed premises and alcohol-related violence in London, UK. The Lancet, 392, p.S12.

Cylus, J., Glymour, M.M. and Avendano, M., 2015. Health effects of unemployment benefits program generosity. American journal of public health, 105(2), pp.317-323.

Douglas, M., 2016. Beyond ‘health’: why don’t we tackle the cause of health inequalities?. In Health inequalities: critical perspectives. Oxford University Press.Factsheet. London: Southwark council.

Lucy, L. and Burns, L., 2017. Devising a composite index to analyze and model loneliness and related health risks in the United Kingdom. Gerontology and geriatric medicine, 3, p.2333721417714876.

Marmot, M. and Wilkinson, R. (2003). The solid facts. 2nd ed. Copenhagen: Centre for Urban Health, World Health Organization, p.16, 24