Access to Care
Health inequalities are created and compounded when communities cannot access care services. We need to think carefully and creatively about how we shape our services to suit the needs of the population rather than simply expecting people to make the effort to suit the service and blaming them when they cannot.
Public transport is an obvious example of this – if the hospital is not served by a bus route how can those without a car travel to it? Centralising health services without planning for this need is unacceptable.
Online Access to services is increasingly important. Many have already benefited from being able to have a consultation with their GP on the phone or renew their prescription online. However, we need to make sure all communities have access to this type of technology and the skills to use it and no-one is left behind.
We would create a digital innovation fund to create digital therapeutic apps across the main health conditions, making the National Health and Care Service easily and widely accessible on smartphones.
Other important areas which need consideration are how to make our care services more accessible to disabled communities such as those with hearing or visual impairments. Groups such as the learning disabled also need support in accessing services, while communities such as LGBTQ+ report disturbing experiences of misunderstandings and prejudice.