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Equity of access to health care

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Author Info

  • Maria Goddard

    () (Centre for Health Economics, The University of York)

  • Peter Smith

    ()

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    Abstract

    The election of the Labour government last year shifted the issue of inequality in health to the top of the policy agenda. In its White Paper on the “New NHS”, promises were made about reducing unacceptable variations in services and ensuring fair access. Publication of the Green Paper “Our Healthier Nation” also reinforced the government’s aim of narrowing the health gap. Several national initiatives also have this aim, including the £30 million investment in Health Action Zones which are to target health inequalities and the establishment of a public enquiry into health inequalities, chaired by Sir Donald Acheson. However, much of the action required to tackle inequality will have to be undertaken at a local level. Indeed, the White Paper gave Health Authorities, in conjunction with other organisations inside and outside the NHS, the key task of improving health and reducing inequalities through their Health Improvement Programmes. If this task is to me manageable, those in the NHS will need to disentangle the many and complex stands involved in understanding the issue of inequality in health. This report attempts to clarify what is known in relationship to one of those issues – equity of access to health care services – and to draw out the policy implications of the research on this topic. Following an overview of methodological issues, research evidence on the extent and cause of inequities of access to services in the following five areas is summarised and analysed: GP consultations, acute care, mental illness, prevention and health promotion and long-term care. The policy and research implications are drawn out and some suggestions for future directions are made. The report is aimed at both policy makers and academics interested in the state of existing research and in designing and implementing their own studies into equity of access.

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    File URL: http://www.york.ac.uk/media/che/documents/papers/occasionalpapers/CHE%20Occasional%20Paper%2032.pdf
    File Function: First version, 1998
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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by Centre for Health Economics, University of York in its series Working Papers with number 032cheop.

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    Length: 108 pages
    Date of creation: Mar 1998
    Date of revision:
    Handle: RePEc:chy:respap:32cheop

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    Postal: York Y010 5DD
    Phone: (01904) 321401
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    Web page: http://www.york.ac.uk/che
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    Related research

    Keywords: inequity; socio-economics; demography;

    References

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    Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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    1. Le Grand, Julian, 1991. "The distribution of health care revisited: A commentary on Wagstaff, van Doorslaer and Paci, and O'Donnell and Propper," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 239-245, July.
    2. O'Donnell, Owen & Propper, Carol, 1991. "Equity and the distribution of U.K. National Health Service resources," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 247-249, July.
    3. Le Grand, Julian, 1978. "The Distribution of Public Expenditure: The Case of Health Care," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 45(178), pages 125-42, May.
    4. Haynes, Robin, 1991. "Inequalities in health and health service use: Evidence from the general household survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 361-368, January.
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    Cited by:
    1. Maria Goddard, 2008. "Quality in and Equality of Access to Healthcare Services in England," Working Papers 040cherp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    2. Katharina Hauck & Rebecca Shaw & Peter C. Smith, 2002. "Reducing avoidable inequalities in health: a new criterion for setting health care capitation payments," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(8), pages 667-677.
    3. Brian Ferguson, 1998. "Shaping up to improve health: the strategic leadership role of the new Health Authority," Working Papers 162chedp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    4. Propper, Carol, 2000. "The demand for private health care in the UK," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 855-876, November.
    5. Marty Makinen & Stephanie Sealy & Ricardo A. Bitrán & Sam Adjei & Rodrigo Muñoz, 2011. "Private Health Sector Assessment in Ghana," World Bank Publications, The World Bank, number 5956, 5.

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