The NHS is “failing” people from ethnic minority backgrounds, according to England’s most extensive study of the issue.
The study, from the University of Manchester, found the average health of 60-year-olds from Gypsy or Irish Traveller, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Arab groups to be similar to that of a white British 80-year-old.
It found that unfairness in NHS services is exacerbating health inequalities, with people from some ethnic minority groups more likely to report insufficient support in managing health conditions.
Lead author Dr Ruth Watkinson from the University of Manchester said: “This suggests the NHS as an institution is failing people from some ethnic groups.
“But policymakers also need to address the structural racism that makes it harder for people belonging to ethnic minority groups to access socio-economic opportunities because poverty is a major cause of poor health.”
Approximately 12 per cent of the British adult population is from an ethnic minority background, but these communities have experienced higher rates of infection and mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The study, published in Lancet Public Health, used the England-wide GP Patient Survey to analyse responses from almost 1.4 million adults aged over 55, surveyed between 2015 and 2017.
In 15 out of 17 ethnic minority groups, health-related quality of life was worse on average than for white British people, with inequalities generally wider for women.
The two ethnic groups who were healthier than white British people were Chinese men and women, and black African men.
Co-author Dr Alex Turner said: “This emphasises the need for more nuanced research to understand the specific difficulties that older adults from particular minority ethnic groups experience.”
Older people from ethnic minority groups were more likely to suffer common long-term conditions like diabetes and having two or more ailments.
Sam Royston, from charity Marie Curie, said: “The pandemic has further exposed the stark scale of health inequalities in our country, particularly for people from minority ethnic backgrounds, many of whom have dealt with the complexities of death and bereavement in lockdown, coupled with the harsh realities of racism.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “While of course the determinants of health and wellbeing stretch far beyond health care itself – and include jobs, housing, income, diet, exercise and wider social inequalities – the health service also has a key role to play in supporting diverse communities to stay healthy and access high quality care.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: “This Government is committed to ensuring everyone has access to high quality healthcare, regardless of where they live or who they are."
