Health inequity in the UK: exploring health inequality and inequity

Practice nurses are ideally placed within local communities to have a significant impact on addressing health inequities. However, to achieve this they need to understand the many factors that lead to certain groups having poorer health outcomes. Advances in longevity do not automatically match advances in health and wellbeing across all social groups. In the UK, someone living in a deprived area of England is more likely to die eight and a half years younger than someone living in a more affluent area. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health inequities faced by ethnic minority groups in particular. This article, the first of two, will define the terminology used, explore access to health services in the UK and present the evidence driving healthcare polic