It is felt that since people from various ethnic backgrounds believe in traditions and values different from that of Whites, it may cause some problems for them in accessing healthcare services. The organizational problems on the other hand arise from poor training of the staff, location issues and some needs which the organization is not prepared to meet.
Government Efforts:
Ethnic disparities are common in the UK and they have resulted in strained race relations in the country. The government's efforts to change citizenship status and the general inequalities experienced in various sectors have fuelled anger and resentment within minorities. This was witnessed in the form of increasing ethnic tensions in various parts of Britain at the end of 1990s. To a large extent, this strain was also demonstrated through various terrorist attacks. In order to control racial tension and decrease racial disparities, the government developed Race Relations Act in 1976, which aimed at minimizing racial strain by removing inequalities. In 2001, racial tension was witnessed in north England cities and this was followed by intense debates on the subject of identity, race and British-ness. It was argued that British-ness is something closely associated with Whites and might have very little to do with being a British citizen. This was said after people viewed changing attitude towards ethnic minorities in the wake of terrorist attacks.
Race Relations Act 2001 was an important piece of legislation that addressed some key issues. It was important for legislation to first identify the critical areas of race inequalities. According to a report published by Commission...
This piece of legislation urged every single organization to make concerted effort to remove inequalities. Consistent efforts bore fruit when the report indicated that almost 99% of all organizations included in the survey had a racial equality policy in place.(Schneider-Ross) Apart from these efforts, NHS has been instructed to cater to the needs of a diverse population by providing adequate training to the staff and understanding the inherent cultural differences.
References
Luis R. Fraga, Anthony M. Messina, Laurie a. Rhodebeck: Ethnic and Racial Minorities in Advanced Industrial Democracies. Greenwood Press. New York. 1992.
Penn, R. (2000) 'British populations and society in 2025: some conjectures', Sociology, 34(1): 5-18.
Aldous J, Bardsley M, Daniell R, et al. Refugee health in London: key issues for public health. London: Health of Londoners Project, 1999.
Bahl V. Improving access and quality for ethnic minority women. Womens Health Issues 2001;11:348-54
Modood, T. (1997) 'Employment', in Modood, T., Berthoud, R., Lakey, J., Nazroo, J., Smith, P., Virdee, S. And Beishon, S. (eds) Ethnic Minorities in Britain: Diversity and Disadvantage. London: Policy Studies Institute, 83-149.
Heath, a.F. And McMahon, D. (2000) 'Ethnic differences in the labour market: the value of education and social class origins', Sociology Working Papers, 2000-01.
Schneider-Ross, Towards Racial Equality --…
