Barriers to accessing secondary care for women facing economic disadvantage
Women from economically disadvantaged areas of Bristol are more affected by financial costs, communication gaps and lack of flexibility when it comes to going to a specialist appointment than women from more affluent areas.
Secondary care includes:
- planned or elective care - usually in a hospital
- urgent and emergency care, including 999 and 111 services, ambulance services, hospital emergency departments, and out-of-hours GP services
- mental health care
What we did
With support from voluntary organisations, Shelter and The Nelson Trust, we were able to speak to five women living in Inner City Bristol about the issues and challenges they face when attending specialist appointments.
What we heard
- Women often felt judged by health professionals when revealing issues with substance use or mental health difficulties.
- They found the referral process from their GP to be unclear. Attending an appointment can also be challenging, due to financial or physical constraints - or both.
- Women did not feel included in their care, and told us that the communication between themselves and professionals was often difficult.
- They felt unheard, disempowered, and didn't always feel that their health needs were understood or met.
What would help women facing economic disadvantage access healthcare?
The women we spoke to suggested that local services could:
- Provide physical and/or financial support to get to appointments.
- Offer more video call or phone appointments.
- Explain treatment more clearly.
- Take the time to build trust and a relationship with patients.
We would like to say a huge thank you to the women who spoke to us, and to Shelter and The Nelson Trust for helping facilitate our conversations.
Their experiences highlight a number of issues around secondary care, and the impact that improvements could make - if women who are facing economic disadvantage are listened to.
