The Link Bewteen Health Inequalities, Social Relationships, and Hospital Admissions
Tue 27th
15:00 - 15:20
As a society, we face many challenges: ranging from social inequalities, criminality, poverty, poor political participation, lack of access to healthcare to lack of community cohesion and empowerment. By 2020, there is expected to be a £30 billion gap in the NHS's finances. Hospital admissions have risen over the past decade and the NHS faces capacity issues: long waiting lists, bed blocking and lack of nurses and doctors. People with the highest risk of poor health and premature mortality are those that are socially isolated. Social relationships nurture an aggregation of benefits and determinants for health. Hospital admissions stem from a range of health inequalities, socioeconomic problems, fragmented care and the consequences of austerity measures. There is a positive relationship between lack of social relationships, health disparities and the increase in hospital admissions. Reducing hospital admissions will enhance quality of life and decrease the resource and financial burden on services.
Salma Khatun
Medicine
College of MVLS
My ambition is to combine being a medical doctor with international health development. I am extremely passionate about access to health and reducing inequalities. Health disparities are an amalgamation of both the definition of health and the issues that communities face, namely lack of access to health services and protracted socio-demographic economic issues. Aside from my academic work, I love working on projects to bring about social change, empowerment and social mobility. Previously, I have set up a non-profit organisation based on principles of philanthropy and social capital to provide free first aid courses in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Other projects included working on delivering an international health initiative by linking international development with sustainability and frontline healthcare. Currently, I am working on a project combining technology to alleviate homelessness in Glasgow. I very much enjoy looking at the world from a different lens to solve problems and innovate current practice.
