Health Inequalities on Rough sleeping (Health, Medicine, Nursing Case Study)

Health Inequalities on Rough Sleeping
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Health Inequalities on Rough Sleeping
Although the US is one of the developed regions globally, it is severely challenged in terms of increasing numbers of homeless and rough sleeping individuals. These are persons who have been forced to sleep on the streets because they lack sufficient income to rent out apartments of any other form of accommodation. There are persons who have rough slept for years and continue to raise their families on the streets. While the number of rough sleeping persons has reduced over the last few years, it is still up by over 140% from the figure witnessed in 2010. It is further estimated that about 4000 people rough sleep daily in the UK. The number of person’s rough sleeping on the capital streets of London reached a record high of 8,855 people recently. Based on the above statistics, it is evident that homelessness and rough sleeping is a serious issue in the US. Rough sleeping puts the lives of the individuals at risk because they are forced to endure blistering weather conditions. According to the assigned case study, William Burns has been on the streets for over 10 years, rough sleeping from one region to the next. He has become an alcoholic and has grave health issues including abdominal pain and pancreatitis. He has remained adamant on receiving treatment. The paper purposes to extensively examine the issue of rough sleeping in the UK with particular focus on William Burns. Highlight on health inequalities, and formulate actions that would ensure the safety of Burns.
Part 1
Health inequalities are unfair differences between two or more individuals. The term is also used to refer to the difference in the medical care that people receive and the opportunities they have to live healthy lives. Health inequalities can therefore include differences in: health status, access to care, quality and experience of care, behavioral risk to health and wider determinants of health. To begin with, inequality in life expectancy is one of the first measures of health inequality. Life expectancy is closely associated to one’s socio-economic circumstances. The most common measure of this circumstance is deprivation (Parr, 2011). Multiple deprivations is a way of determining how deprived people are within an area based on a number of factors that include income levels, employment, crime level and education. In England, those living at the most deprived areas like William Burns are likely to experience a higher mortality rate than those living at the privileged areas. Importantly, this method shows that everyone experiences health inequality- not only those at the bottom but also those at the top. In the recent years, inequalities in life expectancy through deprivation have widened. People who live in the streets face a higher mortality rate due to the harsh weather conditions and the starvation they normally face. Furthermore, men are prone to quicker deaths.
The second inequality is due to deaths from specific causes. Higher mortality rates in people who die from cancer or suicide have been observed. People who live in the streets are likely to die from diseases or suicide at a younger age. The Office of National Statistics stated that some deaths could be avoided due to timely medical care or public intervention. In England, males from the deprived areas were likely to die from avoidable causes 4.5 times than males in other areas. For instance, some homeless people unknowingly suffer from chronic illnesses like stroke and cancer and often go to their deaths without knowing they were sick in the first place. Those who are aware of their conditions often lack the money to seek medical assistance. Moreover, rate of suicides in England significantly increased in 2006 to 2008 (Parr, 2011). This was due to delayed intervention. Most of the people who rough sleep suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. These illnesses account for more than a third of these deaths. Early government intervention might help reduce the number of suicidal deaths in a year.
The UK government has taken several steps in order to combat rough sleeping. One of these steps is the Rough Sleeping Strategy (2018). The government intends to halve the number of rough sleepers by 2022 and end it completely by 2027. This initiative will require the cooperation of the central and local government plus the communities, businesses, faith groups and voluntary groups. The strategy has a goal of moving every rough sleeper into a home. That being said 100 million Euros has been made available for the next 5 years to finance the 2027 ambition (Parr, 2011). What’s more, measures have been implemented to make sure private residential areas offer quality and secure housing facilities. The Homelessness reduction act changes the way the local authorities in England act towards rough sleepers and provides homeless people with a sense of security. The previous governments failed to build enough secure homes and this led to a broken system. Since 2010, more than a million homes have been built and a further 9 million Euros has been invested to fund other houses. So as to help other people facing the same problem as William Burns, the government strategy builds around a system that supports three pillars: prevention, intervention and recovery.
The government hopes that through dormant assets funding, move on funding, supported lettings, local letting agencies, hiring homelessness experts at every job center, and creating the young Future’s fund it will help rough sleepers. It is vital to note that large cities such as London and South Wales have seen the largest increase in the number of rough sleepers. In 2017, an estimate showed that 83% of the rough sleepers were male. Nonetheless, women who sleep rough have gone through traumas such as domestic violence, mental illnesses, self-harm and substance misuse (Cotter, 2008). This system will provide timely intervention by tackling mental health issues and drug substance abuse. It is the government’s belief that confronting these issues before they escalate will make it easier to help rough sleepers. It also helps ex-convicts to find suitable accommodation and provides rough sleepers with a way to work and live independently. Based on the high mortality rate of rough sleepers, local authorities will help in dividing provisions to people who sleep rough. These provisions come in the form of food, blankets and clothes which will provide some protection against the harsh elements of England (Cotter, 2008). Although determining the exact number of people who sleep rough might be tricky, the government intends to come up with a better way of collecting and analyzing data so as to make sure no one gets left out. Last but not least, a Rough Sleeping Support Team has been put into place to resolve the immigration status of non-citizens...