‘Addressing inequalities in healthcare access, experience and outcomes’: why a child health perspective should be incorporated into healthcare prioritisation decisions
Sapfo Lignou1, University of Oxford Oxford 1University of Oxford, Oxford UK
Abstract
The aim of this presentation is to address an increasingly pressing practical problem of justly allocating healthcare resources between different population and patient groups in the aftermath of the pandemic. Focusing on the UK context, I review current criteria for prioritising non-urgent care in the NHS priorities and operational planning guidance aiming to reduce the COVID-related backlogs. I claim that the usual kinds of criteria for prioritisation featured in this guidance fail to match our general considerations of what constitutes fair resource allocation decisions. By exploring the case of children with chronic and complex conditions, I discuss the importance of a more comphrehensive account of needs that considers ‘age-related equality of opportunities’. I conclude that a ‘child health approach’ should complement the existing criteria for healthcare prioritisation in order to support more inclusive and fair decisions-making processes. Finally, I discuss a number of objections that may arise in the implementation of this approach, drawing on insights from an engagement activity with child health professionals.
Biography
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