One size does not fit all: moving towards delivering culturally competent services

Healthwatch Enfield undertook research into minority ethnic groups’ experience of health and social care during the Covid-19 pandemic.  They worked with the Enfield Race Equality Council and the Enfield Caribbean Association to develop and publicise a survey.  To ensure that they had a good participation rate from a wide range of communities, they changed the way data was collected so that the method worked for each group contacted.  In total they engaged with 195 people.

Overall nearly a quarter of people needed some form of help and support during the first wave of the pandemic, including shopping and ordering and picking up prescriptions.  Just over half didn’t get the support they needed, compared to 22% of white people in their previous Covid-19 survey.

The most popular source of information reported by minority ethnic communities was television and radio in their own language.  Just over half reported using mainstream media sources, compared to just under three quarters of white people in their previous survey.

Just over half needed help from their GP during the pandemic.  Two in five had to miss a health appointment during the pandemic.  One in five needed medical help in relation to coronavirus.

Nearly a third needed a translator to communicate with professionals.  Turkish people were the most likely group to need a translator.

Over one in ten of participants didn’t have internet access at home for online appointments, and a similar number didn’t have a device to allow them to access the internet.  A third couldn’t make an appointment online either because they didn’t have the right equipment or because English wasn’t their preferred language.

Although nearly all the participants were aware of the flu vaccine, just over half said they would have one this year.