Tackling inequity in the healthcare system

Key Stats

Dedicated pieces of coverage in The Guardian

640m +

Audience reach

100 +

Attendees at the APPG report launch event at Portcullis House

Understanding the opportunity

The APPG’s report examined the many reasons why this double inequity exists. The report followed an inquiry held by the Chair of the APPG, Sarah Olney MP, along with Jackie Doyle-Price MP and Rt Hon Mark Tami MP. The inquiry received 54 pieces of written evidence and held two oral evidence sessions with expert witnesses. We analysed the report’s insights to identify the key headlines, to ensure the report landed with impact and started an important conversation about equitable access to blood, stem cell and organ donors.

Bridging the gap

Despite a recommendation in 2010 by the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum to establish national sets of ethnicity categories, progress to address this crisis has been minimal. The absence of meaningful ethnicity data undermines accountability and jeopardises the lives of those awaiting life-saving treatments. The issue impacts the entire nation, with one-third of school age children and one in five of the working age UK population being mixed heritage / ethnic minority. As well as highlighting the issues in the system, we clarified the solutions needed – improved governance and accountability, improved data, reporting and transparency, and improved education, awareness and activity.

Engaging audiences

We targeted national publications to reach as wide of an audience as possible, as we knew national coverage would serve as a powerful tool to drive engagement and advocate for meaningful change.

Building value

We secured an interview and two exclusive articles in The Guardian, addressing the critical issue of donation disparities within minority ethnic and mixed heritage people across the UK. The pieces used key stats from the APPG report, highlighting issues including the lack of consistency in data across healthcare systems, which directly jeopardises the lives of those awaiting treatment. The call for government intervention also presents an opportunity to leverage public awareness and support for change in the system.