Values-based integrated care: Caregivers perspectives on fairness and equity as tools for attaining social justice within underserved minority ethnic communities

Background: Within challenging socioeconomic climates and fiscal environments across the globe, providers of integrated care are required to deliver transformative and inclusive health and social care services and tackle entrenched inequality for those in marginalised groups. Commonly experiencing marginalisation are those from minority ethnic communities, populations which are often underserved by typical health and social care services. To assure social progression, the future workforce must consist of competent and skilled graduates, confident in approaches to care aligned with the achievement of fairness, equity and social justice for such communities. This study seeks to guide educational interventions for integrated care through conceptualisation of the perspectives and experiences of care providers and recipients of fair and equitable service provision, focusing on underserved minority ethnic communities.

 

Approach: A constructivist grounded theory approach was used for the qualitative component of the study, to examine the perspectives and experiences of care recipients, providers and pre-qualification health and social care learners of achieving fair and equitable integrated care for underserved minority ethnic communities.

 

Future stages of the study involve an action research project conceptualising the educational requirements for the future workforce identified within the qualitative findings into a utilisable model for pre-qualification training. The study has been co-produced with stakeholders from community groups, academics and learners from diverse backgrounds to assure a collaborative and culturally competent approach throughout.

 

Results: This presentation will detail the findings of the qualitative study, conceptualising fairness, equity and social justice within health and social care, alongside the activities required of care providers to deliver effective integrated care within underserved minority ethnic communities. New understanding of the importance of values-based practice within integrated care will be offered, including the influence fair and equitable service provision has on advancing participation within and uptake of care services, the preparedness of care providers to deliver holistic and tailored integrated care activities and how integrated care provision can address ongoing inequality for underserved minority ethnic communities. Recommendations for the educational requirements of pre-qualification health and social care students will also be discussed, including provision of learning opportunities in diverse settings, culturally competent higher education programmes and curricula reflective of the evolving needs of service users, caregivers and integrated care provision internationally.

 

Implications: This study expands existing understanding of values-based practice within integrated care and the conceptualisation of fair and equitable health and social care for underserved minority ethnic communities through a social justice lens. Appreciation of fairness and equity as presented within the findings aids service design and delivery through a culturally competent and person-centred approach, aligning contemporary care provision with the requirements of underserved minority ethnic groups and overcoming health and social inequality.

 

The qualitative findings will be consolidated into an instructive educational model for application to pre-qualification practitioner training curricula, enhancing practice of the future workforce and the mobilisation of social progression and justice through health and social care. The work has potential to influence local and international policy around integrated care and global workforce development, in accordance with values-based integrated care practices.