Miss Anna Pathmanathan

Health inequalities have increased markedly in the UK, leading to a decline in life expectancy in deprived areas. Underserved groups have greater difficulty in accessing primary health care and are more likely to report poorer experiences. These inequalities in accessing healthcare can disproportionately affect population life expectancy, morbidity and mortality. This problem has worsened post COVID-19, particularly with the shift to remote consultation.  Most research on health inequalities has focussed on Long Term Conditions (LTC).  However, a recent analysis by supervisor (Hammond, unpublished) revealed that there are much higher rates of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the gut fauna of people of Black African & Carribean ethnicity compared to other ethnic groups. This project aims to conduct an exploration of health inequalities with a focus on the incidence and treatment of infection and of acute exacerbations of respiratory LTC (COPD & Asthma), which are linked to high rates of antibiotic prescribing.