For the first time in its history, the NHS is set to investigate health inequalities in Jewish communities in England.
A year-long review, commissioned by the NHS Race and Health Observatory, will examine NHS communications and engagement with the Jewish community, how it communicates key public health messages, as well a possible barriers in communicating them.
The Jewish community has been "disproportionally" affected by high rates of Covid-19, a low immunisation rate, and higher risks of breast cancer, which the review aims to understand and address.
Organisations are being encouraged to submit proposals to scrutinise how the NHS engages with the Jewish community, the methods used to deliver key public health messages and potential barriers in distributing health messages around areas including vaccinations, healthy eating, wellbeing and exercise.
The Observatory will be exploring health inequalities disproportionally found amongst Jewish communities in England through its latest review. Find out more in this article: https://t.co/NZDMluH4RY pic.twitter.com/3ZNScs4NQH
— NHS Race & Health Observatory (@NHS_RHO) October 4, 2022
The probe will also examine how mental health requirements are addressed, and will work closely with the NHS Staff Jewish Network.
The successful organisation will be asked to "consider new insights and draw on existing evidence which show a number of inequalities continue to persist for this population, some dating back decades".
The NHS Race and Health Observatory noted that "potential barriers and ‘blind spots’, combined with a broad lack of understanding about specific needs, can mean adequate healthcare is not always tailored accordingly."
The final report, due to be published on 29 March 2024, will include evidence-based recommendations for action and highlight promising approaches where NHS health providers already lead the way with tailored information, engagement strategies and guidance on how to best care for patients from Jewish backgrounds.
The NHS says that the research will also consider the impact of communications in areas including hospital food for patients, experience and impact of antisemitism from staff, patients or members of the public; and challenges in making use of trusted sources of health information from within the community.
To improve patient access, experience & outcomes, this programme of work will provide insights to promote effective & respectful engagement & communication between health service providers & the Jewish community. Invitation to tender (deadline: 18 Nov) https://t.co/JuzxeSolUK
— NHS Race & Health Observatory (@NHS_RHO) October 4, 2022
Professor David Katz, Executive Chair of the Jewish Medical Association, welcomed the announcement of the review, saying: “The pandemic not only highlighted inequalities, but also demonstrated that for interventions to be effective they need to be both evidence-based and community based.”
Dr Habib Naqvi, Director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: “Deeper understanding is needed into why inequalities are continuing to persist for the Jewish population.
"There is clear evidence that culturally sensitive, tailored engagement and communication, delivered through the correct platforms, can yield positive results with increased access to health services and better health outcomes.
"This work will enable us to take another step towards ensuring healthcare services and interventions do not leave any of our communities behind.”
According to a study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the British Orthodox Jewish community experienced a high infection rate of Covid-19 infection during the pandemic.
Additionally, one in 40 Ashkenazi Jewish women are carriers of the BRCA gene mutation, which can raise the risk of getting breast cancer, along with ovarian and other cancers, at a younger age. Men with BRCA mutations developed eight times as many cancers compared to the UK population as a whole.
Separately, in June, the NHS announced that it will be significantly expanding BRCA genetic testing for the Jewish community in a bid to detect those at higher risk before cancer develops.
The expanded scheme – likely to launch early next year – will allow people with at least one Jewish grandparent to self-refer for genetic testing to see if they are a carrier.
