Equity in social care.
What do we mean by equity in social care?
Equity in social care means the absence of unfair, avoidable, or remediable differences in access to, experience of, or outcomes from care and support among groups of people – whether defined by social, economic, demographic, or geographic factors, or by characteristics such as sex, gender, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation. Differences based on these factors are avoidable and can be fixed. Achieving equity means removing barriers and distributing resources fairly, so that access is based on a person’s individual needs.
The definition also aligns with the core principles of personalisation, prevention and wellbeing found in the Care Act of 2014. Achieving equity means that support should be matched to individuals’ needs, and that services are designed and delivered in a way that removes barriers, reduces disadvantage, and respects people’s circumstances. This includes, but goes beyond, access, it also covers how people are treated, whether services are inclusive and appropriate, and whether they lead to meaningful improvements in people’s lives.
This is our working definition, adapted from the World Health Organization’s definition of Health Equity.