Inequalities can have a cumulative effect on an individual’s life. While previous studies have acknowledged inequalities on a macro level, it is imperative that this awareness is maintained at a micro and individual level to ensure that people can acknowledge these. This study aims to explore healthcare staff perceptions of their personal experience of inequalities and ultimately extrapolate the extent to which this may affect their ability to empathise with their patients.
This was a qualitative design which was achieved through a three-question online survey which was disseminated to healthcare staff via the internal intranet system at a secure psychiatric hospital. In total 100 patient facing staff members completed the survey. The results of the survey were thematically analysed to generate three key themes: defining inequality, impact of inequalities and effect of inequality.
In general, staff are largely aware of inequalities and can illustrate these. They recognised the potential discriminatory impact that they had and could refer to their personal experiences. Consequently, staff could illustrate lived experiences of inequalities and how this may have disadvantaged them in the past.
The results from this study highlighted the broad range of inequalities that health care workers have faced in their lives. Because of their unique personal experiences working with patients who have also experienced inequalities, this may help them to relate to and contextualise a patient’s inequalities, challenge their personal biased behaviours in relation to inequalities and most importantly, ensure that they provide care in a manner which does not compound upon existing inequalities.
