All in this Together? The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Inequalities in Glasgow

Citation

Gallova E, Langdon M, Laughlin S, Quinn N & Robertson T (2022) All in this Together? The Impact of COVID-19 on Health Inequalities in Glasgow. People's Health Movement Scotland. Glasgow. https://peopleshealthmovementscotland.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/glasgow-health-inquiry.pdf

Abstract
The People’s Health Movement Scotland held a Glasgow People's Health Inquiry on September 21, 2021 and a follow-up analysis event on 20th January 2022. The aim was to stimulate a dialogue between community groups, third sector organisations, policy makers and politicians on health and health inequalities in Glasgow in light of the COVID pandemic and about future challenges. There were 17 presentations of both qualitative and quantitative evidence and about current health activism. There were two responses from policy makers and one from a politician. The key findings were that COVID has both exacerbated the causes and consequences of pre-existing health inequalities and created additional threats in terms of social isolation, new experiences of poverty, workplace harms and exposure to physical and emotional abuse. There were some indications of policy responses that supported new ways of using outside space and of active travel. Within communities, there appears to have been a significant growth in mutual aid. Overall, it is clear that current and past policy responses to the underlying issues which create and exacerbate the conditions of inequality and impact on the social determinants of health have proved ineffectual. Austerity and the prevalence of insecure, poorly paid work along with the impact of ‘welfare reform’ continue to create serious threats to health and wellbeing among significant sections of the population. Some notable pieces of evidence were missing around factors like housing, climate and disability which will require more investigation. Where recommendations for the future were made these have been presented using the framework of the People’s Health Manifesto. This work is to be followed on with publications and events taking a critical lens to the evidence presented and assessing the policy changes needed in the city.