We need to understand why data on ethnic inequalities in health and care are so unsatisfactory

Scobie notes the serious challenges associated with interpreting health outcome data in relation to ethnicity.1 Few in the NHS will be surprised by this. We don’t seem to be good at recording ethnicity, for some reason, even though most, if not all, electronic patient management systems have the facility to do so.It is, therefore, not a technology problem.Either NHS staff find it too difficult to ascertain or document patient ethnicity or it is not perceived to be a priority. Perhaps some patients are reluctant to divulge their ethnicity, or simply do not wish to say. I note from personal experience that many electronic systems—including surveys, like the NHS staff survey—allow respondent to tick a “prefer not to say” box.I have noticed during my work in several NHS trusts over many years, mostly in London, that patient ethnicity data are often not recorded. I would wager that in contrast the “drug…
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