Introduction: The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow (RHCG) is the largest pediatric emergency department (ED) in Scotland, with over 76,000 attendances in 2022. Glasgow has a growing population of minority ethnic groups, with a 75% increase in the 2022 census from 2011. Research suggests widening health inequalities, with children from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds more likely to present to the ED. They may experience language barriers and are often unaware of alternative services within the National Health Service (NHS), such as NHS 24 and free prescriptions from pharmacies. The aim is to address these knowledge gaps. Methods: The demographics and presentation mode of out-of-hours “standard” and “non-urgent” cases based on the Manchester Triage System were analyzed in two weeks in winter 2022. A partnership was formed with a charity catering to refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls aged 12 years and over who experience isolation and digital exclusion. Workshops were facilitated at the charity with language assistants, with talks from healthcare professionals covering ED, General Practice, Maternity services, Immunizations, and Mental Health. Awareness was also raised on the right to interpreter services. Results: Families from a minority ethnic background made up 30% of attendances and only 13% of those called NHS 24 for advice, with the rest self-referring to the ED. In response, multilingual leaflets and posters were created to direct families to RHCG’s website, signposts to services available for common presentations in 242 languages. Written feedback from workshop attendees highlighted the need for this initiative, with many reflecting on the amount of information learnt, particularly on antenatal care, health visiting, and mental health. Several women also decided to vaccinate their children. Conclusion: Further work needs to be done to bridge the gap in access to health information, and this can be done in partnership with charities.
Al-Robeye et al. (Sun,) studied this question.