Virtual Wards, Real Inequities: Understanding the Intersection of Ethnicity, Culture, and Deprivation in Remote Health Services
About the Project
Virtual wards, sometimes called Hospital at Home, allow doctors, nurses, and therapists to care for people in their own homes using a mix of home visits and digital monitoring. They can reduce hospital admissions and help older people stay independent. However, evidence shows that people from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to access or benefit from these services.
In East London, South Asian communities—particularly Bangladeshi and Pakistani families—make up a large proportion of the population and experience high levels of long-term illness, overcrowded housing, and digital exclusion. These factors can make home-based and technology-supported care more challenging.
This PhD project aims to explore how virtual ward services are experienced by older South Asian people and their families living in deprived areas of East London. It will examine how cultural, social, and environmental factors shape access, engagement, and outcomes, and identify ways to make virtual wards more equitable and culturally responsive. The research includes two main stages. First, a review of existing evidence will map how pre-hospital and home-based care services have been designed and adapted for minority ethnic and disadvantaged groups. Second, in-depth qualitative research will be carried out with patients, family carers, and health professionals in two East London virtual wards. Interviews, photo-based discussions, and ethnographic observations will be used to explore experiences of care and identify barriers and enablers to equitable service delivery.
By understanding how South Asian families experience and adapt to virtual ward care, the project will generate practical insights and recommendations to design services that are inclusive, culturally sensitive, and accessible for diverse communities.
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