Upcoming Events

Join VHS on the 26th March to explore Missingness in health care and the impact on Health Inequalities. Our event will take place online on Zoom.

We are delighted to welcome guest speaker:

Professor Andrea Williamson, Professor of General Practice and Inclusion Health at the University of Glasgow

At our 2024 annual conference, Professor Williamson led a session discussing her work in to missingness and we have invited her back to explore this topic and area of work further.

The issue of “missingness” in healthcare is the recurring tendency for individuals not to engage with care, resulting in further negative health impacts. Research by GPs at the Deep End Scotland has highlighted that multiple missed appointments are not just an operational cost to the NHS but a signal of deeper health inequities. Findings reveal that individuals missing more than two GP appointments annually face significantly higher premature mortality rates and often contend with multi-morbidity, socio-economic disadvantage, and high treatment burdens.

This event will look to explore the root causes of missingness. Factors range from systemic barriers—such as rigid healthcare structures and poor communication—to patients’ personal challenges, including stigma, trauma, and competing life demands. Early interventions, like assertive outreach programs in Scotland’s Deep End GP practices, show promise in re-engaging missing patients by fostering a more adaptive and inclusive care environment.

What can we do when we apply a “missingness lens” to close the health inequalities gap? The lens focuses on empathy, flexibility, and tangible support to meet diverse patient needs. This approach aligns with many of our members fundamental commitment to human rights and equity.

Book your place here.

Please contact Lauren Blair if you have any questions.