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RESOURCES
“The Social Lens”
Tools. Knowledge. Support.
Everything you need to understand, act on, and survive the work of health equity.
📚RESOURCES
Tools. Knowledge. Support.
Everything you need to understand, act on, and survive the work of health equity.
❗ Why Inequality Is a Clinical Issue
Health inequality isn’t an abstract concept. It’s showing up every day—in our clinics, our hospitals, our waiting rooms. And it’s showing up in the lives of our patients.
In the UK—one of the richest countries in the world—4.2 million children live in poverty, with nearly 2 million going hungry. Inequality is not a side issue. It is the main story of health in our time.
- 🚨 A child in poverty is twice as likely to die and three times more likely to be injured than a child from a wealthy background.
- 📉 In London, your life expectancy can drop by up to 20 years depending on your postcode.
- 🏥 Black men in the UK were three times more likely to die of COVID-19 than White men of the same age.
These aren’t outliers. They’re symptoms of a system that is structured—often unintentionally—to favour some and fail others
Clinicians are trained to diagnose disease. But what if the disease is inequality itself?
What if our current model of medicine, focused on individual biology, is missing the real diagnosis?
To understand health inequalities, we need to look through the social lens: at poverty, housing, racism, education, income. These are the social determinants of health—and they shape everything from diagnosis to discharge.
The deeper problem? These inequalities are not caused by bad luck or bad choices. They are caused by rules, systems, and power. And when we ignore that, we risk making things worse.
💔 Why This Matters
Yes, health inequality shortens lives. But even if it didn’t, it would still matter.
As clinicians, we are part of the system. That means we are also part of the solution.
If we want change, we must:
- Understand our role in reproducing inequality (even unintentionally)
- Learn to spot structural injustice in our day-to-day practice
- Use our influence—however small—to advocate for fairer systems
The old idea that health professionals can stay neutral in the face of inequality? That’s outdated—and dangerous.
Health needs social justice. And clinicians need the tools to make it real.
Ready to Go Deeper?
📖 WHAM LIBRARY
Knowledge that shifts perspectives.
A curated collection of:
- Must-read articles on health inequality
- Radical academic pieces made readable
- WHAMinars & keynote recordings
- Our own zines, publications, and learning summaries
For those hungry to think deeper and act smarter.
🔧 WHAM VAULT
Tools for Action.
A curated collection of:
- Equity-oriented QI templates
- Audit checklists for social determinants
- Script prompts for brave clinical conversations
- "M.A.D." tools to help you Make A Difference
Built by clinicians who got tired of waiting for permission.
🌟WHAM First Aid Kit
Clinician Well-Being
Talking about wellbeing in today’s NHS can feel like fantasy. The rota gaps. The backlog. The impossible pressures. Many clinicians are just trying to get through the day, never mind optimise joy.
But burnout isn't just a personal issue—it's a systems issue. And the ripple effects are real: worse outcomes for patients, fragile teams, rising costs, and human beings breaking under the weight of care.
At WHAM, we believe wellbeing is not a luxury. It's a foundation. Because we cannot build a fairer, braver healthcare system if we're running on empty.
Our approach is simple:
- Care for yourself
- Support each other
- Change the system
This isn’t about fixing everything overnight. It’s about creating small shifts that help you reclaim energy, agency, and purpose—so you can keep showing up for what matters.
💪 Personal Wellbeing
Healthcare often teaches us to put ourselves last. But sustainable care starts with you.
WHAM's Five Steps for Personal Wellbeing:
- Notice & Name Your Feelings – Build emotional literacy and give your experiences language.
- Find Balance – Reclaim space for rest, joy and recharge without guilt.
- Manage Your Energy – Learn to prioritise, set boundaries, and say no when needed.
- Challenge Your Thoughts – Identify cognitive traps and reframe with compassion.
- Reach Out – You're not alone. Seeking help is strength, not failure.
Whether it's a quiet coffee, therapy, or a trusted conversation—every step counts.
Helpful Links:
🧳 Team Wellbeing
We don’t just survive because of resilience. We survive because of each other.Team wellbeing means fostering compassion, connection, and psychological safety. Even small shifts can ripple widely.
Explore key movements:
1. Civility Saves Lives – Rudeness damages care. Respect saves it. Evidence + Talks
2. Compassionate Leadership – Led by Prof. Michael West. King’s Fund Long Read
Build belonging by:
- Saying thank you
- Offering inclusive social events
- Valuing everyone's contribution
And don't forget:
- Understand and uplift marginalised colleagues
- Learn from the voices less often heard (IMGs, neurodivergent doctors, disabled staff)
🏛️ Organisational Wellbeing
When you feel ready to look up and out—you’re not alone.
The WHAM community is here to support clinicians who want to take on the deeper cultural and systemic roots of burnout and moral injury.
Key focus areas:
Psychological Safety – Cultivate spaces where people can speak up without fear. Amy Edmondson explains how
Facilities That Care – Push for basics: food, rest, lockers, secure parking.
Reflective Spaces – Explore Schwarz Rounds or Balint Groups. Point of Care Foundation
Workload, Rostering & Flexibility – Discover self-rostering and team job plannin
Together, we can advocate for the kind of systems that don’t just demand compassion—but make it possible.
WHAM is your space to share, learn and shape better ways to be well—so we can keep doing the work that matters most.
“
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman"
