Kingsley Purdam, Aneez Esmail and Elisabeth Garratt
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from research into food insecurity amongst older people aged 50 years and older in the UK.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from research into food insecurity amongst older people aged 50 years and older in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses secondary analysis of national-level survey data and semi-structured interviews with older people receiving emergency food from foodbanks.
Findings
There is a forgotten care gap in the UK where a substantial number of older people are living in food insecurity. Many older people live alone and in poverty, and increasing numbers are constrained in their spending on food and are skipping meals. Food insecurity amongst older people can be hidden. Within families a number of older people were trying to ensure that their children and grandchildren had enough to eat, but were reluctant to ask for help themselves.
Research limitations/implications
The broad categorisation of older people aged 50 and above comprises people in very different circumstances. The qualitative component of the research was undertaken across various sites in a single city in England. Despite these limitations, the analysis provides important insights into the experiences of the many older people enduring food insecurity.
Practical implications
An increased public and professional awareness of food insecurity amongst older people is needed. Increased routine screening for under-nutrition risk is a priority. Policy initiatives are needed that are multifaceted and which support older people across a range of age groups, particularly those living alone.
Social implications
Food insecurity amongst older people in the UK raises questions about the present policy approach and the responsibilities of the government.
Originality/value
The research provides important new insights into the experiences of the many older people experiencing food insecurity in the UK by drawing on survey data and interviews with older people using foodbanks.
Details
Keywords
V.S. Kalra, P. Abel and A. Esmail
The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer in the UK but, despite decades of equal opportunities legislation, its senior management workforce does not reflect the…
Abstract
Purpose
The National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer in the UK but, despite decades of equal opportunities legislation, its senior management workforce does not reflect the diversity of either the wider NHS workforce or the UK population. The aim of the paper is to consider the range of management interventions available to organisations like the NHS to deliver change in the area of promotion of Black and minority ethnic staff.
Design/methodology/approach
Intervention programmes in a range of public and private organisations are reviewed and the nature of barriers to promotion and the range of interventions to overcome these are explored. The paper uses the paradigm of institutional racism to examine the ways in which the NHS discriminates against certain sections of its workforce. The methods used include a literature review combined with key stakeholder interviews. A comparative dimension which involved a review of research on leadership initiatives in the USA was also undertaken.
Findings
The literature review found that there were a range of initiatives which could be implemented by public organisations such as the NHS to increase the presence of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) staff in senior management positions. Most of these interventions were largely focused on the individual. Much more progress on institutional or organisational change needed to be made before the NHS could be perceived as a model employer in this area. The literature review also indicated that there is little published research on such initiatives within other European Union countries.
Originality/value
The paper is targeted at both policy makers and human resource officers responsible for equality and diversity issues within large organisations, who have a remit to improve the career pathways of staff. The analysis provided offers a set of critical tools and interventions that have not hitherto been well examined in the UK context.