Surgery

Surgical care forms a critical component of the UK healthcare system, encompassing planned (elective) procedures and emergency interventions across a wide range of specialties. While the NHS continues to advance in surgical outcomes and safety, long-standing disparities in access, treatment, and outcomes remain—particularly among ethnic minority populations. Socioeconomic factors and geographic access to surgical centres further widen these gaps^[1].

Evidence indicates that Black and South Asian patients in England are less likely to access certain surgical procedures, experience longer waits, may face higher complication rates post-surgery and in some cases, higher in-hospital mortality rates ^[2,3]. From an intersectional perspective, the disparities widened when more than one inequality factor is considered. For example, findings from a 2024 study into Inequalities in access to and outcomes of cardiac surgery in England between 2010-2019, reported standardised rates of both coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and valve surgery were lowest in black women from the lowest socioeconomic quintile^[3].

The NHS Race and Health Observatory’s 2022 report on the elective care backlog and ethnicity highlighted the disproportionate impact of delayed surgical procedures on ethnic minority patients. The report called for urgent improvements in ethnicity data collection in providing a better understanding of ethnic variation in case mix, access to and uptake of care, and outcomes.

Eliminating ethnic inequalities in surgical care is essential to achieving equity in health outcomes. This means ensuring that all patients, regardless of ethnicity, have access to timely, safe, and high-quality surgical treatment.