British Muslims faced difficulties accessing healthcare during pandemic

A new report involving UCL researchers has laid bare difficulties British Muslims face when accessing palliative and end of life care. The report - a study between the Muslim Council of Britain, end of life charity Marie Curie, the University of Leeds and UCL - reveals a "postcode lottery" of care. It says the Covid-19 pandemic made pre-existing heath inequalities worse, and disproportionately impacted the health of people from most minoritised groups. Family members in the study described not knowing how to support their loved ones' distressing symptoms, and struggling to get the information and support they needed. The report also found that health care providers need to do more to raise awareness of what palliative and end of life care services are available and can achieve to minoritised groups, including British Muslims. The report suggests that greater involvement of a diverse range of people in the development of health and social care services is needed to tackle inequity in access to care. Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This report highlights the deep-seated nature of health inequalities and their particular prevalence within British Muslim communities.