Groups at risk of mental health inequities
Mental health inequities can be experienced by people grouped by a range of different factors. These factors often overlap, meaning people can fall into more than one category compounding the severity of health inequities experienced.
Individuals have unique needs based on their circumstances. Treating everyone equally may therefore not lead to equitable outcomes because different people require different levels of support. We can address this by resourcing and delivering universal services at a scale and intensity proportionate to the degree of need.
Services are therefore universally available, not only for the most disadvantaged, and are able to respond to the level of presenting need. This approach (known as proportionate universalism), combines a focus on improving the health of the most disadvantaged groups, whilst also reducing the entire social gradient
