You might have heard the expression postcode lottery used in connection with the delivery of health services. It expresses the concern that residents in some areas do not have access to the same range and/or level of services that residents in other areas have. It can also refer to differences in health outcomes in different areas. For instance the difference in motality rates at birth. Even within Tower Hamlets, this can fluctuate by up to five years, depending on the neighbourhood. The term may has become a bit hackneyed through over use to the extent that I wonder if its implications are fully realised.
Visiting the Foundling Hospital Museum on Brunswick Square the other day certainly brought this term to life for me. The Foundling Hospital was established by Royal Charter in the 18th Century after strenuous lobbying by Captain Thomas Corum, who saw the suffering of children living in the London slums. He had seen how similar institutions had worked in America and wanted to give these childen a chance to grow up protected in an institution dedicated to education, the work ethic and, of course, good morals. Corum was supported by some of the great men and women of the time, such as the artist William Hogarth and the composer George Friederich Handel. Hogarth, incidentally, was also a benefactor of Barts Hospital, and you can see his mural depecting the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Great Hall in the old North Wing at Barts. The problem was that the supply of candidates greatly outstripped the supply of places, and so a lottery took place when children were presented at the institution. A ball was drawn out of a bag full of different coloured balls. A white one meant you were in, red meant wait and see and black meant no. The great majority did not get in. Of course, for the mothers of the "successful" babies, this must have been a heartbreaking moment and the museum has a collection of keepsakes that they gave to their children, who most will never have seen again. Of course, this doesn't happen nowadays, although the Corum organisation still support fostering, adoption and other support for children.
But I wonder that if there was such a stark demonstration of how the postcode lottery works in terms of determining life chances, whether we would be quite so relaxed over its impact in the provision of health options and its impact on outcomes such as mortality rates?
Secretary to the Professor of Psychiatry
We are looking for a person with initiative who is well organised, has good communication skills and is able to work with minimum supervision. It is necessary to be able to...
