ABSTRACT
Acute/critical care areas in many cities are increasingly providing treatment for significant numbers of people from minority ethnic groups. Evidence from Census 2001 (National Statistics Online, 2003) shows that 7.9 per cent of the UK population are from minority ethnic groups. However, the nature of minority
ethnic populations has changed, even since the 2001 census and invariably the proportion is much higher in certain areas. There is evidence of poorer health among this group with excesses of heart disease, stroke, and a high incidence of diabetes and mental ill-health (LHO, 2004). Evidence suggests that people from minority ethnic groups have difficulty accessing and are less satisfied with their GP (Kings Fund, 2006). Although referral rates for revascularisation have improved for some minority ethnic groups, rates for Bangladeshi, African and Caribbean people are still disproportionately low (APHO, 2007). Many of these problems result in crises for the individual and ultimately result in the need for acute/critical care. The chapter is based on the Transcultural Skills Development Model (Papadopoulos et al., 1998; Papadopoulos, 2006). This model proposes that the ability to care competently and safely for people of different cultures depends on practitioners being culturally aware, having knowledge of different cultures and using sensitive interpersonal skills to assess and deliver nursing care. The components of the model are used to demonstrate the meaning of cultural competence for both nurses and patients in acute areas.
