The purpose of this essay is first and foremost to provide an overview of the existence of health inequalities related to ethnicity, providing some evidence that ethnic inequality in health is a reality in company and include definitions of keywords. Second, I will present arguments for and against the main sociological explanations (racial discrimination, racism, access and quality of care) for the existence of ethnicity-related health inequalities. Thirdly, I would also like to consider the knowledge I have learned on this topic and briefly outline how this could help me in future nursing practice. First of all, it is important to consider the whole aspect of ethnicity since it has other elements such as race and race. culture that goes hand in hand with this concept. Barry and Yuill (2008, p128) both state that ethnicity is “a common cultural heritage that is learned and constructed sociology”. This is what partly defines an individual socially. In terms of race, it is a biological differentiation between people that is determined by their genetic makeup, this differentiation can be based on skin color or physical differences (Culley and Dyson, 2005). While, according to Kelly and Nazroo (2008, p 161) state that culture is linked to ethnicity, “it consists of shared experiences, beliefs and values”. This could also involve some sort of guidelines or norms passed down from generation to generation. Examining these three concepts may seem simple; however, today's healthcare profession appears to have difficulty embracing these concepts in order to provide “culturally competent care for their patients” (Kelly and Nazroo 2008, p. 159). First, there are many issues that influence ethnic inequalities in healthcare. whi...... middle of paper...... [Accessed January 6, 2012]8. Hilton. C (1996) Ethnic group data collection for hospital patients: is it useful? British Medical Journal (clinical research ed.) [pdf] 313 (7062), pp. 923 – 925. Available via: MEDLINE [accessed January 6, 2012]9. Kelly, M and Nazroo, J (2008) Ethnicity and health. In Graham, S. ed. Sociology applied to medicine. 6th ed. London: Saunders, pp. 159 - 17510. Smith, D et al (2000) Ethnic inequalities in health: a review of the UK epidemiological evidence. Critical public health. [pdf] 10 (4) pp. 375 – 408. Available via: Taylor and Francis Online [Accessed 28 November 2011]11. Steinbach, R (2009) Equality, equity and politics [online] Health knowledge. Available at: http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/medical-sociology-policy-economics/4c-equality-equity-policy/inequalities-distribution [Accessed 3 January 2012]