Health and care partnership publishes review into impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities
The review by West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership (WY&H HCP), covering an area including Harrogate and Craven, aimed to investigate and understand the disparities in the risks and outcomes of COVID-19, as well as learn from the experience of the organisations and colleagues in the partnership.
The review panel sessions, chaired by Professor Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, a leading figure in national health and care policy, included WY&H HCP leaders, members of the WY&H HCP BAME Network and voluntary and community sector partners.
Report recommendations include:
- Delivery of co-designed ethnically appropriate advice and support for people working in high-risk roles to mitigate risk to their heath, their families and communities.
- Equality of opportunities for BAME groups in all economic development and recovery plans, including work on apprenticeships, job creation and start-up grants.
- The co-production of an anti-racism campaign. Recognising and appreciating that BAME is not one homogenous population.
- Inclusive leadership standards which leaders pledge to personally uphold within their organisations, starting with recruitment and selection processes.
- Development of independent discrimination panels with BAME representation to review all cases of racial discrimination in disciplinary and complaints cases.
- All organisations in West Yorkshire and Harrogate engage in positive action to actively seek out local, ethnically representative talent with local recruitment targets for senior level roles.
- Ensure that ethnicity recording is 100% in all settings and that this data, coupled with local insight, is used across WY&H HCP to inform the design and delivery of care.
- Monitoring of service access, uptake and outcomes by ethnicity to identify inequalities.
- Demonstration that services are culturally competent and are contributing towards reducing inequalities.
- Work to address the determinants that lead to ethnic inequalities in mental health. This includes using procurement and employment opportunities to create community wealth among BAME populations, improving housing conditions for people from BAME communities, and equity in skills opportunities.
- Work together to co-ordinate, lead and measure progress on reducing inequalities in mental health by ethnicity, including sharing good practice, improving use of evidence and coordinating training.
- Support the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to provide ongoing mental health support to Black, Asian and minority ethnicity communities. Colleagues from this sector should receive additional specialist emotional and practical support to continue this work.
Professor Dame Donna Kinnair said: “Despite historic events and the stark reality of the compelling evidence before us, I like many others want to know why people from BAME communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and continue, yet again, to be impacted by health inequalities and an unjust society.
“Being involved in this important review has given me both the opportunity to learn more about West Yorkshire and Harrogate’s cultural vibrancy, strong diverse communities and identities, and to facilitate a much-needed conversation which builds on the work already well underway by the Partnership.”
Rob Webster (CBE), WY&H HCP CEO Lead and CEO for South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “Our Partnership has big ambitions to tackle health inequalities and support black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and colleagues. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought these issues into even sharper focus, with people from BAME communities more likely to be affected and more likely to die from coronavirus.
“This report shows we were right to bring fresh eyes and external challenge to our plans. We will make the implementation of the recommendations a clear priority for the Partnership and ask our Partnership Board and BAME Network to hold us to account in the future. Together we can genuinely change the experiences of our communities and staff for good’.
An action plan will be developed to support the implementation of the recommendations. This will be considered and approved by the WY&H HCP Partnership Board in December, and the board will periodically review progress against these recommendations. All information is and will be made available to the public. The action plan will be accompanied by a set of indicators to measure progress over time.
