Leading Action on Race Equality and Health Pledges

NHS organisations have been asked by Race for Health to pledge one action that they will take in the next six months to promote race equality in health. The following pledges had been received by November 2009.

1. Dorset HealthCare NHS

‘We will reactivate and energise achieving race equality at Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust for staff and our service users.  One element will involve developing a policy and positive actions to more effectively address racial abuse that staff from a BME background can experience from service users.’   

Colin Hague
Director of Human Resources
Dorset HealthCare NHS Foundation Trust

2. NHS North West

‘NHS NorthWest has developed a scheme for Senior Management Internships for BME staff within the North West. This complements other national and regional programmes such as: graduate training schemes, Beacon programme and Leadership programmes.

‘We recognise our gaps particularly in our workforce composition of BME representation at senior levels. This scheme offers opportunities for BME staff to progress and develop through a structured training and learning programme.

‘The successful candidates will work alongside senior staff in NHS North West to gain specific skills and manage projects. The candidates will be mentored, coached and supported through secure future senior posts either within the SHA or within the system. ‘

Shahnaz Ali,
Associate Director of Equality,
Diversity and Human Rights
NHS North West

From Mike Farrer, Chief Executive, NHS North West

‘I will use all my personal and professional authority to ensure that improving race equality in health sits at the heart of everything the SHA does and features centrally in our agenda to deliver QIPP, World Class Commissioning and the drive to establish Foundation Trusts in the North West.’

Mike Farrar
Chief Executive
NHS North West

3. NHS Nottingham City

‘One action which is being pursued is a commitment to the Pacesetters programme in terms of liberating the talents of BME staff from levels 1-5. Two cohorts of staff will commence a six week development programme, first intake starts Nov 2009, the next in February, this will offer shadowing, mentoring and coaching to BMS staff in order to address under representation at senior levels within the service. ‘

Whilst this is an internal human resource initiative, greater BME representation at senior levels, will hopefully enhance recruitment and retention of BME people and in so doing make the trust more representative of the diverse population it serves and an employer of choice.

Des Morrison
NHS Nottingham City

4. NHS Bristol

  • Building on the Breast Screening success (BMJ article) - we will be focusing on Cervical Screening uptake using similar methods
  • Working with Faith-based organisations who recently delivered the DH midlife health check pilot - do develop their wellbeing and health promoting role
  • Working within multi disciplinary and diverse primary care setting to facilitate a communication, engagement and improved patient experience and outcomes

My personal actions include:

  • As Chief executive lead for the core cities health improvement collaborative, I have secured agreement that the Core City PCTs will sponsor the first BME network conference on 4th June 2010
  • Mentoring two senior BME staff in our organisation
  • Working with our NHS Bristol BME staff network to promote equality and diversity issues amongst our workforce

Deborah Evans
Chief Executive
NHS Bristol

5. NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent

‘In NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent, we are turning our directory of “Seldom Heard Groups” into a vibrant network of individuals, groups and communities to work with us to make commissioning decisions that reflect their needs, priorities and aspirations.’

Ann Sutton
Chief Executive
NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent

6. South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

‘SEPT is currently introducing Diversity Champions within the work place.  These are members of staff who are committed to the diversity agenda and who act as a point of reference for other staff in order to cascade good practice and bring areas of concern to management.’

Dr Patrick Geoghegan OBE, Chief Executive
South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

7. NHS West Midlands

‘I will be setting up a network in the West Midlands for future BME leaders (Band 6 and above)’  

Caroline Wigley
Leadership Director
NHS West Midlands

8. NHS Haringey

‘In Haringey we are recruiting 12 local people to become community health trainers. Based mainly in the areas of highest deprivation, the idea is that those most in need especially from our BME communities are able to access the service easily. These trainers will act as a bridge between particular communities and health services. They will be accessible and provide signposting to appropriate health services.

Richard Sumray
NHS Haringey.

9. NHS Westminster

‘When prioritising initiatives in changed financial circumstances, we will ensure that impacts on BME groups always figure highly.

Joe Hegarty
Chair
NHS Westminster

10. NHS Sheffield

‘Over the next 6 months NHS Sheffield will champion a programme of “patient stories” from BME patients /groups to share with commissioning staff their experiences of being a patient or user of a social health care service to ensure that specific needs of BME patients and communities are highlighted.’

11. Improvement Foundation

The Improvement Foundation will commit to recruiting 10 PCTs to join our improvement programme that has been developed to improve access and responsiveness in general practice in BME Communities, which focuses on improving the care of BME community members with, or at risk of, cardiovascular disease including chronic kidney disease.  We intend to commence this innovative programme in early 2010 using proven methodology for improving health outcomes.  Results from the programme will be fed back to Race for Health.

Ruth Kennedy
Chief Executive
Improvement Foundation

12. NHS South Central

The two key actions that we will undertake as an SHA are the development of a regional BME Staff Network and the purchase of software for Equality Impact Assesment in order that we can effectively monitor and manage the impact assessment process.

Anjum Gray
NHS South Central
South Central Strategic Health Authority
First Floor, Rivergate House

13. NHS Lambeth

‘NHS Lambeth is committed to creating a systematic and streamlined approach to embedding equality in organisational business. NHS Lambeth will design a tool and process, followed by training, that encourages staff to not only address equality issues through the EIA process, but to consider critical questions at the earliest possible stage of policy/strategy formulation and development.’

Caroline Hewitt
Chair
NHS Lambeth

14. NHS Oldham

‘NHS Oldham will engage the board in the further inclusion of equality and diversity issues in our integrated governance model.  For example assurance of the consistent assessment of equality risks will be sought for all decisions, supported by enhancing the board front sheet and the way it is used.’

Nicola King
Deputy Director Corporate Performance
NHS Oldham 

15. NHS Norfolk

‘The drive for race equality will be central to everything NHS Norfolk does, from our core functions of commissioning services, to influencing partners to working with our staff.

‘Over the next six months we will implement action plans from our Race for Health Peer Review and Single Equality Scheme to achieve real and measurable improvements in the experience of people from black and minority ethnic communities, including our own staff. ‘

16. North Staffordshire Community Healthcare

‘I personally believe in and passionately support the whole concept of equality and diversity both within the workplace and within the delivery of services.  It is recognised in the vision of our organisation and is a key area of work for all of us.’

Derek Pamment,
Managing Director (Interim), North Staffordshire Community Healthcare

17. Dudley & Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust

As Equality & Diversity Lead for the Dudley & Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust, I will ensure that improving and promoting race equality in mental health is pivotal and at the heart of our service delivery and care of staff. The Trust is currently recruiting 6 BME Community Development Workers to deliver the Race Equality Agenda and to enhance our work with BME service users and members of staff.

Paul Singh
Equality & Diversity Lead
Dudley & Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust

18. Comprehensive Care

The Sickle Cell Society has 30 years experience of serving those living with the daily challenges of the most common and severely debilitating blood genetic disease, commonly known as sickle cell anaemia. Moreover, healthcare today is best approached from a multi-disciplinary partnership, including an understanding of Race Equality. With the benefit of our special knowledge of the BME community, and with much needed resource providing, we pledge to reach out to every healthcare commissioner, so that together we can plan how to address the alarming gaps in services for those living with sickle cell disease in the already marginalised BME section of the community.

London, 01/12/2009
Dr Asa'ah Nkohkwo FRSPH
Nationwide Adviser
Comprehensive Care

19. Race for Health

‘I shall cajole, challenge and contribute, at every opportunity, in getting senior decision-makers to address and champion race equality as a performance issue – organisationally and personally.’

Charles Lauder
Race for Health Thinking Partner

20. TB Alert

We welcome Race for Health’s recent decision to adopt tuberculosis as a condition area against which their member PCTs are performance managed. We pledge to contact all RfH’s member PCTs and offer to support them in developing an inclusive community development approach at local level, involving partnerships including PCTs, local authorities and the third sector, in order to raise awareness of TB among affected communities.

Mike Mandelbaum –
TB Alert

21. NHS Stockport

“NHS Stockport pledges to establish and develop an effective BME staff network to ensure that all of our staff feel empowered to make a real difference in the running of our organisation. Over the next six months, the network will play a key role in shaping new Cultural Awareness training for PCT staff.”

Graham Wallis
Chief Executive (Interim)
NHS Stockport

22. Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust

As the Chief Executive of Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust I will ensure that we will build on our delivery of the Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health (DRE) agenda throughout the Trust. This will be done by the DRE multi agency steering group in Lancashire and Cumbria and evidenced through the Trust’s Single Equality Scheme Key Performance Indicators, greater involvement of Black and Minority Ethnic service users, carers and staff, and high quality Equality Impact Assessments of functions, policies and procedures.

Heather Tierney-Moore,
Chief Executive,
Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust

23. NHS Kingston

NHS Kingston has led a comprehensive programme to prioritise race equality and health interventions through our Equalities and Community Engagement Team. Actions include:

  • Implementing solutions from the ‘Refugee and Asylum Seekers’ Strategy that was informed by our Refugee and Asylum Seeker Needs Assessment Undertaking a BME Needs Assessment
  • Implementing training for GP practices on equal access issues, such as eligibility, interpreting provision and health improvement
  • Training members from BME Communities to be Community Health Advocates through our Open College Network accredited Community Development and Health Course

Russell Styles
Associate Director of Public Health

24. NHS South East Coast

We pledge to develop a more inclusive approach to our work, acting upon the advice of the People's Engagement and Development Network and aligning our work with primary care trusts to ensure that all our engagement activities include the views or personal contributions of the Black and Minority Ethnic communities that we serve, ensuring all our strategies and plans reflect community need and exemplary services.

Candy Morris,
Chief Executive,
NHS South East Coast