NHS failing minority ethnic users

The NHS is failing minority ethnic users. Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé lays out the case and appeals to sector workers and community, to support the NHS BME Network set up to address the inequalities.

The NHS has been under a duty to promote race equality since the passing of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000.

However, all of the available evidence to date, which has been provided by a number of race equality reviews, including a race equality service review undertaken by the South East Coast BME Network (HSJ, 2008), has shown that the NHS has failed to deliver on its legal obligations concerning race equality.

It is clear that the time has come for BME people to take control of their own destiny. The evidence clearly shows that racism has adversely impacted on the wellbeing of BME staff and has also been the main reason why the NHS has failed to effectively address ethnic health inequalities and the health needs of our BME communities, and we cannot afford to tolerate racism within the NHS any longer.

If the NHS BME Network is to succeed we need people from BME communities to sign up to the cause and be heard and there is an urgent need for this to happen.

Having failed to deliver on its legal obligation the Department of Health has announced that it intends to introduce an Equality Delivery System (EDS) to ‘drive up equality performance and embed equality into the mainstream of the NHS business’.  

Whilst a formal consultation on this proposal is due to take place shortly, NHS organisations are currently preparing to implement the EDS in April 2011 ahead of the outcome of the consultation process, which suggests that the latter will be no more than a paper exercise.

A survey of members of the NHS BME Network has shown that approximately 80% of members do not believe that the EDS will deliver race equality when considered in the context of all the available evidence.

For example we know that NHS organisations have failed to effectively engage our BME communities and when challenged many have responded that the reason for this is that we are “hard to reach”. 

Despite this fact the success of the EDS is dependent on this engagement and for BME communities to be empowered, although no detail has been provided as to how this will be achieved and no significant changes have taken place within the NHS to suggest that it will be any different “next time around”.

The NHS BME Network has informed the Department of Health on behalf of its members that we cannot support the EDS in its current format for the reasons outlined above and we have asked for a formal response in writing to the changes we have proposed. These are as follows:   

Inclusion of independent BME verification provided by the NHS BME Network. No NHS organisation should be allowed to move beyond “undeveloped”, or to the next level of progression for race equality, until assessed by the NHS BME Network.

Comprehensive race equality review of all NHS organisations to establish a baseline. The review should involve the NHS BME Network as a stakeholder.

NHS BME Network involvement in shaping the accompanying guidance for the EDS.

Inclusion of clear sanctions for failure to deliver. The sanctions should be levied against Boards, CEOs and individuals in positions of responsibility.

Inclusion of a “Special Measures” procedure to remedy consistently failing NHS organisations

Inclusion of clear definitions and funding for the effective engagement of BME people (staff and patients), community development and capacity building.

The question remains – As a member of the BME community are you ready to take a stand to ensure that the NHS delivers a service that meets the needs of BME staff, BME patients, BME carers and BME service users?

Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cissé is theTransitional Lead of NHS BME Network.

The  NHS BME Network was set up to become an independent and effective voice for BME (Black and other minority ethnic) staff, BME patients, BME service users and BME carers to ensure the NHS delivers on its statutory duties regarding race equality