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Showing results for tags 'Ethnicity'.
Found 179 results
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News Article
GPs’ survey finds race discrimination in NHS treatment of primary care
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A survey of an area’s GPs and other primary care staff found those from a minority ethnic background feel they are less involved in decision making and less respected by their colleagues, according to results shared with HSJ. The survey, instigated by GPs in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, also found more staff from a minority ethnic background said they had experienced some form of bullying or harassment, including “instances of physical violence”. The work is thought to be unusual in primary care — annual “workforce race equality standard” surveys are required by NHS England for NHS trusts and, in the past year, clinical commissioning groups, but not in primary care. The survey in October was instigated by Doncaster Primary Care BAME Network and facilitated by Doncaster clinical commissioning group. It was sent to GPs and practice staff, community pharmacy staff, and other “healthcare professionals” in primary care. There were 136 respondents. The report of the results said minority ethnic staff felt they were less able to make decisions to improve the work of primary care, less involved in decisions regarding their area of work and less respected by their colleagues compared with their white colleagues. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 9 March 2021 -
News Article
Concerns raised over link between CQC ratings and ethnicity
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Royal College of GPs has called for an independent review of the link between poor Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection ratings and the ethnicity of GP partners. The college called for the regulator to commission the work in particular for those rated “requires improvement” and “inadequate” over the past five years, including practices which have since closed down. This will assess “if there is an association between the outcomes of inspections and ethnicity or country of qualification of the GP partners”, according to the RCGP. In addition, the RCGP wants to work with the regulator to discuss how the availability and transparency of this information can be improved to ensure minority ethnic GPs’ experiences are heard. Minority ethnic GPs shared their experiences of CQC inspections at an RCGP council meeting last week, where council members voted to support the above actions. Dr Howsam said: “The college’s BAME action plan commits us to delivering positive change for all our Black, Asian and minority ethnic members and we will continue to work constructively with the CQC towards an improved system of inspection that is supportive of GPs and keeps patients safe as we move away from the immediate crisis of the pandemic and into recovery.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 1 March 2021 -
News Article
Black over-80s 'half as likely' to have been vaccinated
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Black people over the age of 80 were half as likely as their white peers to have been vaccinated against Covid by 13 January, a large study suggests. This is despite the fact black people are four times more likely to die with COVID-19 than their white counterparts. People living in deprived areas or who have severe mental-health conditions or learning disabilities were also less likely to have received a vaccination. The study was based on more than 20 million patient records in England. The OpenSafely study, by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, found of the million of those over 80 but not living in a care home: 43% of the white people had been given their first dose of the vaccine 30% of the Bangladeshi and Pakistani people had 21% of the black people had. Bangladeshi and Pakistani people are twice as likely to die with COVID-19 as white peple. Birmingham-based business owner Tru Powell told BBC Radio 5 Live of a "lack of trust between the government and people of colour". "People of colour have been subject to institutionalised racism within the healthcare system," she said. "We are five times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act and four times more likely to die in childbirth." Read full story Source: BBC News, 28 January 2021 -
News Article
Record ethnicity of those getting covid vaccine to fight stigma, NHSE told
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England has been urged to introduce routine recording of race and ethnicity data when people are given their covid vaccination. Documents seen by HSJ show Pinnacle, the IT system being used by GPs and mass vaccination centres to record jabs, does not directly require ethnicity to be recorded. Jabeer Butt, chief executive of the Race Equality Foundation, which promotes race equality in public services, told HSJ that making it a requirement would help establish the facts on uptake among different groups, more quickly. It is understood the NHS is able to ascertain data on vaccine uptake by ethnicity by connecting it with GP records, through the national immunisation management service, and potentially with other healthcare data. However, Mr Butt said this would provide only limited insight and take more time. He believes the absence of data may allow ”misconceptions” to take hold about lower uptake among some minorities, which can lead to stigma, when in fact, he said, the trend may so far simply be due to there being fewer black and Asian people in the oldest age groups, who are the first eligible for vaccination. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 January 2021 -
News ArticleRachel Hardeman has dedicated her career to fighting racism and the harm it has inflicted on the health of Black Americans. As a reproductive health equity researcher, she has been especially disturbed by the disproportionately high mortality rates for Black babies. In an effort to find some of the reasons behind the high death rates, Hardeman, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and three other researchers combed through the records of 1.8 million Florida hospital births between 1992 and 2015 looking for clues. They found a tantalising statistic. Although Black newborns are three times as likely to die as White newborns, when Black babies are delivered by Black doctors, their mortality rate is cut in half. "Strikingly, these effects appear to manifest more strongly in more complicated cases," the researchers wrote, "and when hospitals deliver more Black newborns." They found no similar relationship between White doctors and White births. Nor did they find a difference in maternal death rates when the doctor's race was the same as the patient's. Read full story Research paper Source: The Washington Post, 9 January 2021
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News Article
One in four women under 40 have never checked themselves for breast cancer
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One quarter of women under 40 have never checked themselves for breast cancer – believing they are too young, or they don’t think it will affect them, or they are just too busy. And half of all women do not regularly check their breasts for signs of cancer. The study of 2,000 women found those aged 18 to 39 are the least likely to look for signs of cancer, with a tenth believing they are not old enough to suffer the illness. But a quarter admit they do not have the confidence to inspect themselves, while 1 in 10 put it off in case they find a lump. It also emerged women from South Asian backgrounds are the least likely to examine themselves compared to other ethnicities, with 40% admitting to never checking at all. This drops to 27% of black women and just 13% cent of those of other ethnicities. Of the South Asian women polled who don’t check themselves for signs of breast cancer, more than a third said they forget or don’t know what they are looking for. While more than 1 in 20 (7%) don’t feel comfortable checking themselves due to cultural reasons. Barriers to going to the doctor when noticing a lump or change in breasts vary – from not wanting to waste their doctor’s time, the fear of not being taken seriously, concerns that a female doctor won’t be available, and not wanting to know what caused the change. Read full story Source: The Independent, 11 October 2021 -
News ArticleNHS leaders are being urged to tackle racist abuse of staff as new figures reveal that a third of black, Asian or minority ethnic workers in mental health trusts in England have experienced harassment, bullying or attacks by patients, relatives or members of the public. One in three (32.7%) BAME staff in mental health settings have experienced abuse, according to analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists. For BAME workers across the NHS, the rate is more than one in four (28.9%). One medical director told the Guardian that hot tea had been thrown at them “because of the colour of my skin”. A psychiatrist told how they were left traumatised after they were racially abused – then threatened with a knife. The college is calling on health leaders to take a stand against discrimination by setting up better processes in NHS trusts to record and understand data about bullying and harassment. Dr Adrian James, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the findings were deeply concerning. He said: “NHS leaders and local health bosses must tackle this head-on.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 September 2021
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News Article
Major trust faces bullying concerns from hundreds of senior doctors
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Concerns over bullying and discrimination have been raised in a survey of hundreds of doctors at a major hospital trust, HSJ can reveal. University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust’s medical staff committee carried out a survey of its doctors earlier this year, after bullying concerns were raised by members of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin at the trust. A summary of the survey findings, published in a newsletter sent to all doctors at the trust last week and seen by HSJ, showed more than two-thirds of the 348 respondents claimed to have experienced bullying, harassment or victimisation at work. Nearly 80% said they had witnessed bullying or harassment, while 50 per cent of respondents said the bullying and harassment was due to race or ethnicity. Fifty-five per cent of those answering the survey also said they had not reported concerns as they had “no confidence in the investigative process within the organisation”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 2 June 2021 -
News Article‘Disparity ratios’ highlighting how staff with minority ethnic backgrounds are represented at different levels in each trust have been created by the national workforce race equality standard programme to help tackle ‘racist practice’ in the NHS. NHS England head of WRES Professor Anton Emmanuel said the data had been created to indicate the differences in progression between white people and those from an ethnic minority background through the ranks of each organisation. Detail of the methodology used to calculate the ratios has not been published, but it appears they have been determined by comparing the share of staff by ethnicity in different bands. Speaking at the Ambulance Leadership Forum last week, professor Emmanuel, said: “We have gone through each of the seven regions of the country and presented to them the local disparity ratios for each trust and put that into a heatmap…The whole point is to make that data digestible and actable on.” The data can be adapted to look at different points in a trust’s progression routes and can also be used with other groups, such as disabled staff. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 May 2021
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Content ArticleThe NHS Confederation has published a new report, 'The unequal impact of COVID-19: investigating the effect on people with certain protected characteristics', which maps existing research into COVID-19 inequalities onto some of these protected characteristics, showing how the pandemic has interacted with them. The report then showcases four case studies of how different health and care systems have put in place interventions to respond to these inequalities when designing their COVID-19 response. It focuses on a number of key areas including the impact of COVID-19 on: BAME communities people with disabilities older and younger people. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for health and care systems across the UK.
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Content ArticleThis report from the BME Leadership Network spotlights the findings from a recent survey and engagement on the experience of senior black and minority ethnic leaders in the NHS.
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Content ArticleThis report by NHS Confederation looks at the lived experience of senior black and minority ethnic leaders in the NHS. It is based on the findings of a survey and series of roundtables conducted by the BME Leadership Network in spring 2022, which focused on the challenges BME leaders face in relation to racism and discrimination as they move through their careers. The report highlights that: More than half of surveyed BME NHS leaders considered leaving the health service in the last three years because of their experience of racist treatment while performing their role as an NHS leader. Colleagues, leaders and managers seemed to be a particular source of racist treatment, more so than members of the public. This is concerning, given that the NHS has been prioritising equality, diversity and inclusion activities in recent years. This suggests that more focused efforts are required at every level to reduce the incidence of racist behaviour and to improve awareness among all staff of the impact of this type of discrimination. Only 10 per cent of leaders surveyed were confident that the NHS is delivering its commitment to combat institutional racism and reduce health inequalities. Senior BME staff reported low levels of confidence in their own organisations’ abilities to manage and support a pipeline of diverse talent and in the ability of the system to achieve this at a national level. Only a minority were confident they could rely on the support of colleagues to challenge racial discrimination, and a smaller minority believed they would be supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement if challenging prejudice or discrimination locally. Leaders described how structural and cultural issues within the NHS led to a situation where BME leaders were not present in sufficient numbers to generate a climate of inclusivity and were sometimes siloed in particular types of role. This helped to create a situation where career progression was felt to be unduly challenging and where neither succession planning nor talent development were occurring at sufficient scale to support the next generation of diverse leaders. Some leaders reported policing their own behaviour in the workplace and compromising their values in order to fit in. Being able to represent their own cultures and be themselves at work was a critically important goal for many. The report outlines that it is essential that BME leaders are able to see effective development programmes to support diverse talent, and that they are provided with the right support to feel secure in calling out unacceptable behaviour. It highlights that the NHS needs to do more to tackle cultures of discriminatory behaviour, provide personal support to current and aspiring leaders, and develop succession planning and talent development schemes.
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Content ArticleThe current hospital backlog has had a huge impact on many patients waiting for treatment. But if you are a woman, on a low income or from an ethnic minority background, you are more likely to have a worse experience of waiting for care. Research from Healthwatch has highlighted people were unhappy with the communications they received and the lack of support the NHS gave them to help with things like pain relief or accessing physiotherapy. These concerns were not experienced equally by all, and findings were particularly stark among disabled people, those with long term health conditions, and those on lower incomes. A new poll of 1,000 adults on NHS waiting lists shows that a poorer experience of waiting can be linked to factors such as wealth, disability, level of education, gender or ethnicity.
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Content ArticleIn October 2021 the government announced a review into leadership across health and social care, led by former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Gordon Messenger and supported by Dame Linda Pollard, Chair of Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust. The results of the review have now been published and recommendations made.
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Content ArticleUK Asian and Black ethnic groups have poorer outcomes for some cancers and are less likely to report a positive care experience than their White counterparts it was found in a study from Martins et al. reported in the British Journal of Cancer. The study investigated ethnic differences in the route to diagnosis (RTD) to identify areas in patients' cancer journeys where inequalities lie and targeted intervention might have optimum impact. Across the 10 cancers studied, most patients were diagnosed via the two-week wait (36.4%), elective GP referral (23.2%), emergency (18.2%), hospital routes (10.3%), and screening (8.61%). Patients of Other ethnic group had the highest proportion of diagnosis via the emergency route, followed by White patients. Asian and Black group were more likely to be GP-referred, with the Black and Mixed groups also more likely to follow the two-week wait route. However, there were notable cancer-specific differences in the RTD by ethnicity. These findings suggest that, where inequalities exist, the adverse cancer outcomes among Asian and Black patients are unlikely to be arising solely from a poorer diagnostic process.
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Content ArticleSystemic racism in maternity care is an urgent human rights issue. For too long, evidence and narratives about why racial inequities in maternal outcomes persist have focussed on Black and Brown bodies being the problem – ‘defective’, ‘other’, a risk to be managed. Birthrights’ year-long inquiry into racial injustice has heard testimony from women, birthing people, healthcare professionals and lawyers outlining how systemic racism within maternity care – from individual interactions and workforce culture through to curriculums and policies – can have a deep and devastating impact on basic rights in childbirth. This jeopardises Black and Brown women and birthing people’s safety, dignity, choice, autonomy, and equality. The inquiry’s report, Systemic Racism, Not Broken Bodies, uncovers the stories behind the statistics and demonstrates that it is racism, not broken bodies, that is at the root of many inequities in maternity outcomes and experiences.
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Content ArticleThere is evidence that certain subgroups of the population have a higher risk of developing dementia than others. Aside from the most important risk factor—age,—other risk factors include ethnicity, sex, learning disability and socio-economic status. This report by the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) details the impact of scientific research on health inequalities for people affected by dementia. In order to make sure dementia diagnosis and treatments are effective for everyone, we need to understand how and why different groups are affected differently, so that we can target interventions where they are most needed and maximise their benefit. The report was produced by leading dementia scientists from the UK DRI who are taking action to reduce health inequalities through their own research. This includes: Researching “blood biomarkers” to pave the way for a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. Ensuring both male and female mice are used equally in animal research so that findings can be applied to the whole population. This is policy across the UK DRI. Broadening understanding of the implications of ethnicity on risk of Alzheimer’s disease through genetic studies. Working to make clinical trials more accessible to all. Pioneering accessible, scalable, and affordable new therapies. Investigating rarer forms of dementia to plug the knowledge gap and support people living with these diseases. Addressing the environmental and lifestyle factors that impact brain health to better understand the link between socio-economic status and dementia risk.
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Content ArticleThe Government's Race Disparity Unit has published data relating to NHS staff reports of discrimination at work. The charts, tables and commentary on this page cover survey data from 2019, and the data from 2020 is available to download without commentary. 300 NHS organisations took part in the staff survey in 2019, including 229 NHS trusts.
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Content ArticleRAND Corporation and MedStar researchers examined the intersection of patient safety and racism, focusing on patient safety and health equity from clinician leaders' perspectives. An overarching emphasis of the work concerned the impact of racism and other related factors (i.e., bias) on patient safety events and potential interventions or changes (such as creating a culture of speaking up about racism in care) that can help prevent such events.
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Content ArticleInfographic highlighting statistics on ethnic health inequalities in the UK.
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Content ArticleThe investigation and tribunal hearing of Dr Manjula Arora generated significant anger and anxiety among the medical profession. The case raised once again the perception of a regulatory process lacking in fairness; of a system in which the stakes seem much higher if you are a black and minority ethnic doctor. The General Medical Council (GMC) acknowledged that strength of feeling, making clear it would not oppose Dr Arora’s appeal against the sanction and commissioning a review of the case to understand lessons to be learned for future cases.
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Content ArticleIt is well known that pausing planned hospital care during the pandemic worsened growing waiting lists, and that waits for routine care now stand at record-breaking levels. This research from the Nuffield Trust, supported by the NHS Race and Health Observatory, looks at how the fallout from the pandemic affected people across different ethnic groups, and whether that impact was spread evenly.
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Content ArticleRacism is unacceptable and it has no place in health and care. But we know that it exists and that the impact on staff can be devastating. All registered professionals have responsibility under the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code to challenge discriminatory behaviour, creating an environment where people are treated as individuals and with dignity and respect. This resource is firmly rooted in our professional Code and it is designed to support nurses, midwives and nursing associates, providing advice on the action you can take if you witness or experience racism. It also supports those in leadership roles to be inclusive leaders. This document provides practical examples of how, as nursing and midwifery professionals, you can recognise, and challenge racial discrimination, harassment, and abuse. It also highlights other useful resources and training materials that will support you to care with confidence. This document is a resource for individuals at all levels. This resource does not replace existing NHS England policies and procedures for speaking up and managing racism. It is a resource to support best practice in line with organisational policies and procedures.
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Content ArticleThis is the transcript of a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on Black Maternal Health Awareness Week 2022, dedicated to raising awareness about disparities in maternal outcomes.
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Content ArticleThis blog by Professor Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology, University College London looks at the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic both exposed and amplified underlying inequalities in society. He highlights the link between higher Covid mortality rates, race and deprivation that demonstrates the striking health inequalities that exist in the UK. He asks the question, "Can the UK learn the lessons of the pandemic, and build back fairer?"
