NHS
New action begins to tackle racism in Mental Health Services
By DH, UK
Mar 31, 2005, 21:58

Seventeen sites across the country will pioneer best practice in eliminating discrimination in mental health care, Health Minister Rosie Winterton announced today.

The sites will support the implementation of Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health Care, an action plan for reform both inside and outside NHS mental health services over the next five years, published in January this year. Implementation of the plan should have begun everywhere, but these sites will act as "hothouses of reform", identifying best practice and spreading what they learn across the whole country.

Rosie Winterton said:

"These sites show that we are serious about following through the commitments we made in Delivering Race Equality.

"For too long there have been significant and unacceptable inequalities in the access to mental health services that black and minority ethnic patients have, both in their experience of those services and in the outcomes.

"Delivering Race Equality is a clear and comprehensive action plan for making sure that progress continues and accelerates. These sites are the next steps towards making it happen on the ground, and I hope that they will be a valuable source of best practice and support for the rest of the NHS."

Each site will be different, depending on local needs. Main elements of the DRE action plan include:

* PCTs providing more responsive services based on the needs of the local population, helped by local demographic data;
* NHS trusts being assessed by the Healthcare Commission on their performance in challenging discrimination and providing equality of access;
* a new commitment to reduce the disproportionate rates of compulsory detention of black and ethnic minority mental health patients and preventing deaths in mental health services following physical intervention;
* new focused implementation sites where SHAs and organisations will work together, on a local level, to drive change in mental health services for black and ethnic minority people and develop best practice;
* creating a workforce that has the knowledge and skills to deliver equitable care to black and minority ethnic populations with support from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and better race equality training;
* an important role for the independent sector, supported by a �2 million national community engagement scheme to help PCTs identify black and minority ethnic voluntary and community organisations that can advise them, and, in some cases act as partners in delivering services. PCTs will be supported by 500 new community development workers;
* NHS Direct providing a national interpretation and translation service and PCTs providing directories of NHS and social services targeted at BME people; and
* working with the Home Office and police to improve local liaison and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) to reform the process of independent inquiries and issue guidance on creating safer environments on acute psychiatric wards.

The successful SHAs are:

Northumberland, Tyne & Wear;
West Yorkshire;
County Durham & Tees Valley;
South Yorkshire;
Leicestershire, Northamptonshire & Rutland;
Trent;
Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire;
South East London;
North East London;
North Central London;
North West London;
Hampshire & Isle of Wight;
Surrey & Sussex;
South West Peninsula;
Dorset & Somerset;
Birmingham & the Black Country;
Greater Manchester.

They will now be asked to develop project plans by the end of May.

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