Responding to the recently published report by the UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill 2022, Foysol Choudhury MSP said:“It is simply unacceptable when those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are treated unequally. It is also unacceptable when this unequal treatment is enacted against vulnerable members of our society who need protection and care.
“It has been five years since Professor Wessely’s landmark review of the Mental Health Act which exposed racial and ethnic inequalities in treatment of patients in England, yet these problems of racial bias in the treatment of mental health are shockingly getting “rapidly worse”.
“In England in 2021-22, Black people were four times more likely than white people to be detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA), and more than 11 times more likely to be given a community treatment order.
“I am glad to see the Joint Committee on the Mental Health Bill is working to ensure these failures are addressed, however, Scotland needs to learn lessons from these shocking revelations and ensure that Scotland’s mental health legislation contains appropriate safeguards which allow patients to have more choice.
“Following the introduction of this Bill in England, I am calling on the Scottish Government to review its own practices in relation to Mental Health to ensure that the services we provide in Scotland prioritise racial equity and treat all of our citizens with the dignity and equality they deserve.
“It is unacceptable that some from minority communities in England are more likely to experience detentions in the face of the Mental Health Act, when instead we should be offering everyone support and choice equally.
“The Scottish Government should prioritise a review into mental health provision in Scotland to ensure that this shocking case of mental health treatment disparity is not also happening in Scotland. Let’s be a Scotland which truly cares for all.”
THURSDAY 28th JULY from 6 – 9pm at FETTES POLICE STATION
Police are hosting a recruitment event aimed at people from all minority ethnic communitieson Thursday 28th July from 6pm – 9pm at Fettes Police Station.
POLICE Scotland will be hosting an online recruitment event aimed at people from all minority ethnic communities across Scotland tonight.
This event will give attendees a fantastic opportunity to hear from serving BME officers and their experiences as a police officer in Scotland as well as the opportunity to ask questions.
The event will also focus on the recruitment process and the training, with a unique insight in to life at the Scottish Police College. The event will be held on Microsoft Teams tonight – Thursday 13th January – from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.
The consent, support and co-operation of our fellow citizens lies at the heart of the identity and legitimacy of policing in Scotland.
To ensure that bond is as strong as possible, we must fully represent and reflect the communities we serve. Inclusion is an operational necessity and morally the right thing to do.
We are committed to increasing the number of officers and staff from under-represented groups.There are well documented barriers to some people applying to join the police service.
We therefore run a number of different recruitment events to answer specific questions from people from diverse communities. This is to make sure everyone has fair access to the Police Scotland recruitment process.
Police will be hosting an online recruitment event aimed at people from all minority ethnic communities across Scotland. This event will give attendees a fantastic opportunity to hear from serving BME officers and their experiences as a police officer in Scotland as well as the opportunity to ask questions.
The event will also focus on the recruitment process and the training, with a unique insight in to life at the Scottish Police College.
The event will be hosted on Microsoft Teams on Thursday 2nd December from 6.30pm – 8pm.
The consent, support and co-operation of our fellow citizens lies at the heart of the identity and legitimacy of policing in Scotland.
To ensure that bond is as strong as possible, we must fully represent and reflect the communities we serve. Inclusion is an operational necessity and morally the right thing to do. We are committed to increasing the number of officers and staff from under-represented groups.
There are well documented barriers to some people applying to join the police service. We therefore run a number of different recruitment events to answer specific questions from people from diverse communities. This is to make sure everyone has fair access to the Police Scotland recruitment process.
Our Positive Action Team are hosting a recruitment event aimed at people from minority ethnic communities with an opportunity to hear from serving officers
Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch MP and COVID hero GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, have issued a joint call for everyone to take the vaccine when they are offered it.
As Government publishes third report on COVID-19 disparities, the Minister for Equalities and hero GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, issue a joint call for everyone to take the vaccine when they are offered it.
Evidence shows vaccine confidence has steadily increased among ethnic minorities.
This follows flexible vaccine delivery, and targeted communications from government and medical professionals, and partnerships with broadcasters.
The call comes as data shows vaccine confidence has steadily increased following government action, with 93% of adults reporting positive sentiment towards the vaccine. However, some groups are still less likely to get the jab. 30% of Black or Black British adults reported vaccine hesitancy, the highest compared with all ethnic groups.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has prioritised people based on age, with older people being offered the vaccination first. As the UK’s White population makes up a greater number of those in the older age categories, the percentage of those who have already received vaccinations is higher when compared with ethnic minority groups.
As the vaccine is rolled out to younger age groups the Government will continue its targeted action to ensure that ethnic minority people are willing to take the jab.
Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, said: “We are taking the vital action necessary to protect our families, communities and the country from the scourge of COVID-19. Our positive progress deploying the vaccine and promoting confidence in it has been a tireless, collective effort, from faith leaders, voluntary groups and the NHS all working together in every community to turn back the tide of COVID-19.
“We are not complacent and we will continue to tackle dangerous disinformation and work with trusted partners to promote confidence in the vaccine so everyone takes up their jab when they are offered it.
“Vaccines are the key to unlocking a return to normal life, and this Government will continue to do everything it can to ensure everyone is confident to take them.”
‘Hero’ GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, whose tireless efforts during the pandemic – including online campaigning and debunking of misinformation, and personally calling scores of patients who have yet to take the jab – have been key to fighting the virus, said: “It is really important that everyone takes the vaccine – unless all of us are protected, none of us are protected.
“The vaccines are very safe – they have been trialled on hundreds of thousands of volunteers by world-leading scientists, and now millions of doses have been given, just in the UK alone. I urge everyone to take the jab when they are offered it.”
Alongside this the Minister for Equalities will today publish the third quarterly report to the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary on progress to understand and tackle COVID-19 disparities experienced by individuals from ethnic minority groups.
The report sets out the swift and flexible action Government has taken to protect people, adapting the vaccine programme as it has rolled out to ensure everyone feels safe and able to get the vaccine, without being stigmatised.
Dr Masood Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer for the Black Country and West Birmingham CCG said: “We have strong, resilient communities and have been able to address vaccine hesitancy by connecting with people, listening to fears, and having meaningful conversations in order to reduce barriers, which is key for longer term sustainable solutions to address wider health inequalities.
“It’s so important that we share learnings to understand and address the health inequalities that COVID-19 has highlighted, and whilst we have had some success in reaching people and communities, there is still opportunity to do more.”
Dr Rohini Mathur, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “This report highlights the positive impact of increasing vaccine confidence in minority ethnic groups across England and points towards the importance of understanding the complex interaction between socio-economic, geographic, and health related factors in explaining disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The report sets out the following next steps:
The Minister for Equalities to share the findings of her third quarterly report with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to consider how to apply the findings of the review of experiences of frontline healthcare workers and the UK-REACH study.
NHS England’s published data on vaccination uptake by ethnicity should be further disaggregated to provide percentage uptake by vaccine priority group cohorts and sex. This should include levels of unknown ethnicity and an assessment of how this might affect the interpretation of vaccination uptake for different ethnic groups.
NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) should publish data about the use of the NHS COVID-19 app by different ethnic groups. This will inform activity to increase the uptake and continued use of the app.
DHSC and NHS should further investigate practical barriers to vaccine uptake by ethnicity to assess and address any intention-action gap.
DHSC should ensure that NHS organisations and GPs are provided with clear guidance and protocols about how ethnicity should be requested and recorded in health records.
RDU should engage with the Office for Statistics Regulation about priorities for improving the quality (including harmonisation, robustness and reliability) of ethnicity data on health records, drawing on others’ expertise as appropriate, and report back in the final quarterly report.
The Minister for Equalities and the Minister for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment will continue a programme of engagement in the next 3 months, focusing on promoting vaccine uptake and encouraging asymptomatic testing, particularly for those within higher risk occupations, as sectors reopen.
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, the government’s Vaccine Confidence campaign will aim to inform, educate and empower those aged 18 to 50 to take up their vaccine. Using the tagline ‘Every Vaccination Gives Us Hope’ content will take an optimistic tone, aiming to reach and persuade younger audiences, including ethnic minority groups.
At each step of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, tailored guidance and communications will continue to be shared through community and media channels to maximise reach and impact.
Communications
To drive forward uptake of the vaccine, the government has prioritised communications with ethnic minority people across the UK, that includes:
A partnership with 12 community radio stations, which has delivered key messages about vaccines in 13 different languages to 1.5 million people.
Television partnerships with 21 multicultural TV networks, delivering 30 second adverts on 43 TV stations in 9 languages, reaching approximately 3 million people each week.
A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport social media campaign to tackle false vaccine information, which has been shared with more than 4 million people through community and local networks, reaching people from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Ethnic minority medical professionals promoting facts and dispelling myths about the vaccines online, including a series of videos with Dr Amir Khan, a GP from Yorkshire, whose video on the vaccine being halal reached more than 330,000 people.
A programme of Ministerial engagement, including a roundtable with Black African and Black Caribbean Faith Leaders and GPs, recognising the important role that churches play in promoting vaccine uptake amongst their congregations.
Celebrities and influencers, including Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain, backing the NHS COVID-19 vaccine drive.
A short film backed by the NHS based on an open letter signed by Sir Lenny Henry and a range of high-profile celebrities encouraging Black adults in the UK to make informed decisions about the vaccine.
Sunoh Edinburgh is Edinburgh’s first and only Asian radio station. Since its launch on the 1st July 2018 it has garnered a very loyal local as well as international listener base exceeding 7k. It has more than 10 presenters and caters for multi-lingual communities in and around Edinburgh.
It is also the first radio station in the UK to broadcast live in Pakistan on a weekly basis creating and nurturing bonds between the communities between the two countries.
The Edinburgh Asian Awards was born out of a simple vision: to create an event that would honour achievers from within the Asian community in Edinburgh; to create one of the most important events of its kind ever to be staged in Edinburgh for the asian community.
The Edinburgh Asian Awards aims to pay tribute to Asian success across all walks of life in Edinburgh; emphasising inspiring achievements and highlighting inspirational role models in the fields of business, hospitality, entertainment, community, philanthropy and popular arts and culture.
The inaugural Edinburgh Asian Awards will be held on the 10th March 2019 at Eskmills Venue, Musselburgh and will be highlighted with a number of key performances between awards. The event itself will be a black tie affair with a sit down 3-course dinner.
Sunoh Edinburgh’s Founder Sharjil Nawed said: “Edinburgh’s Asian community is full of really hard working and talented people making a difference in all aspects of life.
“We would like to start a culture to recognise these talents on a yearly basis. Edinburgh Asian Awards will be our signature yearly event where year after year we honour these achievers. We aim to invite a number of key personalities from Edinburgh to grace our event.”
ELREC is hosting a workshop in partnership with experienced community councillors to provide advice and practical support regarding the nomination papers and the registration process.
The event is free to all BME members interested to stand for next Community Council election lives around Edinburgh and Lothians.
Refreshment will be provided. Free crèche service is available (based upon request & prior booking). Booking is mandatory. To book your place please click here OR call us 0131 556 0441.
For more info please contact Mizan Rahman, Equality Engagement Officer. E-mail:mrahman@elrec.org.uk
We would be grateful, if you can please forward this invitation to your contacts who might be interested on this. Please find this event on Facebook (link).
