Dear all,

Please see the message below that covers the consultation on race
equality in mental health services.  The website also holds details of
nine new race equality posts, established to take this work fcorward. 
Do have a look and leave your comments on the weblog.

The Department of Health has drafted Delivering Race Equality: a
Framework for Action for consultation. This sets out what those
planning, delivering and monitoring local primary care and mental health
services need to do to improve services for users, relatives and carers
from Black and minority ethnic communities. There is clear evidence that
these users and their relatives and carers experience inequitable
services and outcomes. The consultation document asks for views on what
needs to be done at national level to provide support and leadership to
those carrying out this work. The deadline for responses is 23 January
2004.

*       Download the framework document at
http://www.doh.gov.uk/deliveringraceequality/77951-del_race_equality.pdf.

The Delivering Race Equality consultation process is supported by a
dedicated online consultation weblog (www.nimhe.org.uk/dre), designed
and built by Headshift (www.headshift.com) in cooperation with Prof.
Kamlesh Patel OBE, Acting National Strategic Director of Mental Health
and Ethnicity at NIMHE.  The online consultation went live on the stroke
of 10.30am on 17 October, to coincide with the launch of the framework
document by Health Minister Rosie Winterton. 

*       Read more about the launch and download video clips of the event
at http://bme.nimhe.org.uk/cat_general_other_news.shtml 

The consultation weblog aims to provide a simple means for stakeholders
to comment on the framework document and the consultation process, and
to encourage the sharing of ideas, observations, links and documents
related to these issues. By extending the traditional consultation
process using a simple and accessible weblog, NIMHE hopes to ensure that
all interested parties have an opportunity to provide structured
feedback openly and transparently, whilst keeping track of developments
via the regularly updated news, events and reports on the site, or by
subscribing to a real-time XML-based syndication feed.

*       We warmly encourage you all to visit/use it:
www.nimhe.org.uk/dre 

Kind regards,
Moira