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David,

Things are bad but not that bad! Let us not despair and all fall into a negative cycle of blame and self-recrimination. I accept that it has become more and more difficult to talk about racism and discrimination in the mental health services (as in other areas of public discourse) and statutory agencies have given up on any attempt to reduce / eliminate ethnic disparities in service experience and outcome. However, not everyone has given up on this (as you note). I also like to draw your attention to the various  community campaigns following the death of black people in psychiatric / police custody such as Kingsley Burrell-Brown, Olaseni Lewis, Colin Holt and Dalian Atkinson, to mention a few. Apart from trying to hold statutory agencies to account for these terrible events, the resulting campaigns, largely initiated and sustained by families and BME groups, have also connected with broader issues of racism in their local mental health services. At a local level, organisations such as ACCI in Wolverhampton, are continuing with their campaigns and struggle for race equality in MH services although this kind of work rarely receives wider attention and, sadly, is often ignored by academics and policy makers.

I agree that at the national level, there has been a gradual dissipation of interest and focus on black mental health for reasons that are already mentioned by you and others. However, Black Mental Health UK is still going strong, for example, see their recent work in relation to the use of tasers and escalation of police involvement in managing psychiatric emergencies in hospitals. I also understand that there is a major national initiative in the offing, with substantial investment by Lankelly Chase in this area (following on from their joint report with Afiya, Mind and Centre for Mental Health -  Ethnic Inequalities in Mental Health: promoting lasting, positive change (2014)).

Rather more surprisingly, the UK government, as you know, has made a new commitment (set out in the Queen's speech) to address ethic disparities in the use of the Mental Health Act, acknowledging that the MHA has "allowed the unnecessary detention of thousands of people and failed yo deal with discrimination against ethnic minority patients". I am not holding out much hope that this will result in any fundamental changes unless there is real political will to bring about change (I doubt it) and meaningful pressure brought to bear on whatever process is set up by the government to consider /implement change.

I know, all this does not add up to very much but, nonetheless, there is an ongoing struggle and the arguments and evidence have not gone away. The silence about these issues in certain circles (academia, for example) is no reason for us to think that progress is unlikely but I agree that it is going to be hard work!

Many thanks (to Suman, in particular) for getting this thread / discussion re-started.   

Best,

Sashi

Professor S P Sashidharan 
 

On 21 June 2017 at 21:43, David Truswell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Going back a bit to an earlier stage in this thread I think that Udi's conference series in Bradford has been one of the very few places in the UK were race has been kept on the agenda in health consistently over a number of years but there have also been Kam Bhui's lecture series on transcultural psychiatry and  last years conference at Leicester by Rhagu Ragavan we all kinda hoped would be the first in a series. I'm sure other folks will point out stuff I've missed. So some people are out there pushing back against the tide and they simply won't stop.

The 'post racial' sentiment was always empty fluff for dreary dinner parties but it was effective it seems in watering down any attempts to identify racism when you saw it. 'Post racial' was the smug look folk had on their faces while sleep walking their way into 'hard Brexit' and Tump and look how that worked out.

Most importantly there is pretty much a cemented denial in place in mainstream UK health about race and racism, particularly in those areas were we really know it exists and people from racialised minorities are very vulnerable, e.g. mental health. Not only can we not talk about race, young professionals from racialised minorities can kiss any hope of a mainstream health career goodbye if they persist in raising the issues. This despite the fact that the demographics of modern UK health are increasingly about the demographics of a racially diverse community served by a racially diverse workforce. As is true generally of globalised metropolitan areas worldwide.

It's as if the non-white UK patients, carers, families and professional staff are condemned to be a ghostly presence in the healthcare machine not really believed in except as a discomforting whisper in the corridor as they lay dying. Some shadow lives that don't matter, then. Curious this is happening at time when there is really a rise in racist incidents and of course that persistent and so not racist corrosion of migrant rights to healthcare.

Let's not talk about race now, please.

Kind Regards

David Truswell

Sent from my iPad

On 21 Jun 2017, at 19:41, SumanFernando2 <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Dear Professor Udy Archibong,

 

This sound like an important conference - thank you so much for arranging it.

 

Unfortunately I cannot get there until about 12.30  Noon- that is just in time for the 13.00 session.  May I apply for a half-day attendance?  Since places are limited I do not want to deprive someone able to attend all day.

 

Incidentally I have a book on Institutional Racism in Psychiatry and clinical psychology in press! 

 

Suman Fernando

WEBSITE: http://www.sumanfernando.com

 

NEW BOOK: out Sept 2017:  https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319627274

 

 

 

From: Udy Archibong [mailto:U.E.Archibong@bradford.ac.uk]
Sent: 21 June 2017 16:20
To: MINORITY-ETHNIC-HEALTH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Cc: SumanFernando2
Subject: Re: Join us to discuss RACE at the Making Diversity Interventions Count Annual Conference - 12th July 2014

 

Dear all

 

It’s time to discuss RACE and RACISM again at the 7th Making Diversity Interventions Count Annual Conference, taking place at the University of Bradford, Great Hall, on Wednesday, 12th July 2017.  Please note that this year’s conference is FREE but places are limited.

 

This conference will bring together policymakers and stakeholders to discuss research evidence and next steps in the drive to address disproportionality in educational attainment, performance assessment and regulatory issues facing Black and Minority Ethnic professionals in the UK healthcare sector. 

 

Key areas for discussion:

  • ·         Midwives and disciplinary proceedings
  • ·         The Involvement of Black and Minority Ethnic staff in NHS disciplinary proceedings: 10 years on!
  •            Silenced Voices: Privileging the narratives of minoritised Trainee Clinical Psychologists
  • ·         Causes of differential attainment in postgraduate medical training: Trainee and trainer perspectives
  • ·         Differential attainment in Medicine: Policy implications and actions
  • ·         The progress and outcomes of BME Nurses and Midwives through the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practise Process
  • ·         Response to the research evidence and next steps for addressing disproportionality in health organisations and professions

 

 A regularly updated version of the conference is available to download here.  Follow us @BradfordCfID #MDICAC2017 

 

Speakers

We are delighted to be able to include in this conference keynote address from: Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Chief Executive, Turning Point and Chair of Social Enterprise UK

Other Speakers include:

·         Prof Brian Cantor CBE, Vice Chancellor, University of Bradford

·         Shahnaz Ali OBE, Former Director of Inclusion, Equality and Human Rights, NHS North West, Lead Consultant Equality Works and Lay member of Council, University of Bradford

·         Amy Leversidge, Employment Relations Advisor, Royal College of Midwives

·         Prof Udy Archibong MBE, Professor of Diversity and Director Centre for Inclusion and Diversity, University of Bradford

·         Dr Romana Farooq, Specialist Clinical Psychologist and Systemic Practitioner

·         Dr Antonia Rich, Research Associate and Health Psychologist University College London Medical School

·         Kirsty White, Assistant Director Education and Standards Directorate, General Medical Council

·         Prof Elizabeth West, Professor of Applied Social Research, University of Greenwich

·         Aishnine Benjamin, Equality and Diversity Policy Manager, Nursing and Midwifery Council

·         David Wilkinson, Director of Workforce & Organisational Development, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

·         Dr Dean Royles, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust

·         Lynne Carter, Deputy Head of Engagement and Equality and Diversity, eMBED Health Consortium

·         Owen Williams, Chief Executive of Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

·         Wendy Irwin, Head of Equality and Diversity, Royal College of Nursing

·         Prof Steve Barnett, Chairman, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

·         Dr Umesh Prabhu, Paediatric Consultant & Former Medical Director, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust 

 

Overall, we expect speakers and attendees to be a senior and informed group numbering more than 100,  including researchers, equality and diversity leads and practitioners from public, private, voluntary and community sector organisations, chief executives, HR/workforce directors and personnel. Service users and students are also regular attendees 

 

Benefits of the Conference

Delegates will have the opportunity to:

  • Learn about the latest research on equality and diversity interventions nationally and globally
  • Debate the policy context of diversity interventions in employment and service delivery in the public, private, voluntary and community sectors
  • Develop a deeper understanding of the drivers, critical success factors and obstacles to effective application of diversity interventions across the whole employment cycle
  • Meet and network with those committed to researching and advancing equality and diversity policy and practice

Booking arrangements

To book a FREE place, please visit our online booking store.

 

I do hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be a most useful day, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

Yours sincerely, 

 

Udy Archibong 

 

Professor Uduak Archibong MBE

Professor of Diversity

Director, Centre for Inclusion and Diversity (CfID)

Faculty of Health Studies

 

Strategic Advisor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Offices of the Vice Chancellor

 

University of Bradford | Richmond Building

 

Richmond Road | Bradford BD7 1DP | United Kingdom

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Office:  +44 (0) 1274 236347/233816

Skype:  udy.archibong

 

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PA Support & CfID Administrator: Kellie Barnes +44 (0) 1274 236448/ 236347

Email: [log in to unmask]ac.uk

 

 

  

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From: Health of minority ethnic communities in the UK <MINORITY-ETHNIC-HEALTH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK> on behalf of SumanFernando2 <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 21 June 2017 14:06
To: MINORITY-ETHNIC-HEALTH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Re: Race is off the agenda with a vengence

 

Dear Neil,

 

I think discussing ‘diversity’ /equality inevitably and necessarily leads to discussing racism (and other discriminatory practices and attitudes like antisemitism and Islamophobia). So equality and diversity being off the agenda is really equivalent to racism being off the agenda.  I think the ‘Obama effect’  (‘post-race’ theory) may have something to do with this but I think there are other forces in action.  It is essential at this time of social-political instability that we talk about all this (as ‘institutional racism’ perhaps) at conferences and meetings and in publications, so it’s out in the open.  Under the carpet approach, hoping it will go away is always counter-productive. That means I think white and non-white (‘people of colour’ / BME) of good will (and there are many in the UK) talking together is essential. In my view, potentially racist attitudes and behaviours are there is all of us and in our systems (like education and mental health) and it our responsibility to keep them at bay as much as possible.  

 

 

Suman

 

 

From: Health of minority ethnic communities in the UK [mailto:MINORITY-ETHNIC-[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sanyal, Neil
Sent: 21 June 2017 13:07
To: MINORITY-ETHNIC-HEALTH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Re: Race is off the agenda with a vengence

 

I was aware that Equality and Diversity were “off the agenda” since 2010 but wasn’t aware that race and racism were also off the agenda too. I must say that it doesn’t come up much in any frequent discourse in our Adult Social Services Department here. That doesn’t mean everyone has now become racist again though.

 

Neil

 

Neil Sanyal
Social Worker/AMHP
Adult Mental Health New Forest Substance Misuese Social Care Team
Lymington Area Office

Lymington

Hampshire
SO41 9YB
Tel: 01590 625120

[log in to unmask]

[log in to unmask]

 

From: Health of minority ethnic communities in the UK [mailto:MINORITY-ETHNIC-[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of SumanFernando2
Sent: 21 June 2017 13:03
To: MINORITY-ETHNIC-HEALTH@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Race is off the agenda with a vengence

 

Dear All,

 

Interesting link to Kwame McKenzie’s activity in Toronto. (Kwame was well-known psychiatrist in UK latterly active in an anti-racist stance before he emigrated to Canada)

 

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/06/20/11th-hour-motion-says-racism-must-be-discussed-at-andrew-loku-inquest.html

 

It seems that the tendency to not talk about ‘race’ and racism evident I think in UK  seems to be evident in Toronto too!   I have noted this tendency at meetings and conferences in UK over the past ten years or so—just at a time when racism is increasing in all avenues of our multicultural society including mental health.

 

For those who do not know much about Toronto, Across Boundaries was established about 20 years ago openly anti-racist but has had to pull back on its anti-racism recently.

 

I have just returned from a meeting at OISE (University of Toronto) where this malady (don’t mention ‘race’ disease) was obvious and commented upon. Have others on this list noticed it too? 

 

 

Suman

Suman Fernando

WEBSITE: http://www.sumanfernando.com

 

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--
Professor SP Sashidharan