Local BAME NHS Staff Raise Concerns Over Fatality Rates
Ethnic minority health workers disproportionately affected by Covid-19
Picture: BMA
May 2, 2020
Black, Asian and minority ethnic frontline staff at Ealing and Northwick Park hospitals will meet virtually with trust bosses to discuss protections against coronavirus.
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust’s chief executive, chief nurse and medical director are set to listen to concerns amid fears ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by the deadly disease. The hospital provider also manages Central Middlesex Hospital.
A study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies published on Friday, 1 May, revealed that after accounting for differences in age and geography, the death rate for people from black African backgrounds was an estimated 3.7 times higher than that of white Britons.
Those with Pakistani heritage were also estimated at 2.7 times higher than their white British counterparts, and for people of black Caribbean background it was recorded as 1.7 times higher.
And the report also suggested minorities are more exposed to the disease through their occupations. More than two in ten black African women of working age work in the health and social care sector, while Indian men are 150 per cent more likely to work in health or social care roles than white British men.
A trust spokesperson said: “As one of the most diverse trusts in the country, we fully appreciate that Covid-19 is likely to cause some anxiety for our BAME staff.
“We want to assure our teams that their safety remains our priority, and that we are constantly reviewing our processes to ensure that we can keep all our people as safe as possible.
“As part of doing this, our Chief Executive, Chief Nurse and Medical Director will be holding a virtual meeting with our frontline BAME staff next week, where they will listen to any issues for discussion and offer their support.”
The move comes as NHS bosses sent a letter to hospital trusts and health services on Wednesday urging them to risk-assess BAME staff who are at “potentially greater risk” from the virus.
The advice, from NHS chief executive Simon Stevens and chief operating officer Amanda Pritchard, said: “Emerging UK and international data suggest that people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are also being disproportionately affected by Covid-19. Public Health England have been asked by DHSC to investigate this.
“In advance of their report and guidance, on a precautionary basis we recommend employers should risk-assess staff at potentially greater risk and make appropriate arrangements accordingly.”
The Royal College of Nursing’s London director Lisa Elliott also backed plans to ensure risk assessments include ethnicity among the risk factors in the workplace.
She added: “Black and minority ethnic staff will understandably have real anxieties and concerns about their safety and that of their families, and it is vital that employers are supportive and facilitate conversations that encourage staff to access support and share concerns. As new evidence emerges, we will continue to work with our members to ensure they have the protection they need while ensuring proper patient care.”
Anahita Hossein-Pour - Local Democracy Reporter