Agenda item

A presentation from the NHS City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group.

Members received a presentation from the NHS City and Hackney Clinical Commissioning Group concerning the City and Hackney’s commitment to reducing BAME health inequalities in mental health. The following points were made:

·         The Board, and the wider City Corporation, were asked to sign up to Synergi’s National Statement of Intent which was a commitment to address serious BAME health inequalities.

·         Members were informed that the Synergi collaboration was a national initiative including service users, commissioners, policy makers and politicians. This was agreed by the CCG and Hackney Health & Wellbeing Board and it was hoped the whole of City and Hackney would join as a collaborative.

·         For Hackney, issues with BAME focussed primarily on access and outcomes for Afro-Caribbean groups whereas in the City there were vulnerabilities identified for asylum seekers who were mostly from BAME backgrounds. Initiatives were in place targeting both identified vulnerable groups.

·         Toolkits have been created to ensure BAME inequalities are being identified and will be incorporated into the City & Hackney’s integrated system. An Equality & Diversity Group has also been set up to address these issues.

·         In response to a query concerning what systemic interventions would be used, training and possible use of Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprogramming (EMDR), Members were advised that whilst services had a prescribed list of treatment, they did not currently take different ethnic groups and their different responses to treatments into account. Synergi were exploring these differences in a report as it was felt that having the correct treatment for the person was key.

·         Officers confirmed that BAME mental health inequalities would also strongly feature as part of commenced work between the City & Hackney around health and inequalities to develop the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

·         Members were very supportive of Synergi’s work and agreed to sign up to the National Statement of Intent.