Government details plans for overhaul of mental health services for black and ethnic minority patients

October 19, 2003

The government has laid out how it plans to overhaul mental health services to better serve the needs of black and ethnic minority patients.

The Department of Health's draft 'Delivering Race Equality: A Framework for Action' sets out how primary care and mental health services should improve for users, relatives and carers from black and ethnic minority communities.

Among the measures - whose implementation is to be co-ordinated by The National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) - are to employ 500 community development workers by 2006.

Nine senior regional posts within the NIMH will also be created to take the lead on implementing "race equality" throughout the mental health service.

The overhaul - which mental health professionals have been asked to comment on - follows concerns that mental health services are fundamentally failing black and ethnic minority people.

Black people represent 30% of patients in medium secure services and 16% of high secure services. In addition, they are more than six times likely than white patients to be detained under the Mental Health Act. Women born in India and East Africa have a 40% higher suicide rate than those born in England and Wales.

The plans are also ahead of two inquiries into deaths of black and Asian people with mental health problems. Both reports are likely to be critical of services.

The first report, next Friday, will investigate the case of Daksha Emson, an NHS psychiatrist in east London who had a history of mental illness, who killed her baby before committing suicide three years ago.

This will be followed by a report into the death in 1998 of David "Rocky" Bennett, who was being treated at a secure unit in Norwich. Bennett died after being restrained by staff and an inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death aggravated by neglect.

The NIMH's implementation of the proposal is to be headed by Professor Kamlesh Patel, chair of the Mental Health Act Commission and the Director of the Centre for Ethnicity and Health at the University of Central Lancashire.

Prof Patel said: "This is a long-term, whole-system approach designed to gain commitment and ownership from stakeholders, instill knowledge and confidence in the workforce and build mutual trust between services and the communities they serve."

Health Minister Rosie Winterton said: ""To achieve race equality and better community relations, whether in central government, local government, health services, voluntary groups or local communities, all of us need to work together to deliver better services for people from black and minority ethnic communities."

Mental health professionals have been asked to provide their views online at http://bme.nimhe.org.uk/weblog.shtml. Or they can respond in writing or e-mail to:Kevin Mantle, 315 Wellington House, Department of Health, 133-155 Waterloo House, London SE1 8UG. Tel: 020 7972 4364: E-Mail: kevin.mantle@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Delivering Race Equality: A Framework for Action (pdf)

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