| 'Abscess'
of NHS racism exposed
February
8, 2004.
The
NHS is rife with institutional racism and fails to give patients
from black and minority ethnic communities the services they need,
an inquiry is set to declare later this week.
It
follows the investigation into the
death of David "Rocky" Bennett, 38, at the Norvic Clinic
psychiatic unit in Norwich in October 1998.
The
Guardian newspaper said
that it has a leaked copy of the report which is
said to blame the Department of Health for failing to tackle "this
festering abscess which is at present a blot upon the good name
of the NHS".
John
Reid, the health secretary, is due to present the report to parliament
later this week.
The
report is written by an inquiry team under Sir John Blofeld, a retired
high court judge. The Guardian said the judge found that Mr Bennett,
a Jamaican-born patient diagnosed with schizophrenia, was killed
by being held face down on the floor for 28 minutes by at least
four nurses.
Staff
restrained him with unacceptable force after he punched a nurse
in the belief that he was being racially victimised.
The
Department of Health launched a consultation last autumn to improve
services for users, relatives and carers from black and minority
ethnic communities.
See also:
Oct
19, 2003: Government plans for overhaul of mental health services
for black and ethnic minority patients
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