We are an anti-racist organisation, and our work helps to eliminate racism, remove racialised inequalities and reduce racial prejudice
The EHRC has reported for many years on the persistent and structural disadvantages facing Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) people. Racism is considered a fundamental cause of bad health outcomes for BME people and differences in health.
Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) is the term we use in NHS Lothian to describe Black and ethnically diverse people. It is the term preferred and adopted by NHS Lothian staff agreed through the BME staff network.
We know, for example:
- Black women are 3.7 times, and Asian women 1.8 times, more likely to die during pregnancy and maternity than White women. Separate Inquiries have found that racism and religious discrimination against Muslim women is at the root of many inequalities in maternity outcomes and experiences.
- A Mental Welfare Commission review examining racial inequality across in Scotland found differences in the way the Mental Health Act is applied when BME people are detained for mental health care and treatment compared to White Scottish People, particularly between Black and White Scottish women.
- An EHRC Inquiry gathered substantial evidence of the poor treatment of BME people in health and social care workplaces. Many BME workers felt that others were treating them in a negative or unfavourable way because of their race or nationality.
- Some of our BME staff feel they are often not integrated into teams, induction processes can be poorly run, they can be made to feel unwelcome and different and feel they have been treated unfavourably compared to their White colleagues. Some have experienced racism by colleagues or patients and have felt unsupported by managers. In NHS Lothian, 5.2% of staff are from BME groups and 3.3% of promotions were obtained by BME staff.
- My Story is Your Story is a short film that celebrates the contribution of Black and Minority Ethnic staff, sharing interviews about their experiences during COVID-19, the challenges they faced and the changes they want to see happen.
The Scottish Government is designing new, multi-year anti-racist work that will start in 2023 and has established an Ethnicity and Anti-Racism Interim Governance Group to develop National Anti-Racist Infrastructure. In response to the recommendations from the Expert Reference Group on COVID-19 and Ethnicity, the Programme for Government prioritised action to promote equality and human rights for BME people and communities and deliver the recommendations to reduce and remove racial health inequalities.
Over the next 5 years
We will improve how we use evidence
- We will continue our journey to acknowledge and learn from the legacies of our historical connections with Atlantic slavery and colonialism.
- We will act on our workforce equality data and take positive action to improve the representation of BME people in senior positions.
- We will strengthen informal and formal reporting processes, continue to collect data about informal and formal complaints and routinely ask for feedback about our processes.
We will listen to people with lived experience and act
- Working with equality organisations, we will establish formal structures to hear the voices of people from our ethnically diverse communities and use their lived experience to deliver inclusive services.
- We will understand the prevalence of racism, race discrimination and harassment and act on this. We will not tolerate racism in any form.
We will support our staff and improve services
- We will provide our staff with leadership and confidence to understand and actively challenge racism, racial prejudice, harassment and bullying.
- We will give staff the information they need to be respectful and appreciative of different cultures and backgrounds and to have positive relationships with the people they work with and who use our services.
- We will ensure all parts of our organisation are welcoming and inclusive places for people from our ethnically diverse communities to be part of so that no one feels unsafe, unwelcome or inferior.
- We will take action to address racialised health inequalities.
