‘I channel my distress into the mission for equity in mental health services’

Jacqui Dyer, the chair of the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Taskforce, has lost two brothers who struggled with mental health challenges. Here she writes about why she's hopeful that real change can be delivered in mental healthcare

HOPEFUL: Jacqui Dyer, hair of the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Taskforce

I HAVE seen first-hand the devastating impact health inequalities can have on people’s lives.

I have lost two brothers who throughout their lives had struggled with long-term mental health challenges – the second one just this year, one week after George Floyd’s death and in the midst of COVID-19 sharply unfolding.

I channel my distress into the mission for equity in mental health services as this is one of the most urgent challenges of our lifetime. We have a chance to prove ourselves as a different kind of society than we have experienced so far.

“This strategy aims at making care fairer for all”

Today, as the chair of the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Taskforce, I work closely with health services to make sure we are progressing towards fair and accessible mental health care for all. This work must produce tangible outcomes for those we rarely listen or attend to – we can no longer work in a system that assumes the same approach fits all. The cost of this can be fatal.

I am proud to announce that NHS England and NHS Improvement has published its first Advancing Mental Health Equalities strategy, laying out plans for addressing inequalities in access, experience and outcomes in mental healthcare. This strategy aims at making care fairer for all. Its sets out three avenues we will take to achieve this: supporting local health systems; collecting and using data and information to inform decision-making; and creating a diverse and representative workforce which is equipped to achieve change.

“Work at a local level has had a big impact on people’s lives”

While we continue to promote access to mental healthcare, we are rethinking what that care looks like. We are urging local healthcare systems to work more closely with the people they serve, to determine what they need, especially for groups experiencing disadvantages, discriminations and crises that impact their health and wellbeing.

Inequalities black men face

Studies show that Black men are far more likely than others to be diagnosed with severe mental health problems, but uptake of services from this community is still very low. Working closely with patients and carers to understand their experiences is the only way we will tackle inequalities for Black men. I am delighted that the strategy includes a commitment to work directly with at risk groups, and make sure their experiences and feedback drive changes in NHS services. Learning from people with experience of mental health problems, and producing work together, are critical to this.

Services across the country have already taken huge strides forward to bridge the gap for communities fairing worse than others in mental health services. Work at a local level has had a big impact on people’s lives, but we know there is so much more that can be done across the country. Every single person working in mental health has a role to play in making our services and systems fairer and challenging racism in all its forms. I am optimistic that the Mental Health Equalities Strategy will be the start of a process of driving forward change and ensuring all those accessing mental health services have the same positive experience and outcomes from their care.

I am hopeful that with a concerted national effort and strong partnerships with social care and the voluntary sector we can deliver real change and prevent another sibling, son or friend dying too young. We can do this.

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1 Comment

  1. | Chaka Artwell

    The English Empire has been intimately linked with West African people for 500 years; and the English People still cannot accept non-caucasian people.
    A third of Caribbean people have European-heritage.
    Caribbean people have been incredibly loyal to England.
    Nevertheless, in England and Caucasian Europe generally, African-heritage people are not welcomed in England or Caucasian Europe.
    We shoulod be organising ourselves to leave this beastly empire that after a 500 year relationship still cannot accept and treat African-heritage people as fellow Subjects or citizens.
    We should be planning our exit and leave caucasian Europe in peace.

    Reply

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