Black Country NHS Trust Supporting BAME Communities

Recognising there was a need to further strengthen the resilience and understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust appointed two new Senior Community Development Workers earlier in the year.

Supporting the wider work around tackling health inequalities in BAME communities, Nazima Esscopri and Fareen Hussain have been working hard over the past few months to establish vital links with communities and improve access to and experiences of mental health services across the Black Country.

As well as making links with voluntary organisations and setting up grassroots initiatives, they have also been working with internal NHS colleagues to support the Covid-19 risk assessment process and supporting the development of equality and diversity projects across the Trust.

Across the STP, Nazima and Fareen have contributing to work around pooling resources and information so that we can support our BAME communities collectively to ensure these groups have access to a sound framework of information, guidance and support on their resilience during COVID-19 pandemic.

The team are currently developing a webinar that will bring voluntary sector/stakeholder organisations together to further discuss the impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities and how that might impact service delivery and change.

If you would like to find out more about the work of our senior community development workers or would like to participate in the webinar which is taking place on the 28th September at 11.00-12.30pm, please email nazima.esscopri1@nhs.net or you can contact her directly on 07771583635.

If you would like to know more about the BAME workforce you can contact Fareen Hussain via email fareen.hussain1@nhs.net or directly on her mobile on 07435920675.