Category: Ethnic Minorities

Ethnic diversity in fertility treatment 2018

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Report

Source: The King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert

This report looks at how access to, and outcomes of, fertility treatment differed by ethnic group between 2014 and 2018. It finds disparities in the experience of patients from ethnic minority backgrounds and makes recommendations for the HFEA, fertility clinics and commissioners to help better understand the root of these inequalities so that action can be taken to improve access and outcomes for ethnic minority groups.

Covid

Current Awareness Updates

Covid-19 recovery and resilience: what can health and care learn from other disasters? The King’s Fund

What do communities need to be able to recover from Covid-19 and build resilience? This long read identifies key insights from people involved in disaster recovery around the world.

Covid-19: rapid point of care or near-person testing for service providers Public Health England

(This guidance, aimed at service providers, describes the main types of coronavirus (Covid-19) tests currently available for use in point of care or near-person settings.)

Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among minority ethnic groups, 17 December 2020.
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE); 2021.

(Paper by the ethnicity sub-group on factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among minority ethnic groups. It was considered at SAGE 73 on 17 December 2020. The paper is the assessment of the evidence at the time of writing.)

COVID-19 Clinical management: living guidance.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.

(This document is the update of interim guidance published in May 2020. This guideline now also includes Best Practice Statement on caring for COVID-19 patients after their acute illness and 5 new recommendations.)

Prioritising the first COVID-19 vaccine dose: JCVI statement.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.

(Statement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about increasing the short-term impact of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Updated 26 January 2021: Added document ‘Annex B: comparison between 1 and 2 dose prioritisation for a fixed number of doses’.)

COVID-19: Ensuring a quality patient experience with the rise of digitisation in a healthcare setting.
Mobiquity; 2021.

(This report, commissioned by Mobiquity and conducted by Censuswide, reveals that half of UK patients aged over 55 preferred digital tools instead of in-person consultations during COVID-19. The most preferred digital tools used by over 55s included remote monitoring (50%) and video examinations (50%).)


Covid Virtual Ward (secondary care).
Wessex Academic Health Science Network (AHSN); 2021.

(The Covid Virtual Ward model is a secondary care led initiative to support early and safe discharge (step down) for Covid patients and builds on the Covid Oximetry @home model. NHS England and Improvement has now written out to all ICSs and trusts in the country; outlining why this work must be implemented, and how to do it.)

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Ethnic inequalities in Covid-19 mortality: a consequence of persistent racism Runnymede Trust

(This briefing (published in collaboration with the Centre of Dynamics of Ethnicity) discusses the reasons for ethnic minority people experiencing a much higher risk of Covid-19-related death. Ethnic inequalities in relation to Covid-19 mirror longstanding ethnic inequalities in health. A large body of evidence has shown that these inequalities are driven by social and economic inequalities, many of which are the result of racial discrimination.)

PPE portal: how to order COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) – Public Health England; Updated 26th January 2021

(Eligible health and social care providers can order PPE through the portal to meet the increased need that has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic)

COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers Public Health England; Updated 28th January 2021

(Genomically confirmed case numbers for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation.)

Risk related to the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the EU/EEA – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(This risk assessment presents the latest available information on the recent emergence of three variants of concern, VOC 202012/01 identified in the United Kingdom (UK), 501Y.V2 identified in South Africa, and P.1 identified in Brazil and Japan)

COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures. This document draws upon and updates evidence presented in the previous report from ECDC on this topic, which was published on August 6, 2020 [4]. This report does not consider educational settings related to young adults or adults, such as universities or vocational schools or any school with overnight stays, such as boarding schools. This report does not consider the epidemiology of COVID-19 in relation to new variants of SARS-CoV-2, for which robust evidence on the potential impact in school settings is not yet available, such as one recently observed in the United Kingdom [2].)

COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Sarilumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that sarilumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting. Sarilumab was given within about 24 hours of starting organ support.)


COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Tocilizumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Unpublished preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that tocilizumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting (all randomised within 24 hours of starting organ support).)

Perspectives from the front line: The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BME communities.
NHS Confederation BME Leadership Network; 2020.

(A report into the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on BAME communities based on interviews with BME NHS leaders, clinicians, community organisations and service users, as well as a survey of more than 100 members of the BME Leadership Network. Overwhelmingly, participants point to long-standing inequalities and institutional racism as root causes.)

Communications Toolkit

Improving communication with black, Asian and minority ethnic women and local maternity teams

Source: The King’s Fund; Health Management and Policy Alert

This toolkit aims to provide helpful suggestions about how to communicate with women of different backgrounds, about the extra support that is available to them, as well as signposting to currently available publications, messaging, insights and templates.

Perspectives from the front line

The disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BME communities

Source: King’s Fund Health Management and Policy Alert

This report finds that the effects of longstanding health and socio-economic inequalities and institutional racism lie behind the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds. It distils the findings of a research study into the underlying factors. It is based on interviews with BME NHS leaders, clinicians, community organisations and service users, and a survey of more than 100 members of the NHS Confederation’s BME Leadership Network.

For more information click here.

Podcast

Why are people from ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by Covid-19?

Black people are two to three times more likely to have been diagnosed with Covid-19 compared to white people, after adjusting for age. But what is causing this shocking disparity and how does systemic racism play a role? 

In this podcast, Helen McKenna sits down with Natalie Creary, Programme Delivery Director at Black Thrive, and James Nazroo, Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester.

King’s Fund Podcast

To listen to the Podcast, click the image above.

Caring alone: why Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic young carers continue to struggle to access support

Barnardo’s, April 2019
This report finds that young Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children who care for ill or disabled relatives are more likely than other young carers to be isolated from support services.  The concept of a young carer is unfamiliar to many BAME communities as helping your family and extended family is often expected and there is stigma within many BAME communities in acknowledging mental health and disability issues and in seeking support.  The report makes recommendations including ensuring that allpatients who don’t speak English should have access to a translator instead of relying on children to translate for their family.  The NHS should work with communities to tackle stigma around within BAME communities to reduce the stigma of mental illness, special needs and disability and improve access to services.
Click here to view the full report.