Posted on: 21 October 2020
This week’s leadership message is a video blog from Rob Webster (CBE), CEO Lead for the Partnership, and Robin Tuddenham, CEO for Calderdale Council, Chief Officer for Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group and Co-Chair of the Partnership’s Improving Population Health Programme.
Celebrating Black History Month
Our Partnership will continue to raise the profile of its diverse workforce during October (Black History Month). As part of our ongoing commitment to diversify the leadership of partner organisations, we have given BAME staff a platform to raise their profile during Black History Month. This includes celebrating the work of BAME staff through weekly blogs, press quotes, podcasts, with contributors from across the Partnership. This week’s message is from Wasim Feroze from Leeds City Council.
Hello my name is Wasim
In deciding about how I might write this blog, I thought about how I would approach the subject of allyship. A quick google search will provide you with a wealth of information about how to be an ally to Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities but I thought I would share with you my own personal views. Indeed, local examples here in Leeds highlight the strong focus on this key subject with Leeds Teaching Hospital recently sharing their powerful BME Allyship model (IAPPLAUD) which seeks to serve a crucial role in driving racial equality in the organisation - I highly recommend checking it out.
This is not a guide as to how to become a good ally for BAME colleagues, mostly because I don’t represent the entire BAME community which is incredibly diverse and complex. But what I can do is speak to my experience of allyship, why it matters to be an Ally and help demonstrate why allyship starts with me and you. Why it starts with us.
The death of George Floyd and the international attention on the Black Lives Matter movement has bought into sharp focus the ongoing racial injustice, inequity and everyday discrimination faced by BAME communities nationally and internationally. We find ourselves talking about the current context as being the “new normal”. However the harsh reality is that the pandemic has only highlighted that the experiences of discrimination that BAME communities face is as entrenched now as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, we know that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected BAME communities even further.
This moment of crisis highlights why it matters now more than ever to be an Ally. Many of our Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities have bravely shared their lived experiences and have had to relive the trauma of the racism they have faced. The emotional labour of these stories being shared should not and must not be underestimated. It is incumbent on us all to respond to the trust and bravery of BAME communities in sharing their experiences, with the clear unequivocal support and engagement this key moment demands.
I realise this will be an uncomfortable and challenging time for White communities too. But we cannot afford the fear of difficult conversations to prevent us from creating cultures of openness and honesty which allows us all to fully understanding the impact of the current context on marginalised communities.
We all want to do better. We need to do better. We need to be better. Allyship does not have an end point. It is a journey where we are all constantly learning, constantly improving, constantly challenging ourselves.
Your allyship matters also because of the profound impact it has on marginalised communities. I know this because I speak from personal experience.
Not being able to be your true self and to celebrate each part of your identity that makes you undeniably you is where this journey started for me. I know what it is like to pretend to be someone else, because it felt like the easier, safer option.
It wasn’t.
I no longer recognised the person I saw in the mirror after years of pretending to be someone I was not. I am a British Asian gay man and I am proud of who I am. But the truth is this journey has not been easy and to sit here and type the words “I am Gay” comes with some trepidation. How will you react? Will you judge me simply for being who I truly am?
These are some of the endless questions I asked myself. But looking back at where I am today, I would not be able to type the words for this blog, to speak openly about who I am , if it was not for the diverse voices, of those friends, colleagues, those allies who have and continue to support me.
That is the power of allyship. Yes, you can’t fully understand my experience but what you can do is be the ally who listens, the ally who believes in the very personal story that I am sharing, the ally that amplifies my voice and my experience.
Right now all our BAME communities need us. They need you.
They need our support. They need us to speak out when we see injustice and racism. They need to see that we are listening. They need to see that we are seeking to learn, to educate ourselves. They need to see our compassion, to show that we care, that their diversity and difference is celebrated.
That we respect them.
That they matter.
This is not a time for passive allyship. The time for quiet support has passed us and simply saying you are an ally is no longer enough. Change, real progressive change comes from your powerful voices amplifying those of BAME communities – of changing ideas into action and ideas into actual tangible change in our workplaces, our communities and our homes. Allyship is not just a concept. It must be part of everything we do. I’ll be honest with you - It won’t be easy. It will require work. You will be in this for the long haul. But importantly, you won’t be on this journey alone. Some of you are at the beginning of the allyship journey. Some of you are further along. Whatever stage of this journey you are at, we are all in this together, learning together. Allyship starts with you. It starts with us.
Have a safe weekend,
Wasim
What else has been happening this week?
The Partnership’s Review into the impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities and support needed for Black Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and staff published its report setting out the critical next steps on Thursday 22 October. Nearly 300 people took part in the event with many others watching live on line.
The review panel sessions, chaired by Professor Dame Donna Kinnair, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, a leading figure in national health and care policy, included WY&H HCP leaders, members of the WY&H HCP BAME Network and voluntary and community sector partners.
All worked tirelessly through the summer to investigate and understand the disparities in the risks and outcomes of COVID-19, as well as learn from the experience of the organisations and colleagues that make up WY&H HCP.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every child, adult, family and community in West Yorkshire and Harrogate, with some of the biggest impacts seen for the most economically disadvantaged and those from BAME communities. The review’s original work themes, such as population health inequalities and workforce were refined into four distinct themes, via panel member contributions, initial review of the evidence and further discussion by the panel.
The review themes are:
- Improving access to safe work for BAME colleagues in West Yorkshire and Harrogate
- Ensuring the Partnership’s leadership is reflective of communities
- Population planning (using information to make sure that services meet different groups’ needs)
- Reducing Inequalities in mental health outcomes by ethnicity.
Report recommendations include:
- Delivery of co-designed ethnically appropriate advice and support for people working in high risk roles to mitigate risk to their heath, their families and communities.
- Equality of opportunities for BAME groups in all economic development and recovery plans, including work on apprenticeships, job creation and start up grants.
- The coproduction of an anti-racism campaign. Recognising and appreciating that BAME is not one homogenous population.
- Inclusive leadership standards which leaders pledge to personally uphold within their organisations, starting with recruitment and selection processes.
- Development of independent discrimination panels with BAME representation to review all cases of racial discrimination in disciplinary and complaints cases.
- All organisations in West Yorkshire and Harrogate engage in positive action to actively seek out local, ethnically representative talent with local recruitment targets for senior level roles.
- Ensure that ethnicity recording is 100% in all settings and that this data, coupled with local insight, is used across WY&H HCP to inform the design and delivery of care.
- Monitoring of service access, uptake and outcomes by ethnicity to identify inequalities.
- Demonstration that services are culturally competent and are contributing towards reducing inequalities.
- Work to address the determinants that lead to ethnic inequalities in mental health. This includes using procurement and employment opportunities to create community wealth among BAME populations, improving housing conditions for people from BAME communities, and equity in skills opportunities.
- Work together to co-ordinate, lead and measure progress on reducing inequalities in mental health by ethnicity, including sharing good practice, improving use of evidence and coordinating training.
- Support the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to provide ongoing mental health support to Black, Asian and minority ethnicity communities. Colleagues from this sector should receive additional specialist emotional and practical support to continue this work.
Over 200 people attended the online event with many more watching live on line. You can read the report, and access all supporting information at https://
BAME Fellowship Programme
The Senior Placement development programme is the first of the three leadership programmes supporting different career stages as part of the BAME fellowship programme offer.
This is aimed at experienced leaders who are looking to bridge practical experience gaps coupled with strategic board level, system leadership development that has been a barrier to career progression.
Applications are now open and the closing date for applications is 6 November 2020. The programme will start on 25 November.
Partnership hosts first area climate change summit
We held our first Climate Change Summit on Monday and Tuesday to explore how the Partnership can work to reduce the effects of climate change and prepare for its impacts across the area (Bradford district and Craven; Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield).
We aspire to become a global leader in responding to the climate emergency through increased mitigation, investment and culture change across the Partnership. It is one of the big ambitions set out in its ‘Five Year Plan’.
The NHS Sustainable Development Unit has been influencing policy and collecting data for more than 10 years with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare providing practical solutions to clinicians for a similar length of time.
Hosted by Dr Frank Swinton and Dr Yannish Naik, the Partnership’s Leads for Climate Change, the event heard from more than 30 system leaders and specialists from across the UK, with over 200 people attending and wider taking part in workshops.
Each workshop explored different dimension of the climate change challenge, with the aim of improving shared understanding of the regional ambition to become global leaders in responding to the climate emergency; increasing awareness of key issues related to climate change from a health and social care perspective and making more connections between people who can contribute to delivering that ambition.
Key leaders’ presenting included Robin Tuddenham, Chief Executive at Calderdale Council; Chief Officer for Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group and Co-chair of WY&H HCP Improving Population Health Programme. Robin led the response to the devastating flooding in Calder Valley in February 2020, and has worked to secure £85m investment into flood resilience. He is the lead Chief Executive for Health and Social Care, and Flooding for West Yorkshire, and co-chair of the West Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum.
Also amongst the speakers are WY&H HCP CEO Lead, Rob Webster (CBE); Rachel Stancliffe, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and a wide variety of leading experts. There was also a slot by the comedian and environmental economist Dr Matt Winning.
Our Partnership is determined to be climate leaders in the UK, working together to ensure they contribute to building a better society – reducing inequalities and resolving longstanding social problems during the pandemic. Building a new, healthier, low carbon, better normal in which we can all prosper and thrive. You can read more here.
Launch of the climate change schemes
We are sharing three upcoming schemes that we will be running as part of the climate change programme for your information.
Travel grants
Do you have an idea to help people move more? Would you like some money to enable you to try something radical to get people out of their cars or to create a safer/quieter/healthier community?
If so; more information, including eligibility criteria and application form for our grants of up to £5000 is available on the travel grants page. Applications close at 5pm on Monday 7 December. For further information, please contact frank.swinton@nhs.net
Respiratory care
Did you know that inhalers are some of the medicines that contribute the most to climate change? We are keen to find solutions that reduce their impact in a safe and patient-centred way. We will run two schemes on respiratory care, targeted at PCNs and practices. The first will be an innovative behaviour change intervention for patients with asthma using a large amount of salbutamol, where we will make available funding and support to help these patients achieve better asthma control.
The second will involve larger grants for practice or PCN –led innovation to improve the quality of respiratory care through patient-centred approaches while reducing the carbon footprint.
To register your interest and find out more about these two respiratory care schemes please contact yannishnaik
Training courses
We will fund 100 spaces on a Centre for Sustainable Healthcare course for people working in West Yorkshire and Harrogate health and care. This includes the following courses
- Intro to Sustainable Healthcare
- Sustainable Quality Improvement
- Carbon Foot printing for the Health Sector
- Green Space and Health.
To register for one of these funded spaces please email yannishnaik
Urgent and Emergency Programme Board
NHS 111 First implementation was discussed at length with progress being made across all elements at the programme board this week. The programme is on track to go live for 1 December when a national TV campaign will be launched.
Preparations for winter 2020/21 and the third phase of the NHS Response to COVID -19 were also discussed. Multiple priorities include managing impact of a potential flu outbreak, understanding urgent and emergency capacity and demand and alignment to supporting COVID based admissions and associated intensive care unit (ICU) activity. The resilience of NHS Volunteers Responders and that of local social care services are also significant. Building on and learning from these work streams may help shape the programme priorities for 2021/22. An horizon scanning exercise will take place in November and December as we start to think about the Urgent and Emergency Care Operational Plan for 2021/2022.
Dr Dave Tatham, GP and Clinical Lead for Urgent and Emergency Care for NHS Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) is the new Clinical Lead for the programme and he led a discussion on regional and local clinical advice services with a view to shaping the discussions in West Yorkshire and Harrogate about what we need to deliver clinical advice local, with an emphasis on co-ordination.
New publication for Bradford
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradford Council for Mosques is raising awareness of the disease to BAME communities in the Bradford district. In Bradford, Muslims make up 80% of BAME communities. People from BAME communities have one of the highest infection rates for COVID-19 and are more likely to suffer significant and fatal complications as a result of contracting the virus.
Healthy Bradford is a new tabloid-sized publication commissioned and produced by Bradford Council for Mosques. The publication is aimed at people living and working in Bradford. It aims to encourage healthy living; offer positive and expert advice around staying safe, protecting others and preventing the spread of the virus; explore how our way of life has changed since the onset of the pandemic.
50,000 copies of the newsletter will be circulated via mail drop by postcode in the Bradford district. It will also be distributed through Bradford Council for Mosques, partner and support group networks and across various online channels.
For more information please contact: info
Your support ‘Looking out for our neighbours’ phase 3 of the campaign
Building upon the success of the previous campaign, the winter 2020 campaign phase will be a digital marketing and social media campaign that will launch early November and will inspire positive action and signposting to services and resources around themes such as positivity and mental health and wellbeing. Looking out for our neighbours TV is a key part to this winter’s campaign and we are recruiting a panel of diverse neighbours across our areas. We will take a series of topics and direct a video call (using key topics for discussion and debate) which will later be edited and produced as a series of Looking out for our neighbour’s episodes and adverts which will be re-marketed across social media.
Please help to support us to recruit and encourage good neighbours from your area to feature in a short online series. Find out more at ourneighbours.org.uk, and search #OurNeighbours on Twitter for the latest conversations about the campaign.
Get Online Week 19 – 25 October
We’re pleased to be supporting Get Online Week 2020. The campaign is mobilising grassroots support for people with low digital skills AND raising the profile of digital inclusion as an issue of national importance.
Now more than ever before using technology is an important part of the care we provide. That’s why as part of the week we are promoting the GP Online Consultation which complements face-to-face and telephone advice. It’s a safe and convenient way for patients to contact their GP practice without having to queue on the phone or take time out of their busy lifestyles to come into the practice.
With a few clicks using a smartphone, tablet or computer, people can contact their GP practices 24/7 about a new problem or an ongoing issue. They can ask questions, tell their GP about their symptoms or make administrative requests at any time, day or night. The practice then decides how best to help patients as quickly and appropriately as possible.
Across West Yorkshire and Harrogate 98% of GP practices are signed up. We are planning a range of activities to build on the current digital first mode and promote patient take up and awareness of the tool.
GP Online Consultation supports the NHS England’s Digital Transformation Strategy.
Mail out to those at risk of developing type 2 diabetes pilot
We’ve developed a guide for general practice to write out to eligible patients to encourage them to take up a free place on the NHS National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP). We’re currently piloting the guide in two practices in Greater Huddersfield and North Kirklees. Practices in Bradford District and Craven will receive the pack later this week. We’ll use the feedback to make improvements before rolling out across the whole of the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership area.
Initially, we’ll be asking GPs to target people from Black and South Asian ethnic backgrounds who are not only at higher risk of serious adverse outcomes with COVID-19 but also at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
With new findings showing that people are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 if they have type 2 diabetes it’s more important than ever to look after our health and wellbeing.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Housing for Health Report
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership has published its report Housing for Health. The report contains a collection of local case studies that provide evidence of how well-designed and person-centred housing support initiatives have a direct positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
Housing is one of the significant determinants of health and wellbeing (Public Health England 2018). The adverse impacts on physical and mental wellbeing of living in an unhealthy home can be profound, particularly for children and their long term health. The report will be discussed today at a virtual roundtable event with housing partners.
Access the report and get more information on the Partnership website.