News

• Mental health chief admits NHS is racist

Mental health services are still failing people from black and minority ethnic communities, the independent inquiry into the death of David Bennett concludes, writes Katie Leason.

Bennett, a 38-year-old African Caribbean suffering from schizophrenia, died after being restrained by staff in the Norvic Clinic, a medium secure unit in Norwich. 

The inquiry found that institutional racism has been present in mental health services for many years, and recommended that all staff working in mental health services should receive cultural awareness training.

The inquiry adopted the definition of institutional racism set out by Sir William Macpherson in the Stephen Lawrence inquiry. This said that "institutional racism is the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin".

The inquiry report said: "At present people from the black and minority ethnic communities, who are involved in the mental health services, are not getting the service they are entitled to. Putting it bluntly, this is a disgrace. Final responsibility lies fairly and squarely with the Department of Health".

The inquiry makes 22 recommendations, stating that ministers should acknowledge institutional racism and that a national director for mental health and ethnicity should be appointed.

A DoH spokesperson said the department was "absolutely committed" to eliminating racism and discrimination within health and social care. However, the inquiry still has reservations.

"In view of the history we reserve judgment about whether these good intentions will be translated into action and that will be sufficient to cure this festering abscess, which is a blot upon the NHS," it states.

The inquiry said the mental health workforce should be ethnically diverse and steps should be taken to recruit black and minority ethnic staff.

All mental health services should have a written policy on racist abuse and a national system of training in restraint and control should be established. "Under no circumstances" should a patient be restrained in a 'prone' position or face down for longer than three minutes - Bennett had been restrained for around 25.

Health secretary John Reid said: "We deeply regret the death of David Bennett. We are committed to making change happen.

"Behaviours and processes that have grown up in mental health services mean that there is particular inequity in the provision of care and outcomes for people from black and ethnic minority groups."