Letter to BAME colleagues

Dear colleague,

The appalling killing of George Floyd has triggered an outpouring of feeling across the world and I felt I had to respond to it in a meaningful manner.

I want my position on supporting our colleagues from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds to be absolutely clear. That is why this letter has been published on our website and sent by post to everyone who has declared a relevant ethnicity on ESR.

This desire to speak out falls into two distinct but related manners. First, on racism and secondly on the disproportionate impact of Coronavirus on people. Ali Khan, Chair of our BAME network is a cosignatory to this letter as we are absolutely partners in speaking out and working together to improve things for you.

On 13 May, I held a conversation with 200 members of staff, where we discussed the impact of Coronavirus on people and our plans going forward. I held a second conversation on 4 June, which even more people attended. You can watch a video of either conversation if you were not able to join us at www.bit.ly/BAME-coronavirus  (staff login required).

In those meetings I heard the comments and questions of those who attended about Coronavirus. What made even more of an impact on me was that I could sense some of the deep-seated anxiety and other emotions that surround the topic.

However, between the first and second conversations, the news agenda about the virus was overtaken. As a result, we spent quite some time in the second meeting talking about the impact of racism and in an emotional moment that will live long in my memory, Ali Khan, Chair of our BAME Network, powerfully called for people to speak out and stand with him against racism.

I am proud to say that I stand with Ali against racism and intolerance. Injustice, suppression and violence have been and continue to be features of our own society. The most powerful antidote to prejudice is for it to be spoken about. Silence implies agreement and consent. We all have a duty to speak out, and as Chief Executive, that obligation starts with me. That is why I am taking a public stand on the matter, in our internal messages, through this letter, on our website, and on my Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/Fiona_CEO_SABP).

It feels that something significant has changed in the world, but more importantly, within our SABP family. I am determined to do all I can to ensure I support our BAME Network and everyone who stands up for justice and fair treatment. These conversations, born out of responding to Coronavirus, seem a good place to begin. I plan to continue them.

Nonetheless, I will not lose sight of the original reason for the meetings. Across the two meetings, it was clear to me how worrying Coronavirus has been and continues to be for so many colleagues and I want to provide you with as much support as we can.

Ali and I want to share with you what we have done and our plans for the next steps. We identified six themes from the conversations:

1.  that our BAME staff feel considerable anxiety about Coronavirus and its potential impact on them as a community and welcomed the support that was being developed for general wellbeing and mental health.
2. discussion about ‘non-classic’ Coronavirus symptoms – and the inconclusive evidence as to whether people from ethnic minorities exhibit a wider range of symptoms - and that this needed to be factored into the testing strategy.
3. the importance of general wellbeing in helping to protect against Coronavirus and, in particular, the group highlighted to the problem of vitamin D deficiency for people from black and ethnic minority communities and the role of supplements.
4. strong support for the proposed risk assessments and the role this would play in defining the appropriate reasonable adjustment for BAME staff.
5. the need to actively consider the role of PPE with regard to heightened vulnerability of staff from ethnic minorities.
6. there was a general willingness from the participants in the call to volunteer to work with colleagues to help us to progress on these issues.

As a result of this, we have:

• asked our Clinical Reference Group to consider these issues and work with volunteers from our BAME community to address them.
• created ‘risk assessment’ conversations so that all colleagues from ethnic minorities can ensure they can raise their concerns and needs. These will be adapted and modified based on feedback. We will also engage with all staff on a wide range of other risk factors, both work-related and not, such as age, disability, long-term conditions, family circumstances and transport options.
• encouraged colleagues from minority ethnic backgrounds to feel confident discussing any concerns they may have about Coronavirus with managers, the Speak-Up Guardian, the BAME Network or with me.
• included ethnicity as a factor in assessing who is a priority for Coronavirus testing during the first five days of symptoms.
• agreed to pay for Vitamin D supplements for those who, in consultation with their GP as appropriate, choose to take them
• agreed that following the completion of a risk assessment, one of the measures we could offer relevant staff could be to offer higher levels of PPE to at-risk staff who would like to use it.
• agreed to look at including in our occupational health offer, blood tests to screen for predisposing conditions that would render someone vulnerable to Coronavirus.

Therefore, risk assessments are really important so can I take this opportunity to ask you to please make sure you complete our risk assessment. The documentation has been shared in the daily messages, notably on 8 June. If you’ve missed it, please email Coronavirus@sabp.nhs.uk and ask for a copy.

We will discuss these initiatives further with staff members, the BAME Network and the Clinical Reference Group.

I am committed to working with you all to address the issues we’ve faced and listen to your feedback. Please join a conversation, or drop me a line to fiona.edwards@sabp.nhs.uk or via the BAME Network if you would prefer, by emailing ali.khan@sabp.nhs.uk.

I’d like to thank you very much for your contributions to this organisation during this difficult time. Every single member of the Surrey and Borders family is critical to helping us to care for and support people who use our services and that includes you.

I hope that you and your loved ones stay safe and well.