‘Must learn lessons from elsewhere’

It is currently a legal requirement for NHS trusts to have “speak up” guardians in place but not for CCGS which commission most NHS services, including urgent and emergency care, acute care and mental health services.

The governing board emphasised the need for a swift “culture change”.

It follows a review by Public Health England which found staff from BAME backgrounds are “afraid to speak up” about issues that put them at a higher risk of Covid-19, such as inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

The disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on such people was also discussed as it was revealed national death rates are much higher among this group.

Across Kent and Medway, the CCG has established a disparity work programme and said it is currently taking action to protect the BAME workforce through risk assessments and access to PPE. Between 10% and 30% of staff across all Kent trusts are from BAME backgrounds. But Dr Sarah Macdermott, who chairs the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley (CCG), pointed out the proportion of staff from ethnic minorities varies hugely depending on which part of Kent you are in. James Williams, director of public health at Medway Council, where the local trust workforce is made up of close to a third of BAME workers, said there are lessons to learn from London case studies.

He added: “There is a 65% BAME population in Slough so we have been looking at that and bringing it back here.” They would be breaking down the categories within BAME to look at other factors, as well exploring the impact on other groups such as travellers and those who are not BAME but living in “impoverished conditions”.