‘Ethnic inequalities’ a factor in BAME deaths
Report blames social and economic inequalities for disproportionate rates of infection and fatality
‘Leaders at all levels should be made accountable for delivering these recommendations’
RACISM may have contributed to the increased risk of black, Asian and minority ethnic people dying from Covid-19, a study has found.
BAME people are disproportionately more likely to contract and die from coronavirus compared with their white counterparts. According to the Public Health England report, racism and social inequality may have contributed to this increased risk.
There were at least 3,876 deaths of BAME people in hospitals in England up to June – 15.5 per cent of all deaths up to that point. According to the latest census in 2011, 14.5 per cent of the English population were from BAME backgrounds. The proportion may have grown since then.
The PHE report, based on stakeholder engagement with 4,000 people, found that “historic racism may mean people are discriminated against when it comes to personal protective equipment (PPE)”. As a result, the report said, people from BAME backgrounds could be less likely to seek care or demand better protection. The report said:
“Ethnic inequalities in health and wellbeing in the UK existed before Covid-19 and the pandemic has made these disparities more apparent and undoubtedly exacerbated them.
“The unequal impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities may be explained by a number of factors ranging from social and economic inequalities, racism, discrimination and stigma, occupational risk, inequalities in the prevalence of conditions that increase the severity of disease including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma.”
It continued: “The engagement sessions highlighted the BAME group’s deep concern and anxiety that, if lessons are not learnt from this initial phase of the epidemic, future waves of the disease could again have severe and disproportionate impacts.”
PHE outlined a seven-point plan on how to protect BAME communities, including the need to develop “occupational risk assessment tools” that can be employed at people’s place of work to reduce exposure to and acquisition of Covid-19.
This was especially true for BAME workers in health and social care and on the front line in occupations that put them at higher risk, it said. It also recommended recording better data about ethnicity and religion, including having this recorded on death certificates; making it law for health risk assessments to be carried out for BAME workers; and culturally sensitive public health messaging so that people, particularly those who may not speak English as a first language, can follow advice on how to protect themselves from Covid-19.
The report also called for action in areas such as housing, to reduce inequalities, and “targeted messaging on smoking, obesity and improving management of common conditions including hypertension and diabetes”.
The 4,000 stakeholders pointed to the racism and discrimination experienced by BAME key workers “as a root cause affecting health, and exposure risk and disease progression risk”.
Commenting on the latest report, Prof Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Now that we have these recommendations, they must be placed at the core of both the NHS and the Government’s plans to restart services, as well as plans for further Covid-19 outbreaks.
“There is no time for complacency, and leaders at all levels should be made accountable for delivering these recommendations and regularly reporting on progress.”
A Government Equalities Office spokesman said: “This valuable insight will help inform the next stages of our work to tackle the disparities highlighted by the PHE review.”