12 Jun 2020
We are pleased to announce that Dr Mike Ejuoneatse, our Lead Governing Body GP, has been nominated to join and been accepted on to the NHS England North West BAME advisory group for a fixed two year period.
Following the publication by Public Health England of a report on disparities on the impact of Covid-19 on different groups which gives compelling evidence that BAME communities are at far greater risk than white communities, a formal BAME advisory group has now been established in the North West. This group is chaired by Bill McCarthy, Regional Director of NHS England/Improvement alongside Evelyn Asante-Mensah, Chair of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, who has now joined the Covid-19 senior incident management group (IMG) to take a particular BAME perspective on the management of the epidemic in the North West region. alongside Bill McCarthy.
Dr Ejuoneatse, a GP at Central Surgery in the town centre, said: “I’m pleased to be joining this group along with other NHS colleagues from across the North West which we hope can really make a real and sustainable difference, not only in terms of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic among minority groups, but to also ensure that the BAME community has a real voice in terms of holding the NHS to account in the region.”
This group will formally advise the Regional Director and the IMG with a two-fold purpose:
- To advise from a BAME perspective on the management of the epidemic by the NHS in the North West. This will include reviewing evidence and actions taken and proposing additional actions
- To advise on progress with the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard and other NHS matters of concern to BAME staff and communities in the North West. This may include access to services, staff experience and career progression.
The group is planned to be a lasting source of advice for the North West region, not just for the duration of the Covid-19 emergency, setting key priorities for progress and holding the NHS region to account.