Responses to Public Health England's Review of COVID-19 disparities

Last week Public Health England published their review of disparities in risks and outcomes for COVID-19.

The review has faced criticism from medical leaders, being described as “a missed opportunity” because of its lack of recommendations for reducing ethnic minority disparities. This is despite the review being commissioned amid concerns about the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities, and its terms of reference stated that it would make recommendations for further action. 

You can read the full response published in the British Medical Journal here.

CORE (Coalition for Race Equality)

CORE has published their response, stating that the report fails to challenge racial disproportionality in COVID deaths. They have also published some recommendations based on consultation with the equality, migrant and poverty sectors.

The government-commissioned Public Health England report tells us what we already know. That BAME individuals and their communities are more likely to die from COVID-19. The report contains no recommendations about what should be done about this national tragedy.  There are no suggestions about how we might reduce the number of BAME deaths or protect frontline BAME staff who remain at serious risk.  Nor does it reach any firm conclusion about why this disproportionality occurs or analyse whether racism in its many forms plays a key role (for example in access to Personal Protective Equipment - PPE).

The report points out the ethnic disproportionalities in the risk of getting and then dying from COVID-19 but does not reach conclusions as to why this is happening. People of Bangladeshi ethnicity are at the highest risk of death (at about twice the risk of their white counterparts) but all other BAME groups had a significantly higher risk than white British people. We are aware that there will now be a ‘second phase' of the report being led by the Junior Equalities Minister.  Professor Kevin Fenton (who chaired the PHE report) says that this will produce recommendations. These will almost certainly be too late and could amount to the Government kicking the issue into the long grass.

Read their response and recommendations here.

Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN)

CAHN published their position statement on the publication of ‘Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19’ report by Public Health England, describing the delayed review as very broad and disappointing:

 The Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN) welcomed the initial Government announcement of review into the disproportionate impact and deaths from COVID-19 in the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community. The delayed review published today explored the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 which is very broad and disappointing.

The review has not taken a deep dive into why black and minority ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected by coronavirus. Government promised us a review into BAME deaths, but we have been provided with a generic review. This review has not given the attention needed to the BAME community and only brings into sharp focus the stark health inequalities we have known about for decades. It does not highlight systemic racism as a cause or race as a social determinant of health that we reported on during the round table discussions with Professor Kevin Fenton. 

CAHN has called on Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership to undertake a Greater Manchester review with BAME-led organisations. 

Read their full response here.