BAME staff to hear 'impact of vulnerability' to Covid-19 in Atherstone hospital update

INFORMATION SESSION AT GEORGE ELIOT COMES AS NATIONAL REVIEW PLANS TO USE MORE 'ROBUST' DATA TO LOOK INTO HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR DIFFERENT POPULATION GROUPS

A TOP-LEVEL NHS manager will talk to black, Asian and minority ethnic staff at Atherstone's main hospital on the impact of Covid-19 as a national review is set to analyse how factors such as ethnicity, gender and obesity can affect people's vulnerability to the virus.

NHS Quality and Diversity Council director Yvonne Coghill plans a 'virtual' meet-up in the George Eliot Hospital's information session tomorrow.

The Guyana-born health boss, who is also vice president of the Royal College of Nursing, is set to speak on current thinking and implications of coronavirus on BAME people.

Ms Coghill will be joining the hospital trust's director of nursing, Daljit Athwal, in the Wednesday afternoon meeting.

The discussion comes as Public Health England said thousands of health records of people who have had Covid-19 will be examined to establish more "robust" data on what can impact the number of cases and health outcomes for different groups within the population.

The review aims to better understand how factors such as ethnicity, deprivation, age, gender and obesity could impact on how people are affected by Covid-19, PHE added.

PHE said the review will provide "insight" into emerging evidence the virus is having a disproportionate effect on different groups.

It follows reports that deaths among BAME groups are disproportionately high.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press briefing on Monday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "We recognise that there has been a disproportionately high number of people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds who have passed away especially among care workers and those in the NHS."

Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, who said people would have noticed he was from an "ethnic minority group", added that the issue was being taken "incredibly seriously".

"We will get to the bottom of this however long it takes us," he said.

The findings of the PHE-led review will be published at the end of May.

Mr Hancock said: "As part of our continued effort to reduce health inequalities, we have commissioned PHE to consider various factors such as obesity, ethnicity, age, gender and geographical location, and how these may have an impact on someone's susceptibility to the virus, including our brilliant key workers and frontline NHS and social care staff.

"It's an extremely important and hugely complex task, but we owe it to the nation to find out how this virus may affect different groups in different ways, to protect lives and limit the spread of the disease."

PHE said available data on health outcomes for NHS staff will also be analysed to better understand how the virus affects frontline workers.

It will be led by Professor Kevin Fenton, PHE public health director for London, who said: "Detailed and careful work is being done so that we can better understand this and explore the possible reasons for any disparities.

"Increasing evidence and concern around the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on black and minority ethnic groups highlights an important focus of this review."

The Royal College of Nursing said it was "extremely concerned" about the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME health and care workers.

Its chief executive Dame Donna Kinnair added: "Every day that passes without knowing why this happening is another day with frontline staff being needlessly put at extra risk.

"All healthcare workers need to be safe right now, and that means that all employees must risk assess BAME employees, including ensuring provision of the right PPE for everyone who needs it.

"We will continue to call for accurate reporting of the numbers of deaths and infections among BAME healthcare staff across the UK so that swift action can be taken by employers to reduce risk and harm. But we cannot wait for the data to catch up while people are dying."

At least 137 frontline NHS and care workers have died during the coronavirus pandemic since March 25 and care homes, in particular, are still struggling to source sufficient levels of personal protective equipment – causing "really high" levels of stress for workers.

Bosses say the requirement to wear PPE at all times while working in care homes, coupled with increased costs, mean that supplies often run out extremely quickly.

Colin Angel, policy director for the UK Homecare Association (UKHCA), said sourcing equipment for workers is a main concern for care providers.

There were 6,391 deaths in care homes involving coronavirus reported by providers in England to the Care Quality Commission up to May 1, the Office for National Statistics said.

Mr Angel said the response from Government has been slow, and that more support is needed as additional cost pressures mount.

"We're seeing homecare providers having to use personal protective equipment that they've never needed before, and face masks and visors aren't usually necessary in home care," he said.

"And now we're using them for virtually every contact that we have with somebody.

"The prices are increasing, the amount of PPE needed to deliver care services safely has shot up in a month or so.

"So, all of these additional cost pressures need to be funded, and that's either funded by the local authorities in the NHS who are buying care, or potentially by private individuals who are buying their own care.

"We don't think that's a cost which should be borne by private individuals.

"We think we need some real support from Government which has been very slow in appearing."

Atherstone companies, charities, community groups and residents, who have been helping with the supply and distribution of PPE to protect frontline staff in the fight against Covid-19, haver ben praised By Warwickshire County Council.

Businesses have repurposed production to make a range of protective items, such as aprons and visors, while other local firms have generously donated PPE equipment.

On a smaller scale, individuals and craft groups have come together virtually to create 'scrub-hubs' to create supplies of PPE as county council chief executive Monica Fogarty said: "It has been wonderful to see businesses and communities joining forces to help our health and social care workers.

"I'm incredibly proud of the way everyone is responding to Covid-19."

Meanwhile, the George Eliot NHS Trust is reportedly starting to look "past the peak" of coronavirus, how services suspended by the pandemic can be start to be restored and whether ones that were changed as a 'cause and effect' of the virus might be kept in the new formats in which they have evolved.