Re: Covid-19: Call for a rapid forward looking review of the UK’s preparedness for a second wave—an open letter to the leaders of all UK political parties
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Covid-19: Call for a rapid forward looking review of the UK’s preparedness for a second wave—an open letter to the leaders of all UK political parties
Re: Covid-19: Call for a rapid forward looking review of the UK’s preparedness for a second wave—an open letter to the leaders of all UK political parties
Dear Editor
The open letter by Lord Adebowale and colleagues has quite rightly called for a Cross-Party inquiry into lessons learned from the first wave of COVID-19 in the UK. Ongoing preventative measures such as social distancing, handwashing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are likely to be a given in any strategic approach. There are also major lessons to be learned regarding the vulnerability of care home residents. But, above all, no longer hiding in plain sight, is the spectre of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Ethnic Minority (BAME) Populations.
The new Race and Health Observatory is a positive step forward to tackle racism in medicine. This will need to work hand in hand with the inquiry that is called for. The Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 pandemic have shone a brighter and wider light on racism in medicine. It's not just about general preventative measures. It's also about a commitment to a broader approach that involves BAME staff in decision making at the very highest levels of senior management. BAME staff do not expect special treatment, but they do expect equality. This equality means having a say in the policies and procedures that affect their everyday working lives. Lives that need to be protected and respected. We must start not with staring silently at the mountain of injustice but take a steamroller to level out the playing field of inequality.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
24 June 2020
Rahul Rao
Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist and Visiting Lecturer
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
Rapid Response:
Re: Covid-19: Call for a rapid forward looking review of the UK’s preparedness for a second wave—an open letter to the leaders of all UK political parties
Dear Editor
The open letter by Lord Adebowale and colleagues has quite rightly called for a Cross-Party inquiry into lessons learned from the first wave of COVID-19 in the UK. Ongoing preventative measures such as social distancing, handwashing and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are likely to be a given in any strategic approach. There are also major lessons to be learned regarding the vulnerability of care home residents. But, above all, no longer hiding in plain sight, is the spectre of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Ethnic Minority (BAME) Populations.
The new Race and Health Observatory is a positive step forward to tackle racism in medicine. This will need to work hand in hand with the inquiry that is called for. The Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 pandemic have shone a brighter and wider light on racism in medicine. It's not just about general preventative measures. It's also about a commitment to a broader approach that involves BAME staff in decision making at the very highest levels of senior management. BAME staff do not expect special treatment, but they do expect equality. This equality means having a say in the policies and procedures that affect their everyday working lives. Lives that need to be protected and respected. We must start not with staring silently at the mountain of injustice but take a steamroller to level out the playing field of inequality.
Competing interests: No competing interests