Between 2021 and 2024, the Race Equality Foundation conducted a series of projects to understand in greater detail whether Black African and Caribbean people with severe mental illness (SMI) were aware of and accessing physical health checks (PHCs), an NHS intervention to detect and treat early signs of physical ill health.
Through this work we produced a report on the results of our consultation and a report on what we learnt from co-production. We also produced a film to promote physical health checks for people with severe mental illness and an easy read leaflet. These projects were supported and commissioned by the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance and NHSE National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme.
During this project, the Race Equality Foundation convened and learnt from a co-production group made up of people with SMI, those who care for a loved one with SMI and staff working in voluntary organisations supporting those with SMI. These co-produced sessions highlighted the lack of visible promotion for PHCs for people with SMI, particularly via social media platforms, the limited accessible information in an easy to understand and informative format as well as missed opportunities to inform and support people with SMI to hear about and attend a PHC. These missed opportunities were revealed to be, in part, due to a lack of awareness and understanding of PHCs amongst staff within voluntary sector organisations. One of the key areas of work suggested by the co-production group was therefore improving staff awareness and understanding of PHCs.
Upskilling the voluntary sector
With input from NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) colleagues, a training package on PHCs and SMI was developed, which included a PowerPoint presentation, lesson plan, video, and leaflet resources.
Between December 2023 and April 2024, the Race Equality Foundation travelled across England to deliver training with 12 Black, Asian and minority ethnic-led VCSE organisations to raise awareness of physical health checks and the important role they play in supporting the health and wellbeing of people living with a severe mental illness.
This training package aimed to upskill specialist Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic organisations to support people with SMI to access PHCs. The overall goal in doing so was to improve awareness and attendance of PHCs among those living with SMI from minoritised ethnic communities, and to provide evidence on what works well.
By working with and upskilling specialist organisations working with Black African and Caribbean communities, this training package sought to improve the knowledge of those who are already a trusted source of support among communities that are more likely to be diagnosed with an SMI in England.
Dr Jahan Foster Zabit, Senior Researcher at the Foundation notes: