Race Equality Foundation was pleased to play a key part in yesterday’s launch of the London Anti-Racism Collaborative for Health (LARCH) at City Hall. This was an important step for London. Leaders came together to showcase the progress and work happening now to tackle structural racism and inequalities in health across the city.
Professor Kevin Fenton, opened the event and poignantly said about structural racism and health inequity: “Having named it, what more are we going to do about it?”
Jabeer Butt, Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation, presented on how the charity engaged with communities in the design of LARCH, and emphasised the urgent need to make change to have a real impact for the health of minority ethnic communities. We were pleased to have the support of the Asian People’s Disabilities Alliance, Bridge the Gap Studios, Croydon BME Forum, and The Motherhood Group in helping to formulate the design.
Through LARCH, partners will work with the Mayor of London to drive public leadership, support and solidarity to address racism.
The LARCH is a cross-sector programme, bringing together London’s health and care organisations – NHS, ICS, local authorities, public health, voluntary sector and community voices, and the GLA.
Working together, this partnership will deliver the actions for Building a Fairer City, and the commitment of the Mayor of London’s Health Inequalities Strategy to tackle structural racism. The LARCH seeks to enable us all to go further and faster in tackling structural racism through collaboration. This was the first event of the LARCH, following the scoping and design phases over the last year.
Speakers at the event included:
- Professor Kevin Fenton, Director, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (London), Regional Director of Public Health, NHS London, Statutory Health Advisor to the Mayor of London, GLA and London Assembly.
- Marie Gabriel CBE, Chair of NEL ICS and Member of London Health Board, Chair of the NHS Race and Health Observatory.
- Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, Director of The UCL Institute of Health Equity.
- Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Deputy Mayor of London, Communities and Social Justice.
