“Promises must be matched by action to tackle racial injustice in health”
The Race Equality Foundation welcomes the Government’s ambition to reshape healthcare around people’s lives through its new 10 Year Health Plan, particularly the shift toward neighbourhood-based care, integrated services, and a stronger focus on prevention.
For too long, people from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds have faced poorer health outcomes, later diagnoses, and less satisfactory care experiences. These disparities are particularly stark among people with learning disabilities and those living with severe mental illness—groups who are both more likely to experience racial inequities in access, treatment, and outcomes.
The Foundation has consistently highlighted that these communities are among the most underserved by the existing health system. We welcome the Government’s recognition that care must be brought closer to where people live and made more responsive to the complexity of people’s needs.
The proposed neighbourhood health teams—if delivered in true partnership with communities, the voluntary sector, and carers—could help tackle some of the structural barriers that continue to marginalise these groups. But achieving this will require more than redesigning services. It demands a concerted effort to embed race equity at the core of care planning, data collection, workforce training, and community engagement. We need guarantees that the voices and experiences of people from racialised communities will shape the design and delivery of these neighbourhood services from the outset.
We are encouraged by the Government’s emphasis on co-produced care plans for people with complex needs and its promise to ensure unpaid carers are fully involved. This must include a focus on culturally competent care, accessible communication, and the specific needs of racialised families—especially where multiple disadvantage compounds inequality.
We look forward to seeing the full Plan and urge the Government to ensure that tackling racial injustice is not a rhetorical ambition but a measurable commitment. Only then can the promise of a more equitable, preventative, and community-centred NHS be truly realised.
Jabeer Butt OBE, Chief Executive of the Race Equality Foundation, said:
“The commitment to neighbourhood-based care is a step in the right direction. But to truly deliver on the Plan’s promises, we need a health system that confronts the deep-rooted racial inequalities that continue to harm people’s lives. That means action—not just aspiration—on equity, access, and culturally competent care for all communities.”
For media enquiries, please contact:
Promise Kindipan
07544 003558
comms@racefound.org.uk
