Briefing Paper 17
The social consequences of sickle cell and thalassaemia: improving the quality of support. February 2010
Sickle cell and thalassaemia are some of the UK's most common genetic inherited conditions, with sickle cell disorder predominant amongst individuals of West/Central African or African Caribbean heritage, whilst thalassaemia is more common amongst people of Mediterranean and Southern European, Asian, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern origin. Although screening for the disorders has improved and is increasingly common, racism still has an impact upon treatment and care for black and minority ethnic people. There is evidence that myths and stereotypes, primarily regarding African and Caribbean patients, influence health practitioners' perceptions of the pain experienced by patients. The paper also highlights the social consequences of the conditions, such as for children in education, arguing that culturally sensitive care, information and support are essential to ensure that carriers are able to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare needs.
Author(s): Karl Atkin, Elizabeth N. Anionwu
[Briefing Paper]

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Briefing Paper 11
Addressing ethnic inequalities in maternity service experiences and outcomes: responding to women's needs and preferences.October 2008
This briefing examines the maternity experiences of women from BME communities in the UK, drawing on both qualitative and quantitative research. It sets out to identify barriers that may disadvantage minoritised women and offers suggestions for service improvement, while recognising the great heterogeneity that exists within and between minority ethnic ‘groups’ and the need, therefore, for flexible and nuanced responses.
Author(s): Kuldip K. Bharj, Sarah Salway
[Briefing Paper]

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The drivers of black and Asian people’s perceptions of racial discrimination by public services: A qualitative study
Gervais, M., Department for Communities and Local Government, January 2008
This study uses qualitative methods, such as individual in-depth interviews, to examine perceptions of racial discrimination in public services by black and minority ethnic people.  Considering factors such as personal beliefs and level of awareness, the report pinpoints the most influential drivers of perceived racism and considers how these might be used to improve services for black minority ethnic service users.  Although the report covers 8 major areas of public services, Chapter 6 covers the perception of discrimination in doctor’s surgeries in detail.
[Health Resource]

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Briefing Paper 5
African and Caribbean men and mental health. May 2007
This paper explores the complexities involved when we link mental illness with issues of ‘race’, culture and ethnicity; reviews some of the evidence for African and Caribbean men; and makes suggestions for addressing these in mental health practice. The paper focuses on settled communities from African and Caribbean backgrounds and has a bias to the crisis end of services.
Author(s): Frank Keating
[Briefing Paper]

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Briefing Paper 4
The recruitment and retention of black and minority ethnic staff in the National Health Service. March 2007
BME staff are not only disproportionately represented within the NHS, but are also more likely to experience discrimination at work, especially if they are overseas-qualified. This paper argues that although there has been a concerted effort to combat racial discrimination at the national level, the evidence on the impact of policies aimed at facilitating the recruitment and retention of BME staff is mixed.
Author(s): Franklin Oikelome
[Briefing Paper]

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Briefing Paper 3
Ethnic inequalities in health: the impact of racism. March 2007
This paper aims to present the evidence for the relationship between racism and health, acknowledging that different individuals will respond differently to racist harrassment. It also highlights the need, and possibilities, for service improvement, both for the victims of racism and for people from minority ethnic groups more generally.
Author(s): Saffron Karlsen
[Briefing Paper]

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Internationally recruited nurses in London: Profile and implications for policy
Buchan, J.; Jobanputra, R.; Gough, P.; and Hutt, R., Kings Fund, September 2005
This paper outlines the overall trends in numbers of nurses coming to the UK, and examines the policy context in which international recruitment activity has been conducted. It then reports on the motivations, experiences, career plans and country and demographic profile of recently recruited international nurses working in London. It also gives insight into why they came to the UK, and their future intentions.
[Health Resource]

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Relation between racial discrimination, social class, and health among ethnic minority groups
Karlsen, S., and Nazroo, J. Y., American Journal of Public Health,92(4), April 2002
This study explores associations between racism, social class, and health among ethnic minority people in England and Wales. Marked independent associations existed between reported experience of racism and perceptions of Britain as a “racist society”, household social class, age, sex, and various mental and physical health indicators. These associations showed reasonable consistency across the different ethnic groups.
[Health Resource]

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Racism in nursing: A critical realist approach
Condliffe, B., nursingtimes.net, 97(32), 9 August 2001
This article explores racism from the critical realist approach.This is concerned with building theories that account for events in the real world.
[Health Resource]

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Racial harassment, job satisfaction and intentions to quit: Evidence from the British nursing profession
Shields, M.A., and Wheatley Price, S., Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Discussion Paper 164, June 2000
This paper investigates racial harassment in the workplace and its impact, via job satisfaction, on intentions to quit. The paper considers harassment from both patients and other members of staff.
[Health Resource]

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The work-life experiences of black nurses in the UK
Dhaliwal, S. and McKay, S., Royal College of Nursing, 2008
This qualitative study examines the views of 30 established black and minority ethnic nurses most of who had been working in the UK for at least 20 years.  The report considers their perceptions of their work-live experiences, focussing on issues such as pay, promotion, working hours and racism.
[Health Resource]

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Pain management and symptoms of substance dependence among patients with sickle cell disease
Elander,J. et al, Social Science & Medicine, 57, 2003
Sickle cell disorders can lead to extremely painful symptoms which may require the prescription of analgesics.  Due to the potentially addictive nature of this treatment, practitioners often fear of dependency on painkillers amongst sickle cell patients.  This study examines pain management amongst patients, considering actual and perceived dependence on analgesics, and also factors which may influence these perceptions, including racism, stereotypes or insufficient staff training.
[Health Resource]

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Tackling racial harassment in the NHS: Evaluating black and minority ethnic staff's attitudes and experiences
Lemos & Crane, Department of Health, 2001
This study analyses the experiences of racial harassment suffered by black and minority ethnic staff, and the effectiveness of their employers in tackling it. The report considers harassment by patients, relatives or members of the public, and other staff members, such as line managers. Finally, the report gives guidelines for action to reduce bullying and harassment.
[Health Resource]

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Department of Communities and Local Government- Race Research and Statistics
The Communities and Local Government- Race Research and Statistics website provides access to a number of reports relating to race issues, including some touching on ethnicity and health provision.
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Glasgow Anti Racist Alliance - Health
Glasgow Anti Racist Alliance (GARA) is a multi-agency social inclusion partnership (SIP) established to tackle the social exclusion of young people caused by racism in the city of Glasgow. Papers on healthcare.
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Institute of Race Relations
With a dedicated section on racist violence and harassment, this website offers a range of practical information, including a round-up of news reporting on racist incidents, research articles and commentary from a community perspective.
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Support Against Racist Incidents (SARI)
Based in Bristol, SARI is a voluntary black-led agency run by people who have suffered racial harassment. The service aims to support and empower victims of racial harassment and to ensure that racial incidents receive a co-ordinated response from statutory and voluntary agencies.
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The Monitoring Group
The Monitoring Group helps victims of racial violence and harassment across the UK, undertaking casework, offering a freephone helpline conducting a trauma and therapy project. The website offers a range of useful information and links.
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