Improving access, enhancing experiences
& achieving better outcomes

The Ethnicity and Mental Health Improvement Project

The Ethnicity and Mental Health Improvement Project (EMHIP) is a community-driven initiative committed to addressing ethnic disparities in mental health care. EMHIP’s focus lies in improving access, enhancing experiences, and ultimately achieving better outcomes for Black Minority Ethnic (BME) communities. This collaborative project involves local mental health trust SWLSTG, South West London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Merton & Wandsworth Locality, and BME voluntary, faith, and community groups facilitated by WCEN.

How EMHIP became established in Wandsworth.

The Process

WCEN have been dedicated to reducing inequalities in Wandsworth over the last 20 years. HOBV gave birth to this project.

The 11th HOBV Conference on 24th October 2019 focused on launching the Ethnicity & Mental Health Improvement Project (EMHIP). The conference heard from Bishop Delroy Powell (New Testament Assembly), Malik Gul (Director, WCEN), Professor Sashi P. Sashidharan, David Bradley (Chief Executive, SLAM) and Vanessa Ford (Acting Chief Executive, SWLSTG).

In 2018, the NHS, SWLSTG and WCEN, reacted to the recognition of the need to scale up the improvement work in BME Mental Health through the establishment of a BME Expert Panel.  The Panel met monthly and was chaired by the Chief Executive SWLSTG and included NHS staff, local stakeholders and experts in the field. In, October 2019 the Panel commissioned the development of EMHIP.

In March 2020 the EMHIP Key Intervention Report was presented to the Expert Panel, who accepted, in principal, all of the recommendations.  They commissioned a Business Case and Costings for Full Implementation. 

An important part of developing the Intervention Programme (Key Interventions) of EMHIP is seeking, obtaining and collating the views of local stakeholders. We conducted a series of Focus Groups involving staff (management and clinical staff) at SWLSTG, the latter mostly front-line staff in Wandsworth (acute and urgent care pathway and community mental health) and community stakeholders (including service users, BME community agencies, mental health voluntary groups working with BME communities, faith groups and other formal and informal service providers. In total we conducted 13 Focus Groups. Nine of the groups were in the community and four with staff at SWLSTG.

Following on from the stakeholder engagement, the EMHIP team came up with 5 Key Interventions. These are:

1. Establishing Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs (MH&WB Hubs) in the community with Community Embedded Workers 

2. Increasing service options by providing: (i) crisis residential alternatives (ii) enhanced support for people with longer term mental health

needs and (iii) specialist support for those subject to multiple MHA admissions 

3. Reducing restrictive/coercive practices through (i) inclusive and shared decision making and (ii) eliminating the use of Restraint & Control 

4. Enhancing inpatient care experience through (i) community involvement in inpatient care and (ii) cultural mediation 

5. Ensuring a culturally capable workforce.

An EMHIP Delivery Group was set up to drive forward the Key Interventions towards delivery. The Delivery Group meets monthly and is chaired by Wandsworth CCG Mental Health Clinical Lead (Dr Tom Coffey). The Delivery Group aims to perform the following key activities in coordination with SWL system partners: 

1. Establish Programme Governance and reporting to the SWL Mental Health Transformation Programme Board;

2. Provide support for the development, approval, implementation, delivery and oversight of the EMHIP business case;

3. Develop implementation plans for sustainable delivery of EMHIP in Wandsworth, wider cultural change and improvement across SW London.

Followed by funding & implimentation

CEN drives high-impact outcomes

A testament to outstanding community leadership and dedication

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EMHIP CASE STUDY

The UK is a rich country with a modern, well-resourced mental health care system as part of a publicly funded health service, free at the point of use. There is also specific legislation to reduce and eliminate race inequalities in the UK. The National Health Service, like other public bodies, is legally obliged to provide fair and equal services. Improving the quality of clinical care and patient safety are priorities for the NHS, making it more urgent to improve the mental health care of people from BME communities.
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Project URL
https://emhip.co.uk/about/
Client
EMHIP