Professor Mala Rao, Senior Clinical Fellow at the Department of Primary Care and Public Health, has been nominated to serve as the Vice Chair of the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standards Advisory Group established by Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England and Lord David Prior of Brampton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health with responsibility for NHS productivity. Set up with the aim of addressing racism and ethnic inequalities in the NHS workforce, the Group is chaired by Sir Keith Pearson, Chair of Health Education England and includes as its members, all the Chairs of the NHS family of organisations or their representatives. The Group was launched following the publication of two reports in 2014. One highlighted ethnic disparities in senior leadership positions in the NHS, and the other, led by Professor Rao, explored the likely drivers of lower levels of wellbeing in England’s ethnic minority population including in the NHS workforce.
The integration of Work Coaches (WCs) & Disability Employment Advisors (DEAs) into UK General Practice (GP) provides an innovative approach to bridging the gap between health & employment services. We now reflect on the findings of our recent study led by Shriti Patani, Lara Shemtob & Kabir Varghese in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London. The study explored the benefits & challenges of integrating emplyment support services in primary care from the perspectives of GPs & work coaches. What’s the context? Employment is a critical social determinant of health, with unemployment linked to poorer physical & mental wellbeing & reduced quality of life. Traditionally, individuals seeking employment support access services through Jobcentres. However, barriers including stigma or lack of awareness - especially in people with disabilities or long-term health conditions -...
Comments