[WiLT] Shared leadership scheme for BME quality healthcare

[WiL Admin]

Shared leadership scheme aimed at improving the quality of healthcare
for people from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups

What is the aim of this scheme? This scheme will seek to not only
improve healthcare for people from BME populations, but also enhance
their experience of the healthcare system. It will do this by offering
leadership development and support for up to six teams, drawn from
different organisations and working at a local level. Full details of
the scheme will be announced in spring 2007.

Why is this scheme important? The challenge of providing quality
healthcare for BME groups is increasing. Research shows that there are
vast disparities in health outcomes for people from BME groups living
in the UK and, in some cases, inequalities are expanding. BME groups
are also particularly vulnerable to a number of diseases which are
becoming more prevalent. We expect that the scheme will attract
applications from teams working to tackle:

  a.. heart disease - which particularly affects Pakistani,
Bangladeshi, Indian, Mixed White and Asian groups
  b.. diabetes - higher than average numbers of the Asian, Black
Caribbean and Black Other populations are affected
  c.. stroke - Black Caribbean and Indian men are at higher risk than
average
  d.. severe mental illness - disproportionately high numbers of Black
Caribbean men are diagnosed with schizophrenia.
What will the scheme provide? Lasting two years, the scheme will
provide participants with a support package to include:

  a.. intensive leadership development for both individuals and teams,
delivered by a team of experts
  b.. regular opportunities for shared learning with other
award-holding teams
  c.. a programme of evaluation to help teams assess the impact of
their work.
Up to six awards will be made.

What will the scheme achieve? Through their involvement in the scheme,
we hope that the participants will benefit through:

  a.. improved leadership capacity
  b.. more effective partnership working between collaborating
organisations
  c.. improved ability to monitor the impact of the work on target
groups
  d.. improved capacity of mainstream health services to meet the
needs of targeted BME groups
  e.. enhanced patient experience for their local BME populations.
Who can apply? We will be looking for teams that are passionate about
improving the quality of healthcare. We will welcome applications from
teams that are already working on an existing project to improve
healthcare outcomes for people from BME populations. We will be
particularly interested in receiving applications from those projects
that involve partnership working across the primary care, social care,
acute services and the voluntary sectors.

Key dates We will be announcing full details of the scheme and
inviting applications in March 2007. The deadline for applications
will be July 2007 with the awards to be made from September 2007.

Further information To register your interest in the scheme, please
email BME at health.org.uk and we will contact you with further
information as soon as it is available.

http://www.health.org.uk/ourawards/awards/index.cfm?id=80

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=111