News Brief

Black-led churches across the UK are alarmed by findings in the fourth national census of patients in NHS psychiatric hospitals, which indicates that African and Caribbean communities are seriously over-represented.

The “Count Me In” 2008 report reveals that detention rates for people from these backgrounds continues to exceed that of all other groups, and that the number of people from ethnic minorities admitted to psychiatric hospitals has risen year on year since 2005.

Leaders from the African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, the Council of Black-Led Churches and local Christians Together groups are among those highlighting the findings and calling for government action.

Bishop Joe Aldred, chair of Council of Black-Led Churches, who also works for the ecumenical body Churches Together in England (CTE) says he is very disappointed at the findings.

Dr Aldred commented: "In spite of the Department of Health's stated determination to reduce the level of poor mental health among BME (black minority ethnic) and especially the black community, after four years of monitoring the situation shows no sign of a reduction."

Nearly one third of inpatients (30 per cent) included in the 2007 census were still in hospital for the 2008 census, while almost a fifth (19 per cent) of patients in the 2006 census were still in hospital in 2008.

The report also indicates that black patients in care, in particular, continue to be misdiagnosed, over medicated, forcibly restrained and placed in seclusion at higher rates than their white counterparts.

Critics say that the findings cast doubt over the effectiveness of the government's £20 million Delivering Race Equality programmed to address the discrimination faced by minority groups who use mental health services.

The programme is the government's response to the Bennett Inquiry report into the death of David Bennett, a black man who died while being restrained by staff at a medium secure unit nearly 10 years ago.

Groups like Black Mental Health UK (BMHUK), which has strong links with the churches, continue to campaign vigorously on the issue.