Covid-19: Disparate Impact

Debate between Baroness Berridge and Lord Willis of Knaresborough

Tuesday 27th October 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

I am grateful to the noble Lord and I am sure that I will give his report my personal perusal and respond to it. Of course, we need to ensure that the public health messages going to communities are accurate and truthful. Obviously, there are various laws around correcting information and making sure that it is truthful. Conspiracy theories need to be debunked so that people have the information on which to make their decisions. We are all looking forward to a vaccine, but it is also apparent that not enough black and minority ethnic individuals are coming forward to the NHS Covid-19 vaccine registry. The honourable Kemi Badenoch MP has written to every MP asking them to encourage their constituents to come forward to ensure that the vaccine, when we get it, is effective among black and minority ethnic people.

[Lord Willis of Knaresborough (LD) [V]]

My Lords, the main conclusion of the report that

“a range of socio-economic and geographical factors”

are the principal causes of higher infection in ethnic minority groups was, quite frankly, blindingly obvious six months ago, as the noble Lord, Lord Singh, rightly said, and was entirely predictable. The real research should have been on the “excess risk” which this report says these groups face. Given that in September, 30% of all ICU Covid patients were from BAME communities, doing this research over the coming months will simply not do; it is urgent now. Will the Government seek the support of the regional NIHR Applied Research Collaborations—I declare an interest as the chair of the Yorkshire group—to use their unique position combining regional research in universities and major teaching hospitals on this mission? Spending £4.6 million on research based at the heart of large BAME communities in the regions surely makes good sense.

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

My Lords, I can only reiterate that it is important for us to know what factors are the causes of these disparities; that was not clear earlier, and as I say, there are still gaps in what is causing these disparities. I will take away the suggestion of using the regional network referred to by the noble Lord, but I am happy to say that research has also been commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer that we are taking forward to build a risk profile model for healthcare.