Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) protect and (b) support BAME medical staff working in the NHS during the covid-19 outbreak.

NHS Employers, working in partnership with key stakeholders, published guidance for employers on 30 April. The guidance detailed how to carry out risk assessments particularly for vulnerable groups, to understand the specific risks staff members face from exposure to COVID-19 and actions which employers can take to keep staff safe.

NHS England and NHS Improvement issued directions to the service on 29 April recommending all trusts to undertake appropriate risk assessments for their Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff and to put in place any measures to protect and support their BAME staff. They have since developed a five-point programme to address the concerns of BAME staff, covering protection of staff, engagement with staff and staff networks, representation in decision making, rehabilitation and recovery, communications and media.

The Department has commissioned Public Health England to complete a rapid review to understand disparities in COVID-19 infection across the population. This will include looking at the impact on different ethnic groups.