Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent study by the University of Essex, The Cumulative Effect of Racial Discrimination on the Mental Health of Ethnic Minorities in the UK; and what monitoring they undertake or evidence they collect in relation to the impact of racism on the mental health and wellbeing of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people.

It is planned that The Cumulative Effect of Racial Discrimination on the Mental Health of Ethnic Minorities in the UK will be examined as part of a wider piece of work to be undertaken by the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Alliance programme. This is to examine effective strategies to reduce racial disparities in mental health. The programme is overseen by the Department, NHS England and Public Health England, who work together with VCSE organisations to drive transformation of health and care systems; promote equality; address health inequalities and help people, families and communities to achieve and maintain wellbeing. It is anticipated that work will begin later this summer.

The impact of racism on the mental health and wellbeing of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people is not routinely monitored.

The Department has commissioned NHS England to scope out whether data collection within the National Health Service could be improved to include more of the protected characteristics listed under the Equality Act 2010. The Government is committed to improving NHS data collection to better understand the extent of inequalities, determine health outcomes and uptake of health services for these communities. The initial scoping exercise is due to be completed later this year.

The Government is committed to ensuring that attention is focussed on developing national and local services to reduce unfair gaps in outcomes between ethnic groups. The Government’s ethnicity facts and figures online resource brings together information from across Government about how ethnicity affects people's everyday lives.