Across Greater London, the mosaic of diverse communities is one of its greatest strengths. However, within this tapestry lies a stark reality – historic health inequalities disproportionately affecting the Black Caribbean & African communities. The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly made acutely visible the state of poor health in the Black Caribbean & African communities, which contributed to excessive death rates compared to what was evidenced across the white community.
There is a body of academic and community research that highlights how poor health outcomes can be avoided if institutional and structural racism are dealt with head-on. Acknowledging the urgent need for change led to the development of the inspire programme.
The London inspire Programme is a ground-breaking programme developed to raise awareness and promote targeted health interventions aimed at reducing the staggering health inequalities faced by Black people in London.
It is specifically dedicated to promoting health equity and will seek to galvanise and amplify the voices of Black Caribbean and African communities within all 32 boroughs in London. It will champion calls for improvements to the health and wellbeing of all Black Londoners andenable the Black community to play an active role in engaging the wider systems that influence health and wellbeing outcomes.
Initially implemented through the 8 Boroughs Pilot Project, the programme will now seek to enhance current initiatives addressing health inequalities faced by the Black community across London.
This programme will promote collaboration and sharing of good practice, highlighting models of engagement that improve overall health and wellbeing. It will utilise strong communication within and across Local Authorities, Integrated Care Systems (ICS), primary and acute care trusts, NHS partners, businesses, and the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise sector.
The inspire network and the programme’s Steering Group will be co-chaired by:
The inspire programme will be delivered with the Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) as the lead partner and funded by the NHS.
