| Irish health issues will not improve
with blame culture  Two
recent articles in The Irish Post on a conference to debate the health
of the Irish community in Britain lambasted officials for not doing enough
to tackle the problem. But Federation Of Irish Societies chair Mary Tilki
says our response merits its own criticism.
I AM saddened by the way in which the conference on coronary heart disease
The Irish Die Young was sensationalised on the front page of The Irish Post
of February 10.
The headline: NHS Fails The Irish may well be designed to attract attention
but the report misses a significant point in failing to differentiate the
NHS from the Department of Health (DH).
I would be the first to admit there are failures by the NHS but a blanket
accusation of failure is offensive to the many Irish people who express
satisfaction with their care and treatment.
Nor does it endear our cause to the Irish professionals and other staff
who work under difficult conditions to provide effective care.
The account completely ignores the aim of the conference which was to highlight
the heart health disadvantage experienced by Irish people and to explore
how this deficit could be addressed.
Indeed the account neglects the presentations which highlighted good practice
by Irish and Asian organisations in addressing the problem.
The whole purpose of the event was to draw these to the attention of those
responsible for health strategy and the frankness of the keynote speakers
and their commitment to action was encouraging.
The whole tenor of the news item and the editorial comment was to blame
DH officials for ignoring the health disadvantage of Irish people.
Notwithstanding the reality of DH neglect, the tone of the item runs counter
to the collaborative work undertaken by the Federation of Irish Societies
(FIS) over many years.
It endangers the good relationships we have built up with different sections
of the DH and the inroads we have made with them in highlighting our case
as part of the wider minority ethnic agenda.
FIS did not shout as the editorial claims but made professional and evidence-based
representations to specific officials in key positions, particularly once
our capacity to do so was enhanced by Díon Funding.
It is a measure of the goodwill generated that the Federation has had a
health development post funded by the DH for almost five years.
We have earned significant success by providing vital information which
enabled the DH to issue guidance to NHS Trusts and other authorities about
monitoring ethnicity.
The DH’s Practical Guide To Ethnic Monitoring In The NHS And Social
Care advises that:
“Trusts and councils should not for data collection purposes group
the three White codes into one. The reason for this is that there is compelling
evidence that White Irish and Other White individuals and communities in
England experience significant health inequalities compared with White British
counterparts. If White British, White Irish and Other White codes are merged
at the data collection stage Trusts and councils will have no way of monitoring
and keeping tracking of such health inequalities.”
The FIS has been somewhat more successful in raising awareness of mental
health issues in the Irish community.
Although not perfect the government’s Delivering Race Equality
In Mental Health Care the action plan for achieving race equality and
tackling discrimination in mental health services refers to “all
people of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) status including those of Irish
or Mediterranean origin and East European migrants”.
While this may not seem much it is a major achievement which when used properly
can enable authorities to plan services for Irish communities and monitor
the effectiveness of delivery.
Working closely and collaboratively with the DH, National Institute for
Mental Health In England (NIMHE) and the Care Services Improvement Partnership
(CSIP) has secured two funded community engagement projects in Irish organisations,
a dedicated Irish Community Development Worker for Mental Health and a DH
Section 64 funded post in ICAP.
These initiatives only scratch the surface but are welcome acknowledgements
after years in the wilderness.
FIS has no illusions about how difficult it is to keep Irish issues on the
DH agenda when ministers, officials and departmental responsibilities change
frequently and without warning.
We are far from complacent about the amount of work still to be done but
it is the first time we have been able to get a government minister and
such high-ranking officers to attend.
Bridget Riches director for the National Programme Delivery (Health
Improvement Directorate) e-mailed us the very next morning with a copy
of her instructions to different officials to contact us about involving
community organisations in a number of strategic health initiatives.
FIS has a clear strategy which aims to capture the goodwill and expertise
of the speakers in particular our friend Dr Gabriel Scally and we will
work together with the DH and other bodies to move the agenda ahead.
We will hold them to their promises and to account for their actions but
we will do this in a spirit of collaboration and sharing rather than blame
and shame.
We will blame and shame if we need to further down the line but to do so
now would be unproductive and arguably damaging.
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