Marie Gabriel CBE will lead the NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO), which has been tasked with identifying and tackling the specific health challenges facing people from black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds in England today.
Gabriel is currently Chair of North East London STP, and Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, and has previously chaired East London NHS Foundation Trust, NHS North East London, and the City and Newham Primary Care Trust, following over two decades in senior executive roles within local government, housing and the third sector. Speaking about her appointment, she said, “The Observatory is a critical next step in the NHS race equality journey. It will ensure that we harness the expertise of both our academics and of our communities, it will challenge but also support the implementation of practical solutions and in so doing seek to radically address the health inequalities experienced by black and minority ethnic communities.
“Achieving equity has always been my prime motivator and I truly believe that the ambitions of the Observatory provide an opportunity for us all to systematically improve the access, experience and outcomes of BME communities.”
Jenni Douglas-Todd and Mike Franklin will be joining the national NHS bodies as Joint Directors of Equality and Inclusion following an open recruitment process. In their roles, they will work to ensure that equality and inclusion underpin and are at the forefront of workforce aspirations, including the delivery of the upcoming People Plan update, reporting directly to Prerana Issar, NHS chief people officer. In the meantime, NHS chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, said, “Good health and access to good care is a right that everyone should expect, regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality or socio-economic status. The coronavirus pandemic has injected fresh urgency into the need to turn this right into reality, including for people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.
“Although tackling wider inequalities cannot fall to the NHS alone, the health service has to both listen and lead if it is going to be part of the solution. The Observatory will bring together expertise to offer practical, useful suggestions for change, and I look forward to working with Marie in this important new role.”
The ROH will continuing to appoint independent experts to its steering group, and the Observatory is expected to be fully established later this year.
