Hello,

Welcome to the latest round-up of news from the Race Disparity Unit (RDU).

New and updated pages

• Crime: Stop and search, Domestic abuse

• Health: Tooth decay in 5 year olds, Cigarette smoking among adults, Patient satisfaction with hospital care

• Work, pay and benefits: Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), School teacher workforce, Household income

• Education: Temporary exclusions, Permanent exclusions, Entry rates into higher education

February highlights

Second quarterly report on COVID-19 disparities

Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch has published the second quarterly report on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalities. One of the main findings is that the direct impacts of COVID-19 improved for ethnic minorities as a whole during the early second wave.

The report also outlines the additional measures implemented across government to address COVID-19 disparities since the first quarterly report was published. These include:

• over £23m in funding to 60 local authorities in January as part of the Community Champions scheme

• £4.5m of funding in new research projects looking at the impact of COVID-19 for ethnic minority groups

• community-led, localised, asymptomatic testing at places of worship in ethnically diverse areas, building trust and enabling a higher number of positive cases to be detected

Over the last quarter, the equalities minister and the RDU have been working with government departments and external stakeholders on COVID-19 disparities. This has focused on sharing the findings from the first report, developing new interventions to address the disparities for ethnic minority groups, and considering ways to promote vaccine uptake.

International Women's Day at the RDU

Today (8 March) is International Women's Day, where we celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe. It’s also an opportunity to recognise the incredible contributions of women across the country.

As part of our work to improve maternal health outcomes for ethnic minority women, the RDU has supported the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in launching the NHS campaign Help Us, Help You late last year. This informs pregnant women about the importance of attending check-ups, providing reassurance that the NHS is there to see them safely.

The RDU and DHSC have also engaged with midwives from Birmingham and East London NHS Trusts to identify and share best practices that ensure that ethnic minority women and their babies receive appropriate care and present early to hospital during COVID-19.

Vaccine uptake discussions with South Asian community representatives

In February, the RDU and the Prime Minister’s Office held discussions on vaccination uptake among South Asian and Pakistani ethnic groups. These groups were selected because of the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on them in the second wave, and because of concerns about vaccine uptake among these and other ethnic minority groups.

The events looked at a number of ways of increasing vaccine uptake. These included expanding the use of places of worship as vaccination centres, and the importance of high-profile appearances and interactions with communities, such as the Prime Minister’s visit to the Al-Hikmah Centre in Batley on 2 February.

There was also a focus on the significant role women can play in countering misinformation and encouraging vaccine uptake, and included a focus on representatives of these communities. Engagement work will continue in the coming weeks.