NHS England has written to all health trusts across the country advising them to carry out risk assessments on workers from Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds.
This is after both UK and international data highlights people from BAME backgrounds are “at potentially greater risk” from coronavirus.
The new guidance advises BAME personnel should be “risk-assessed” and reassigned to duties that leave them at lesser risk of contracting coronavirus.
The letter was sent on Wednesday to hospital trusts, ambulance services and organisations providing community-based healthcare and mental health care.
While the measure is described as “precautionary”, figures show that BAME healthcare workers within the NHS are dying disproportionately with COVID-19.
Latest figures suggests 60% of the total number of deaths among NHS staff with the disease are from a BAME background.
The Department of Health and Social Care has announced that a review would be conducted, to investigate why BAME people were being affected disproportionately.
A number of reasons have been put forward for this including a large proportion of BAME popultions working in frontline roles like nurses, cleaners, taxi drivers, different cultural beliefs and behaviours, and these groups having a higher risk of certain diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
The letter tells NHS leaders that in advance of the report by the Department of Health and Social Care, as a precautionary basis they “should risk-assess staff at potentially greater risk and make appropriate arrangements accordingly.”
The letter does not outline what specific measures the Health Trusts should take to protect the safety of their BAME staff, but it is understood that the new drive to reduce the BAME death toll would allow such personnel to be redeployed to areas or services where they would have less chance of becoming infected. They may also be given priority for testing if they develop symptoms.
Dr Habib Naqvi, the NHS director for workforce race and equality, said: “The fact that a high number of black and minority ethnic staff are dying from this pandemic is a worry for us.”
“It’s a challenge for us but we need to rise to that challenge and what we need to do is look at what we can put in place right now to support our staff.”
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