Improving access for Black men

Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

The project aimed to improve access, experience and outcomes of Black men through cultural safety training for staff.

The team at Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) looked at local data to determine the referral routes for Black men. They found that Black men are more likely than any other group to access mental health services through the criminal justice system, and least likely to access through GPs (88% of referrals were through the police). This was combined with evidence on the experiences of Black men in relation to health equities.

Who was involved?

The team included representation from NSFT, people with lived experience and staff from NSFT’s Liaison & Diversion team.

How they worked with the community and other stakeholders

The team attended events to speak with the community.

What they found out from the community

The views of family and the wider community included:

Cultural differences exist between healthcare professionals and Black men, as well as a lack of understanding and knowledge.
The community holds stigma and shame around mental health.
Traditional male roles in society – being ‘tough’ can be detrimental.
Black men feel isolated from others due to ethnicity.
Black men and families don’t feel listened to or respected.

The views of Black male service users included:

Not having their unique culture, beliefs and spiritual needs recognised and met in mental health services.
- This leads to a sense of not feeling supported or safe, particularly on inpatient wards.

Successes and achievements

The team developed cross-system Cultural Safety Training, for healthcare, social care, criminal justice and student support teams to:
- learn more about inequalities
- critically examine systems and practices
- co-develop action plans.
The first round of training was piloted in July 2024, with 20 staff members in a team working at the interface of mental health and the criminal justice service.
Feedback was positive about the session, with the most valuable aspects reported as hearing lived experiences of Black men, challenging biases and practices and the opportunity for reflection.
13 out 20 attendees showed an increase in their empathy scores. There was a statistically significant increase in confidence in:
- providing mental health care to Black men
- engagement with social and cultural factors that impact health inequalities
- building therapeutic relationships.

What next?

The team will:

Conduct the training in police teams, other mental health teams and student support.
Speak with the Trust to embed the learning and training as part of a programme of anti-racism transformation to ensure its future.
Use a continuous improvement approach to build on feedback given after the pilot.

More information on the team’s project can be found in the slide deck from the AMHE Learning Set from 28 June 2024, here.