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Our networks focus on securing the grassroots perspective to help shape policy outcomes and reach the relevant stakeholders. We achieve this largely through tailored events, online, one to one interactions, direct approaches and focus groups, and we respond as well as feedback through presentations, reports, briefing papers, our website and our new social networking portal.
The Afiya Trust and Race on the Agenda(ROTA) have prepared a response to the Coalition Government’s White Paper on public health, Healthy Lives, Healthy People. This response is based on on-going consultations with BME community and voluntary sector organisations and the networks we host.
To Download the report: Click here
A response was made by The Afiya Trust to the government’s call for evidence to refresh the Carers Strategy. Our evidence included a recommendation for strategic partnerships with representation from BME carers, continued funding of small BME organisations, proactive identification of BME cares and appropriate signposting as well as the utilisation of social marketing campaigns.
We launched an online survey in the Autumn 2010 as part of the consultation submission made by The Afiya Trust on the health white paper including our questions on health, wellbeing, GPs and meeting expectations.
To Download the report: Click here
This consultation on the social care green paper was part of the former government’s Big Care Debate, which ended on Friday 13 November 2009. The Afiya Trust made a submission to the green paper consultation. We received nearly 500 responses.
We organised a web-based consultation using a questionnaire developed with New Horizon consultation questions, along with some additional questions looking at future priorities in mental health work for BME communities and Afiya in particular. We received 59 responses.
The Afiya Trust organised three consultation events in London, Liverpool and Birmingham on New Horizons. The events were organised in partnership with, and the financial help and support of, the National Survivor User Network, Department of Health, Liverpool PCT, North West Strategic Health Authority, Heal 8 and Birmingham Midland Hearts. Around 200 people attended all three events.
The National BME Mental Health Network held four consultation events in Bristol, Birmingham, London and Manchester to amend the Mental Health Act 1983 to reduce the disproportionately negative impact of the amendments on BME service users. The response from BME communities including service users, carers, practitioners, academics and the wider community was extensive. The Department of Health loosely interpreted some of the findings from our consultations and produced their version of an entire Race Equality Impact Assessment consultation process.
The National BME Mental Health Network together with The Afiya Trust, submitted a written and oral response to the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee.
The Afiya Trust jointly submitted to the Scrutiny Unit at the House of Commons a collective, comprehensive and coherent response to the 2003 draft Mental Incapacity Bill consultation.
The Afiya Trust submitted to the Department of Health a collective, comprehensive and coherent BME response to the 2002 draft Mental Health Bill consultation. In September 2003, we hosted a national BME mental health conference as a follow up to this work.
The Afiya Trust staff, as individuals and collectively, are involved in a significant number of reference groups, consultations and SI inspections concerning many aspects of ‘modernising government’ and the changing health and social care environment.
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