BAME COVID-19 Health Advisory Group formed in Wales

In response to growing evidence and concern that the COVID-19 infection is having a disproportionate adverse impact on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, the Welsh Government BAME COVID-19 health advisory group met for the second time yesterday.

The First Minister, Mark Drakeford, said:

"The loss of life of anyone is tragic. The emerging data around mortality rates is very worrying as it suggests BAME people are disproportionately losing their lives as a result of contracting COVID-19. This is of huge concern.

There are many possible reasons for this disproportionality, such as higher rates of underlying health conditions, pre-existing inequalities, increased exposure to COVID-19 as the result of work they may do and other vulnerabilities. There is important work to be done to understand how this relates to the apparently higher level of COVID-19 mortality among people from BAME backgrounds.

We have therefore established an advisory group, co-chaired by Judge Ray Singh and Dr Heather Payne to examine this issue. In addition, Professor Keshav Singhal will lead a sub-committee on health and social care workforce issues and risks, and Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna will lead a sub-committee on socio-economic issues relating to the BAME community and COVID-19.

It is my hope that this approach will ensure we look at the broader context in which this disproportionality sits, consider fully all areas of vulnerability, and take action to protect those at risk.

I want to thank Deputy Minister and Chief Whip Jane Hutt for her work in developing a truly cross Government approach to assessing this issue, involving officials from equalities, the Chief Medical Officer, BAME communities, and the health workforce division.

Finally, I wish to express my concern about this evolving picture. I am committed to ensuring that we learn quickly so we can best protect people in Wales from harm due to COVID-19, and I recognise my duty of care to all those who are working so hard in our health and care system to support the people of Wales."

About Judge Ray Singh CBE
Chair, Race Council Cymru

Ray Singh was the first ethnic minority judge on the Welsh bench. He was appointed as a Deputy District Judge in 1992, and in 1997 became the Resident District Judge of the Merthyr Tydfil combined Law Courts on the Wales circuit.

He has been a member of the Welsh Advisory Committee on Drug and Alcohol Misuse Act of the Judicial Studies Board, Family Court Services Committee, National Assembly Advisory Group and the South and South West Wales Criminal Justice Liaison Committee. He is a former Commissioner of the Commission for Racial Equality (1996 – 2002).

Chair of the Formal Investigation into HM Prison Service (2000-2003) which resulted in the reports on the murder of Zahid Mubarak and the Racial Equality in Prison in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Ray was also the Chair of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Commission, set up by Birmingham City Council about the challenges for the future of Birmingham following the McPherson report.

He is a fellow member of the Race Relations Committee, General Council of the Bar and is a former part-time Chair of the Child Support Appeals Tribunal. He is also an Independent Chair of the Complaints Panel for the Welsh Government.He recently became the Chair of the Race Council Cymru.

Ray is involved in many professional and public bodies as well as community groups, including being Chair of the Body of Merthyr Tydfil Brecon, as well as Aberdare Children’s Contact Centres, a life member of Bonymaen Rugby Football Club, Vice President of the Glamorgan Cricket Club, a board member of Neath Victim Support and a Governor of both Swansea Metropolitan University and Swansea College. He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001.

About Professor Keshav Singhal MBE

Professor Keshav Singhal MBE is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, Chair of Bapio Wales and a University of South Wales (USW) academic. His interests in total hip and knee replacements led him to establish the hospital’s Rapid recovery program in 2005, now re-launched as Enhanced Recovery after Surgery, enabling joint replacement patients to be educated about their surgery pre-operatively and to be safely discharged three to four days after surgery.

He has also pioneered a one stop clinic in which the patients can have their consultation and surgery in the same visit for minor operations like carpal tunnel syndrome, thereby avoiding multiple visits to the hospital.

Professor Singhal is a trustee of the National Museums of Wales, sits on the Board of Hendre housing and care association and also on the Board of Care and Repair Bridgend. He is a governor of India Centre of Wales and also on the Board of Pratham Shiksha (Early learning centre) - a NGO providing free primary and secondary education to street children in Jaipur, India.

About Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna

Emmanuel Ogbonna is Professor of Management and Organisational Behaviour at Cardiff school of Business, Cardiff University.