Kemi Badenoch to lead the PHE COVID-19 health disparities review
Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch will lead the Public Health England (PHE) review into disparities in the risks and outcomes of COVID-19, the Government’s Equality Hub announced today (4th June 2020).
Kemi Badenoch, said: “This government is rightly taking seriously the initial findings from the PHE report published earlier this week. However, it is also clear that much more needs to be done to understand the key drivers of the disparities identified and the relationships between the different risk factors.
“That is why I am now taking this work forward, which will enable us to make a real difference to people’s lives and protect our communities from the impact of the coronavirus.”
The full terms of reference for this work will be as follows:
- Review the effectiveness and impact of current actions being undertaken by relevant government departments and their agencies to directly lessen disparities in infection and death rates of COVID-19. Factors to be considered – but aren’t limited to – should include age and sex, occupation, obesity, comorbidities, geography, and ethnicity;
- Modifications to existing, or development of new policy, should be considered and discussed with the relevant Ministers responsible. This ongoing work will include looking at the extensive guidance that is already currently available;
- Commission further data, research and analytical work by the Equality Hub to clarify the scale, and drivers, of the gaps in evidence highlighted by the Report;
- Consider where and how the collection and quality of data into the disparities highlighted can be improved on, and take action to do so, working with the Equality Hub, government departments and their agencies;
- Lead engagement on the disparities highlighted with Departmental Ministers;
- Build on and expand the stakeholder engagement undertaken by PHE, to consolidate and develop the qualitative insights gained and how they may support further actions that should be taken to address the disparities highlighted;
- Strengthen and improve public health communications to ensure they can reach all communities across the country;
- Provide quarterly updates to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on progress being made to address health inequalities by departments and their agencies.
Earlier today, the Minister for Equalities answered an Urgent Question in the House of Commons before answering detailed questions from members on a range of issues related to the PHE review.
To support the Minister for Equalities in fulfilling these Terms of Reference, the Race Disparity Unit in the Equalities Hub (Cabinet Office) will work with MfE directly. They will be supported by officials in PHE and other departments or agencies as relevant to take this forward. The Equality Hub sits in the Cabinet Office and is made up of officials working for the Government Equalities Office, Race Disparity Unit and Disability Unit
The full PHE review can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-review-of-disparities-in-risks-and-outcomes
About Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on 13 February 2020 and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities) in the Department for International Trade on 14 February 2020.
She was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education from 27 July 2019 to 13 February 2020.
Kemi Badenoch is currently on maternity leave.
