The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Health Forum and its Structures

23rd December 2011

1.0 The BME Health Forum

The BME Health Forum is a collaborative partnership between statutory, voluntary and community organisations that aims to improve health and reduce health inequalities for BME communities in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the City of Westminster. The Forum is currently uninorporated but is working towards setting up a company and a charity in order to be able to function independently. The Forum is funded by NHS Kensington & Chelsea and NHS Westminster through a Service Level Agreement.

The Forum aims both to empower communities to engage effectively in debate with the health services and to enable statutory services and health professionals to hear, understand and respond adequately to the health needs of BME communities.

The BME Health Forum’s areas of work include:

• Removing barriers to accessing healthcare for BME communities both directly and indirectly by engaging with clinicians, health trusts, community organisations and patients, improving links and communication and raising awareness.
• Researching, scrutinising and influencing strategic policy issues and initiatives within the health services to ensure that policy makers are aware of the impact to BME communities of any decisions made.
• Supporting BME communities and organisations to voice their health concerns, bringing these to the attention of commissioners and providers and ensuring that they are taken into account in the planning, commissioning and delivery of services.
• Supporting the voluntary and community sector in their delivery of health and wellbeing projects by a variety of strategies including commissioning, providing skills and information, demonstrating value and raising concerns to the relevant statutory sector bodies.

1.1 The BME Health Forum Manager

The BME Health Forum Manager is Nafsika Thalassis

1.2 The Quarterly Meetings

The BME Health Forum Quarterly meetings are one of the many ways in which the BME Health Forum engages with its stakeholders. The aim of the Quarterly Meetings is to provide an opportunity for the Forum as well as the Statutory, Voluntary and Community sectors to meet and explore ways of improving the experience of healthcare for BME communities: The Quarterly Meetings achieve this aim by:

• Informing stakeholders of the Forum’s work programme and achievements and provide an opportunity for stakeholders to interrogate the Forum on its work.
• Informing stakeholders of strategy and policy changes within the NHS and providing an opportunity for stakeholders to interrogate such changes.
• Providing an opportunity for stakeholders from all sectors to network with each other.
• Providing an opportunity for stakeholders to show case their work in the health and social care fields.
• Providing an opportunity for the exchange of information between different stakeholders.
• Providing health promotion information and activities.

2.0 The Steering Group

The Steering Group is the governing body of the BME Health Forum. It is responsible for ensuring that the work of the Forum is of a high standard and fulfils its objectives as set out above. Steering Group Meetings are held on a quarterly basis and they are chaired by the BME Health Forum Chair. The Steering Group may delegate operational decisions to the Working Group or a Working Group Subcommittee.

2.1 Steering Group Membership

The steering group membership should include approximately 15 people and maintain a majority of voluntary sector involvement.

Where there is more than one possible person/organisation who can fill a particular slot, recruitment will involve an expression of interest and interview process.

The BME Health Forum Steering Group can include:

• Representatives of local BME organisations. This should include BME community organisations including migrant and refugee organisations and local organisations specialising in health issues affecting particular BME groups including migrants and refugees (maximum of 10)
• Representatives from the Councils for Voluntary Service in Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster: Voluntary Action Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea Social Council (maximum of 2)
• Representatives of Kensington & Chelsea LINk and Westminster LINk (maximum of 2)
• NHS commissioners from NHS Westminster and NHS Kensington & Chelsea (maximum of 2)
• Representatives from the Health Provider Trusts: Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Central London Community Healthcare, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (maximum of 4)
• Representatives from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council (maximum of 2)
• BME Health Forum Manager
• BME Health Forum Project Workers
• Additional members who can provide a useful input to the Steering Group because of their experience and skills (maximum of 2)

2.2 Job description for Steering Group members

• Act as a spokesperson for the Forum within own organisation
• Read relevant papers and attend 4 Steering Group meetings per year
• Work together as a team to guide the strategic direction of the Forum and make relevant decisions
• Raise issues and recommendations that have been identified by the Forum with relevant people within own organisation and influence decision making
• Represent the Forum in other bodies and committees as required
• Attend the Forum’s Quarterly Meetings

2.3 Person Specification for Steering Group Members

• A commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• An understanding of the main health concerns of BME communities
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Sufficient status and responsibility within own organisation to be able to raise issues relevant to the Forum and influence decision makers
• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort

2.4 Additional Information

The BME Health Forum will offer its Steering Group members and their organisations relevant training and support to enable them to fulfil their role successfully.

Absence from two consecutive Steering Group meetings without sending apologies, or absence from 4 consecutive Steering Group meetings with apologies will result in the group losing their Steering Group member Status. If a Steering Group member is unable to fulfil their commitments they should make arrangements in consultation with the BME Health Forum Manager for a replacement from their organisation.

3.0 BME Health Forum Project Steering Groups

Each Forum project is served by its own steering group consisting of members of the BME Health Forum Steering Group and other members who are relevant to the particular piece of work. Project Steering Groups are decision making bodies. Each Project Steering Group meets according to the requirements of the relevant project. The Minutes of each meeting are sent to the BME Health Forum Steering Group. The BME Health Forum Steering Group has to be consulted over major decisions such as a report’s final recommendations.

4.0 The Chair

The Chair is appointed by the Steering Group from among the Steering Group members who represent local voluntary and community organisations. Candidates are interviewed to ensure that they are able to fulfil the role successfully. A Chair is appointed for an initial period of 1 year, renewable to 2 years. The organisation responsible for the chairing receives £4,000 per year.

4.1 Job description for the Chair

Leadership 

• Acts as the BME Health Forum’s main spokesperson.
• Provides leadership for the BME Health Forum steering Group
• Takes an active part in influencing and negotiating with stakeholders on behalf of the Forum and supports the BME Health Forum manager in raising relevant issues with appropriate bodies
• Signs off the Service Level Agreement between the Forum and the local NHS.
• Chairs all public meetings organised by the Forum
• Represents the Forum at appropriate events
  
  

Projects

• Steers and supports the Forum manager and project workers in matters relating to influencing and negotiating with stakeholders
• Reads and approves the BME Health Forum report recommendations
• Steers and supports the BME Health Forum manager in taking the recommendations forward with the relevant stakeholders 
• Negotiates and influences stakeholders to achieve the projects’ aims 

Quarterly Meetings

• Chairs and facilitates the Quarterly Meetings
• Ensures that Forum meetings commence promptly at the agreed time
• Values the input of all attendees and respects their views

Steering Group Meetings 

• Chairs and facilitates Steering Group Quarterly meetings
• Reads relevant papers and makes preparations prior to the meetings
• Ensures that minutes are accurate
• Monitors that decisions taken at meetings are implemented
• In the case of dissent, encourages members to reach a consensus, and ensure that any dissent is clearly recorded

Working Group Meetings

• Reads all Forum papers and make preparations prior to the Forum meetings
• Undertakes to complete relevant tasks –similar to those of the other working group members.

4.2 Chair’s Person Specification

• A working knowledge of the Forum
• A commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
• An understanding of the main health concerns of BME communities
• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort
• Willingness to speak their mind
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• Leadership skills
• Experience of committee work
• Tact and diplomacy
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidentiality

4.3 Additional Information

The Chair will be replaced in the following circumstances:

• S/he fail to attend a Steering Group or Quarterly Meeting without sending apologies and without sending a replacement from their organisation.
• S/he fail to attend two consecutive meetings (Steering Group and/or Quarterly Meetings in any combination)
• If the Steering Group vote with a 2/3 majority that the Chair is no longer suitable.

If a Chair is not able to fulfil their duties for any reason, s/he should make arrangements for a suitable candidate from their organisation to replace them with approval from the Steering Group.