Representatives from Torbay Council and the local NHS will be holding a joint meeting as part of Torbay’s ongoing review into tackling racism.

On Thursday 21 January at 5pm, the How do we make Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Lives Matter in Torbay? Review Panel will be meeting with representatives from Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust to ask questions on their key line of enquiry: How do we make Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic lives matter at Torbay’s public organisations?

It’s part of a comprehensive review launched in September and will continue with a series of panels with partners including education, culture, NHS and local business sectors, with a final report and recommendations to be presented later this year.

Liz Davenport, Chief Executive for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said “Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust welcomes the opportunity to participate in the BAME Review Panel meeting on Thursday. The Trust both cares for and employs people from across our diverse community. We see this meeting as an important opportunity to understand the issues that impact on our people so that we can work together to make improvements.”

Councillor Jermaine Atiya-Alla, Torbay’s first elected black councillor who is leading the local review, said: “We are looking forward to discussing with local NHS representatives the issues affecting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in Torbay and what we can do together to improve things.

“As we have seen throughout the Covid crisis that the BAME community has suffered through a higher death rate and If you are from the BAME community you are likely to struggle to get access to healthcare etc.

“Please do get in touch and watch the meeting if you are interested, and also submit questions in advance, plus of course we are still keen for people to get in touch and share their experiences and ideas with us.”

Steve Darling, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “We are very grateful to colleagues from the local NHS for taking the time to join us to address this important issue. As a Council we are absolutely committed to respecting equality and diversity and we want to understand more about how some of our communities here are disadvantaged, and what we can do to improve things here in the Bay. It’s a global issue but we can all play our own part, however small, to make the world a better and more equitable place.”

How to get involved

You will be able to watch the meeting via zoom – Find out more here.

If you would like to ask the panel or officers a question, please register in advance by emailing equality@torbay.gov.uk

You can also read the minutes and view the video from previous meetings here