Data from London Assembly has demonstrated that higher rates of Covid-19 deaths in more ethnically diverse areas, with higher levels of deprivation and poorer ratings of GP satisfaction.
The Assembly’s Health Committee which began its analysis during the first wave of the pandemic has found that boroughs of London with higher numbers of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) residents had poorer ratings of GP satisfaction and higher rates of Covid-19 deaths than less diverse boroughs. These included Newham, Haringey, Tower Hamlets, Brent and Barking & Dagenham.
In a statement to Harrow Times, Assembly Member Dr Onkar Sahota, Chair of the Health Committee, said, “All the evidence shows that BAME community suffered a greater impact because we are, on average, more prone to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, renal disease and poor mental health. We are also more likely to live in overcrowded housing, poorer quality housing, poorer neighbourhoods and work in low-paid, public facing jobs. It is also clear that for those who live in areas of high deprivation, there’s the additional challenge of trying to access treatment from under-funded and under-resourced health services.
He has now called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to use his Covid-19 recovery plan to “help restore faith in those vital public services” among BAME Londoners.
