People’s Covid Inquiry | Session 6: Inequalities and Discrimination

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DbK_8P-rRgm5VVsUebTKbw

The devastating differential impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on BAME people have come been shocking but not surprising. Even prior to the pandemic there was strong evidence that racism and inequality in educational, employment and economic opportunities, as well as in access to housing and healthcare, had major differential effects on the health of BAME communities. These issues were compounded during the pandemic, with particularly acute consequences for keyworkers who could not work at home, and who kept transport, health and other essential services running throughout. The impacts of Covid have also fallen differentially on women in many important ways.

The next session of the People’s Covid Inquiry asks: was there any serious appraisal of risk for sections of our society who experience inequalities and discrimination? What has the outcome been and how has the Government responded?

In order to answer these questions and to learn lessons, in this session we are listening to a researcher on the differential impact of Covid on the BAME health workers and we will hear testimony about the experience of BAME frontline staff and the differential impacts of Covid-19 upon migrants and upon women. Evidence is also available from the work done by Independent SAGE, the Fenton Review and health unions.

THE PANEL:​

Michael Mansfield QC (chair); Professor Neena Modi; Dr. Tolullah Oni; Dr. Jacky Davis; Lorna Hackett, Barrister (Counsel to the Inquiry)​

WITNESSES:

• Mary-Ann Stephenson | Director, Women’s Budget Group
• Kamlesh Khunti | Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine, University of Leicester, member of Independent SAGE
• Dr Latifa Patel | British Medical Association (PC)
• Aliya Yule | Migrants Organise