The Race Health Inequalities (RHI) programme is an initiative set up by the Nottingham City Place-Based Partnership (PBP) to tackle the health inequalities faced by many of Nottingham's Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. Since January 2021, it has been led by Donna Sherratt and Clive Foster, with Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service (NCVS) acting as executive sponsor. In the years following its inception, the RHI has continued to be at the forefront of positive change, forming the Race Health Equalities Group, made up of health practitioners, voluntary and community representatives, to create a space for community representatives and health practitioners to communicate and co-develop solutions to address health inequalities.
After three years of leadership, Clive Foster and Donna Sherratt stepped down from leading the Race Health Inequalities programme. Their united efforts brought positive change, notably through the Maturity Matrix, earning national recognition. Their skilled leadership is deeply appreciated by all members of the PBP.
Jules Sebelin, CEO at NCVS had the following to say.
While we will dearly miss Clive and Donna's leadership, we are pleased to have a strong new leadership team to carry on their work. We also know that Donna and Clive will never be far away if we are ever in need of calling on their wisdom.
Welcome
In February 2024, the search began for a new leader, or co-leaders, of the RHI. In April, it was happily announced that Patricia Hughes, Annie Alleyne and Manisha Sheth had all accepted the role. To contact the team about anything RHI related, please email them at racehealthinequalities@nottinghamcvs.co.uk.
Patricia (Trish) Hughes is an experienced nurse with a specialisation in haematology. Trish was Director of Nursing at NHS England and Executive Director of Nursing for the Northern Care Alliance. Trish has a passion for the digital agenda and is proud to have provided senior nursing expertise to develop the Shuri Network, the first NHS and care network for women from minority ethnic groups in digital health.
I have always been a champion for inequalities in health and used my influence and voice to make a difference. I’m looking forward to continuing to make a positive impact on the race inequalities agenda.
Annie Alleyne has worked for the Nottingham CityCare Partnership for over ten years in numerous roles. In 2022, Annie became Chair of the Ethnic Equality Staff Network, completed a Leadership Development Programme, and took part in Nottingham CityCare’s Race Health Inequalities conference. She will be developing her skills further by completing an ILM-level 5 Coaching and Mentoring qualification. The role of Chair enabled Annie to advocate for staff from ethnically diverse backgrounds, progress the EDI Strategy and influence change at the highest levels of the organisation.
My mantra is: ‘to make as positive a difference, to as many people’s lives as possible’. I’m eager to start working with communities and partner organisations to redress the balance of health inequalities currently being experienced by marginalised groups and individuals in Nottingham.
Manisha Sheth has a background in supporting and advocating for ethnically diverse families during pregnancy and beyond and training maternity staff on offering culturally safe care. She is also an infant loss bereavement counsellor and co-founder of Support ME CIC, an organisation that supports Muslim and Polish-speaking families during maternity care in Nottinghamshire.
I’m grateful to be part of this amazing project to help create much-needed change for families in Nottingham and reduce the disparities that currently exist.
