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For the past two years, as a community, we have witnessed with great sadness, the loss, grief and sorrow that COVID-19 has brought into the lives of so many people we know and love. This loss has forever impacted our families, friends and our wider community.
As black leaders and health professionals, the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on black African and black Caribbean communities has been extremely heart breaking. As a people, we are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes with a higher proportion of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other long term health conditions that create a greater risk profile to COVID-19. Sadly, even with all the evidence around how safe and effective the vaccine is against COVID-19 and the urgency to get vaccinated, the uptake of vaccinations has been slower and much lower in our community compared to other ethnic minority groups.
We pledge to do more to help you to protect yourselves and each other. To reassure you about vaccination, we will continue to go on record to state:
• We believe that coronavirus vaccinations are safe and is the best way out of the pandemic
• We will treat you with respect and compassion, when you come for your first, second or booster COVID vaccine, or your first, second, third and booster vaccine if you are
immunosuppressed
• We pledge to be available to you and all members of the Black community, to honestly and openly discuss the merits of vaccination and answer your concerns
• The COVID-19 vaccinations we use in the UK, do not contain any animal products.
Our pledge comes as we encourage you to come forward and have your COVID-19 vaccination. We will discuss with you any concerns and worries you have, which are the same for other people too. For example, about side effects, or fertility. For these reasons, the NHS, which has looked after all of us when we needed medical help, is working with trusted voices in communities to increase confidence in the vaccine. Our trusted voices are people who understand these concerns and have experienced the challenges we all face. Whether it is your first COVID-19 vaccination or your booster, we thank you for taking this step.
You are helping to protect those who are most vulnerable in our local communities and to prevent more people going into hospital seriously ill or dying. In addition to vaccination, you can also protect yourself this winter by wearing a facemask if
you are able, washing your hands regularly and practising social distancing. If you are eligible, we also encourage you to have your flu jab. Please also follow the guidance on testing and self-isolating if you have the virus. More information is available at www.nhs.uk
You can get your COVID-19 vaccination by booking online or attending a walk in or pop-up vaccination site. Whichever is your preference – find it online at
www.nhs.uk/CovidVaccination. Please be reassured that do not need to have identification or be registered with a GP to receive your vaccinations.
We hope your support will mean that more of us are protected from serious COVID-19 illness.
Bola Owolabi, GP and Director of Health Inequalities, NHS England and NHS Improvement,
Ade Odunlade, Chief Operating Officer, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Martin P Griffiths CBE DL FRCS FRSA, Consultant Trauma and Vascular Surgeon, Barts
Health NHS Trust
Albert Donkor, Paramedic, London Ambulance NHS Trust
Anna Awoliyi, Chief Allied Health Information Officer, Kettering General Hospital
Arlene Wellman, Director of Nursing, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
Bola Sotubo, Commissioning Pharmacist, NHS WEL CCGs
Dr Catherine Mbema, Director of Public Health, Lewisham Council
Cedi Frederick, Independent Chair, London Vaccine Legacy and Health Inequalities Board
Clive Lewis OBE DL, CEO, Globis
Dr Anthony Egboh, GP, Integrated Care Partnership
Dr Charles Kwaku, Chief Officer, Caribbean & African Health Network
Dr Diane Asante, General Practitioner
Dr Donald Palmer, Associate Professor of Immunology
Dr Gail Busby, Consultant Gynaecologist, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Emeka Okorocha, Medical Doctor, East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Joseph Omofuma, General Practitioner, Edenfield Road Surgery
Dr Modupe Omonijo, Public Health Consultant, Birmingham City Council
Dr Nnenna Osuji, Chief Executive, North Middlesex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Dr Obinna Nzeako, Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, Kingston Hospital NHS
Foundation Trust
Dr Sam Botchey, Sport & Exercise Medicine Doctor ST4, Oxford University Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust
Dr Samuel Agwu, Paediatrician, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Dr Sarah Ann Filson, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Specialist Doctor
Dr Vanessa Apea, Consultant Physician in Sexual Health and HIV, Barts Health NHS Trust
Dr Dianne Addei, Public Health Advisor, NHS England & Improvement
Doreen McCollin, Non Executive Director, South West London & St George’s Mental Health
NHS Trust
Edwin Ndlovu, Interim Chief Operating Officer, East London Foundation Trust
Elspeth Williams, Community Officer, Healthwatch
Ethel Changa, Clinical Advisor – National Covid 19 Vaccination Programme, NHS England &
Improvement
Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE, Chair, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
Felicia Kwaku, Chair of the Chief Nursing Officers Black and Minority Ethnic Strategic
Advisory Group, King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust
Frank Chinegwundoh, Chairman, Cancer Black Care
Hamish Mohammed, PhD, MPH, Consultant STI Surveillance & Prevention Scientist, Office
for Health Improvement Disparities
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chief Midwifery Officer, NHS England
Jenni Douglas Todd, Director of Equality and Inclusion, NHS England
Jennifer Pearson, Regional Lead (Midlands) Chief Nursing Officer Chief Midwifery Officer
Dr Jessica Katanga, Academic Foundation Doctor, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Jonas Akuffo, Deputy Director of Vaccine Equalities, NHS England
Judith Machiwenyika, Nurse Consultant, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Leah deSouza Thomas, Regional Policy Lead – Covid-19 Response, Office for Health
Improvement Disparities
Lorraine Sunduza, Deputy CEO, East London NHS Foundation Trust
Lukman Sadiq, Policy Advisor – Covid Vaccine Uptake Team, DHSC
Marcus Riddell, Director of Strategic Partnerships, NHS Professionals
Marie Gabriel CBE, Chair, East London Health and Care Partnership
Marisa Batson, Strategic Relationship Development and Engagement Manager, NHS
England & Improvement
Mr Mohamed Kamara, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Tameside and Glossop
Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Ngozi Edi-Osagie, Consultant Neonatologist, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Oge Ilozue, GP Partner, Clinical Lead London Vaccine Programme
Ola Agbaimoni, Deputy Director Vaccine Equalities, NHS England
Onika Patrick-Redhead, Head of Equality Diversity and Inclusion Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Patricia Miller, CEO, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Professor Anton Emmanuel, Consultant Gastroenterologist, University College London
Professor Calvin R Moorley RN PhD, Chair of Diversity & Social Justice, London South Bank
University
Professor Kevin Fenton, Regional Director London, Office for Health Improvement
Disparities
Ronke Adejolu, Associate Chief Nursing Information Officer, NHSX
Ronke Akerele, National Director of Culture Transformation at NHS England and NHS
Improvement
Rudi Page, Policy implementation Specialist Consultant, Making Connections Work
Riyad Karim, Assistant Director of Primary Care, Enfield Directorate, Northwest London
CCG
Dr Sandra Husbands, Director of Public Health, City of London & London Borough of
Hackney
Sharon Raymond, Director of Covid Crisis Rescue Foundation, SEL CCG
Terry Roberts, Chief People Officer, Oxford University Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust
Toyin Oladotun, Head of Nursing OH, St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust
Tracie Jolliff, Head of Inclusive System Development, NHS England & Improvement
Virginia Golding, Head of Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Rotherham Doncaster & South
Humber Foundation Trust
Walter Johnson, Policy Lead, Vaccination Deployment Programme
Wendy Olayiwola, National Maternity Lead for Equality, NHS England & Improvement
Dr William Hunter, A&E Doctor, Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
To speak to a Black clinician please call/text 07710 022382 or
email COVID-19@cahn.org.uk
