Today’s new report from the Faculty of Public Health ‘Decolonisation and anti-racism in FPH’ reviews the current public health specialty training curriculum through an anti-racism lens, outlines the Faculty’s actions to integrate anti-racism into its work, and evaluates progress against the NHS Race and Health Observatory’s recommended actions.
The report considers Faculty work on anti-racism including development of an Anti-Racism Framework, the Fair Training Culture Workstream, signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the NHS Race and Health Observatory, and recognition of racism as an overarching determinant of health within the public health specialty training curriculum.
The report makes recommendations for further action, including;
- Review the curriculum to integrate anti-racist frameworks and include anti-racism in relevant leadership competencies.
- Ensure an anti-racist approach is integral to FPH’s immediate improvement priorities for current and future strategies.
- Organise annual/ induction training on racism and public health underpinned by the Lancet’s 6 principles on ‘Understanding Racism and Health’.
- Commission the development of an educator’s guide to support anti-racist teaching practices.
- Develop an FPH Racism and Health skills/ understanding needs assessment to support capability.
- Better understand (through meetings or surveys) the experiences of racially minoritised Faculty members.
- Extend the Fair Training Programme throughout the public health career.
As a professional membership organisation with global outreach, the Faculty is committed to adopting an explicitly anti-racist approach within its own work, and ensuring that public health professionals understand how racism impacts health and professional experiences.
