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The DRE programme - Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health
Delivering Race Equality in mental health care (DRE) is an action plan to achieve equality for people from Black and minority ethnic communities in provision of mental health services. DRE programme is based on three key publications: "h Inside Outside: Improving Mental Health Services for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities in England; Delivering Race Equality: A Framework for Action; and the independent inquiry into the death of David Bennett (Delivering Race Equality in mental health care, DoH, 2005)
The programme is based on three key components or building blocksˇ¨.
More appropriate & responsive services
Community engagement
Better information
DRE also supports public bodies in meeting their responsibilities and core obligations according to Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. One major part of the DRE programme is to recruit 500 community development workers in order to get the communities involved and support BME communities in getting established and being able to take action to tackle inequalities in mental health service provision. DRE also supports the implementation of race equality action plan produced by Sir Nigel Crisp and is deeply incorporated in DRE programme (Delivering Race Equality in mental health care, DoH, 2005). The action plan has to be implemented by 2010 and has clear objectives and targets. Key elements of the action plan are given below as described by department of health:
1. less fear of mental health services among BME communities and service users;
2. increased satisfaction with services;
3. a reduction in the disproportionate rate of admission of people from BME communities to psychiatric inpatient units;
4. a reduction in the disproportionate rates of compulsory detention of BME service users in inpatient units;
5. fewer violent incidents that are secondary to inadequate treatment of mental illness;
6. a reduction in the use of seclusion in BME groups;
7. Prevention of deaths in mental health services following physical intervention;
8. more BME service users reaching self-reported states of recovery;
9. a reduction in the ethnic disparities found in prison populations;
10. a more balanced range of effective therapies, such as peer support services and psychotherapeutic and counselling treatments, as well as pharmacological interventions that are culturally appropriate and effective;
11. a more active role for BME communities and BME service users in the training of professionals, in the development of mental health policy, and in the planning and provision of services; and
12. a workforce and organization capable of delivering appropriate and responsive mental health services to BME communities.
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