Board of Deputies and LJF secure £1.5m to tackle health inequalities and antisemitism
Five-year National Lottery-backed partnership will expand work across England to improve healthcare for Jewish patients and support for NHS staff
The Board of Deputies and the London Jewish Forum have secured £1.5 million in National Lottery funding to launch a major new programme aimed at tackling health inequalities and antisemitism affecting Jewish patients and healthcare professionals across England.
Announced on Wednesday, the five-year funding package from the National Lottery Community Fund will establish the Jewish Health Equity Partnership (JHEP), which the organisations say represents the largest investment to date focused on addressing health inequalities facing England’s Jewish communities.
The new partnership will become one of nine organisations taking part in the National Lottery Community Fund’s wider Health Inequities Partnerships programme, which supports projects tackling health inequalities linked to discrimination and structural disadvantage.
JHEP will build on the work of the London Jewish Health Partnership, established by the London Jewish Forum after the COVID pandemic, and will gradually expand its work from London to Jewish communities across England.
Working with NHS organisations, local authorities, researchers and community groups, the partnership will help improve understanding of Jewish health needs, support training for healthcare professionals, strengthen community engagement and work to ensure Jewish patients and staff receive fair and equitable treatment.
The announcement comes as concerns about antisemitism within healthcare continue to receive greater attention. Recent reports, including Lord Mann’s review into antisemitism in the NHS and Baroness Amos’s review of maternity and neonatal care, have highlighted discrimination experienced by Jewish patients and healthcare workers.
Board of Deputies Vice President Karen Newman said: “We are hugely grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for their support. This five-year commitment will be transformative to our work, helping us tackle antisemitism, structural discrimination and other issues impacting healthcare outcomes for the Jewish community.
“We are also excited to work with other members of the Health Inequalities Partnership to contribute to better health outcomes for all ethnic and faith minority groups.”
London Jewish Forum co-chair Amanda Bowman said: “No one should experience prejudice when accessing healthcare or working within the health system, and this partnership will turn greater understanding of Jewish health needs into practical action that improves people’s experiences of care.”
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