Anti Racist Cumbria and Dr Temidayo Eseonu are very pleased to be sharing our research findings from Phase One of “The Invisible Human Cost of Racism in the NHS: Healing in The System”. You can read the full report here.
How did Healing in The System come about?
In 2024, Anti Racist Cumbria (ARC) were commissioned by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust to support them in understanding better the racism experienced by medical staff and students. ARC delivered an “Antidoting Racial Trauma Course” for Black and Brown clinical staff due to concerns over the impact racism was having on them, and how it was contributing to sick leave and retention issues. The course was delivered by ARC’s racial trauma and embodiment practitioner Rowan Carr using resourcing and wellbeing practices which were transformative for those who participated.
The course confirmed what research has long recognised: that racism leads to deep racial trauma and must be understood and challenged with this in mind. A paradox exists: the NHS as a whole recognises the importance of trauma-informed care but does not apply it to its own workforce. The argument for applying trauma-informed care already exists, but trauma-informed care, as an approach to addressing racism, is not yet a well-established practice. Furthermore, there is limited research on the forms of such care, the impact on Black and Brown staff and whether it reduces the cost of racism to the NHS.
The findings of that initial work led ARC to the realisation that there was more we needed to do in this space. Partnering with Dr Temidayo Eseonu (Lecturer in Politics and Policy, Founder of the Racial Equity in Policy Network at the University of Lancaster (Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences) we secured a modest funding grant received from Research England’s Quality-related Research (QR), we developed a project centred on a small focus group of current and future Black and Brown healthcare staff and students.
Phase One of Healing in The System aimed to:
💥Pilot a racial trauma-informed care approach using creative and embodied methods
💥Deepen understanding of racial trauma-informed care as it applies to the NHS workforce
💥Co-create research questions on embedding racial trauma-informed care in the NHS
Between March, April and May we have delivered 3 focus groups with a cohort of 10 Black and Brown healthcare staff and students from NHS Trusts in Cumbria and Lancaster. Embodiment and participatory research methods to explore racial trauma were used throughout and participants were resourced with tools they could use to tend to the wounds of racism now and in the future. Both Dr Eseonu and ARC were determined that we would not replicate the extractive approaches that researchers often fall into when engaging with Black and Brown people and racial trauma. The ‘call out’ for participants was carefully planned and included reimbursement for their participation, expenses and (of course) food at each session. Where there is food, there is community!
The recommendations which have come out of Phase One of Healing in The System point to possibilities of how we can improve the NHS as a workplace for Black and Brown staff. However, longer-term research with NHS workplaces needs to be undertaken to examine the long-term impact and benefits of the somatic interventions to be sustainable and embedded.
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What are we doing next?
ARC and Dr Eseonu are looking for funding to deliver Phase Two of this work which we envision to be multi-year, connected with ARC’s grassroots work, and leading to evidenced and impactful policy change. In order to do this we need funding and we need support from NHS Trusts and Healthcare Unions to enable Black and Brown staff to have the rota flexibility to participate.
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How YOU can help
⬇️Read the full findings report (link at the bottom of this page).
⬇️Share the report directly with others who may be interested, and who are in positions where they can support and lead change within NHS Trusts.
⬇️Consider what role you could play in taking action based on the initial recommendations.
⬇️Fill in this form if you are able to support with funding (as a funder or a collaborator), or if you are an NHS Trust or Union who can support with enabling participants to get involved.
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Ready to tend to the harm racism is causing you?
Come to our next Living Whilst Black session. Guided by the ARC wellbeing team Rowan Carr and Simone, our Living Whilst Black monthly space provides a safe environment for Black and Brown people to hold space and heal together. Our monthly meetings are FREE and mostly held on Zoom, with a few in-person events spread across the year. We also have a supportive WhatsApp group.
