BME Health and Wellbeing Community Group

BME Health and Wellbeing Community Group

BME Health and Wellbeing, a new community health and wellbeing group based in Rochdale, held its launch on 24 November at Deeplish Community Centre in the presence of the Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale, ward councillors, community members and elders, colleagues from Rochdale Public Health and Springhill Hospice.

Mohammed Ali, from BME Health and Wellbeing, said: ‘The group’s aim is to raise awareness of chronic health issues within the south Asian and black, minority and ethnic community in order to prevent serious illnesses and for better mental health, physical health and wellbeing. We will achieve this by working with experts and in partnership with health and social care professionals and commissioners, clinicians, community groups and academics."

Shahid Mohammed, founder of BME Health and Wellbeing, explained: ‘We are a community group based in Rochdale that will support people from the BME and south Asian communities with long-term health conditions, and their carers; and will raise the awareness of the issues within communities and with statutory organisations.

"We have a mix of skills and expertise in our team, including clinicians, scholars, doctors, NHS managers, and academics.

"We know that as the population ages there are a growing number of people with various health conditions pertinent to the BME and south Asian communities.

"According to the NHS, if you're from a south Asian background and you live in the UK, you're more likely than people from other communities to have certain health conditions

"However, we know that many services for these communities remain inappropriate and inaccessible, and the number of these people accessing secondary care services is disproportionately low."

At the launch Councillor Zaman and other speakers praised the work Shahid Mohammed has done in the community and with Greater Manchester Police and Salford University, and they spoke about BME Health and Wellbeing’s commitment to addressing the health concerns of the local community. He wished the group well in its endeavours.

Mr Mohammed was recently invited to attend the NHS Citizen's Assembly in London because of his work on BME dementia. At the assembly he met with NHS senior managers, board members and Simon Stevens (NHS Chief Executive), who was in the workshop group that he facilitated discussing dementia - post diagnosis.

Mr Mohammed said that he was pleased that he was able to put south Asian and BME dementia and other chronic health issues on the national agenda.