Ethnic mental health inequalities and mental health policies in England 1999-2020

Purpose This paper presents a thematic synthesis of mental health policies published in England from 1999 to 2020. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to present a thematic synthesis of mental health policies published in England from 1999 to 2020. The authors specifically focus on ethnicity-related mental health issues highlighted in policies, policy recommendations and performance measurements of policy implementation. Findings Findings from this synthesis demonstrate that ethnic mental health inequalities remain comparable over the past two decades. Ongoing issues include a lack of data on the ethnicity of mental health services users. Where data is available, these highlight ethnic inequalities in access to, experiences of and outcomes of mental health services, as well as a lack of cultural capability in health-care professionals. Policy recommendations have also remained the same during this time and include: collecting data on the ethnicity of service users, raising awareness of the cultural needs of Black and Minority ethnic populations amongst health-care professionals, recruiting BME staff into mental health care services and improving community engagement. The synthesis identified poor indicators of performance measurement on policy implementation and weak monitoring regimes. Practical implications The synthesis identified poor indicators of performance measurement on policy implementation and weak monitoring regimes. Originality/value This paper presents a thematic synthesis of mental health policies published in England from 1999 to 2020.