About Us | BME

At an inaugural National BME Conference held on 5 June 2009 over 400 BME professionals and senior leaders gave a mandate to the South East Coast BME Network as the conference host to establish a NHS BME Network based on the tripartite principles of Hope, Change and Bottom up

It was agreed that the National Network should be established as

“independent and effective voice for BME staff, BME Patients and BME Service users to ensure the NHS delivers on its statutory duties regarding race equality”

Following the conference five regional meetings were held in London, Bristol, Leicester, Birmingham and Leeds in August and September 2009 to cover the ten SHA regions. The aim of the meetings was to establish the issues of concern for BME people and to use the information to develop an Operational Framework for the Network for 2010/11 based on a bottom up approach.

The Operational Framework for the Network is currently being revised to take into account the huge changes in the NHS and will be able in July 2011 to allow time for the Government to announce the changes to the Health and Social Care Bill.

The NHS BME Network was launched on 4 June 2010 at the London Hilton Park Lane and was a huge success. Please click here to see the conference by pictures.

The first anniversary conference for the Network will take on 16 September 2011.