Abstract

PurposeThe aim is to examine the current state of black and minority ethnic (BME) service user involvement in mental health policy making and commissioning of services, identifying barriers to participation, and potential strategies to enhance BME involvement and ensure more culturally sensitive services.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides an overview of the Dancing To Our Own Tunes report and more recent review which assess progress towards achieving improved BME mental health service user involvement.FindingsThere are a number of barriers affecting the relationships between statutory bodies and user involvement initiatives. These include a lack of BME representation on groups that influence mental health policy and commissioning, along with spending cuts that disproportionately impact on BME mental health service users.Research limitations/implicationsThe original report was based upon a consultation with a relatively small number of participants.Practical implicationsIncreasing the involvement of diverse service users in policy making and in the design and delivery of mental health services will lead to better quality, more effective and efficient services.Originality/valueThe area of BME service user involvement in the design and delivery of mental health services has hitherto received little attention in the literature.

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