Black people in Lewisham are being let down by a “persistent systemic bias” that keeps surfacing when serious cases are investigated, councillors have been told.
Race and disability are recurring themes in the borough’s safeguarding adults reviews, according to the Lewisham Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) Annual Report for 2025-26. The board’s Independent Chair, Ben Mant, and Business Manager, Martin Crow, presented the report to the Healthier Communities Select Committee. They told members that Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) continue to identify concerns about mental health and racial disparities.
One review, published in February 2026, examined the case of Earl, a Black British man of Caribbean heritage with a history of mental ill health. He was found dead in a neglected home.
The review found that “A lack of professional curiosity meant that key risks such as Earl’s non compliance, potential deterioration in his living environment, and delays in the CTO process were not connected or escalated. Staff relied on limited contact instead of actively checking his wellbeing, highlighting the need for robust supervision and a culture that looks beyond surface level information.” (A CTO is a community treatment order.)
The review also highlighted that Race and disability continue to emerge as a recurrent theme in Safeguarding Adults Reviews, indicating persistent systemic bias that disproportionately affects black service users.
A report presented by Mr Mant stated that people from Black communities in England are around four times more likely than White people to be detained under the Mental Health Act. He said the Mental Health Act 2025 aims to “tackle those persistent inequalities, including racial disparity”, which have been seen consistently across the mental health system, including in Lewisham.
The LSAB is preparing to “have our own dedicated work and work stream to tackle racism.”
The committee noted, seconded and agreed the report.
