Hackney Council's Adults Health and Integration Scrutiny Commission has launched a review into the mental health outcomes for Black women in the borough, aiming to address significant disparities in care.
The review, agreed upon during a meeting on Tuesday 22 September 2026, will investigate inequalities in NHS acute and community mental health services, the impact of social determinants of health, and progress on trauma-informed and anti-racist practices. This initiative comes in response to national and local concerns about the disproportionate impact of mental health inequalities on Black women.
Data presented at the meeting highlighted that Black and Black British women in the UK are significantly more likely to experience common mental health problems (29%) compared to White British women (21%) or non-British White women (16%). The Adult Mental Health Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for Hackney also indicated a continued overrepresentation of African and Caribbean heritage communities within inpatient mental health services, alongside underrepresentation in community-based provision. For severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the highest rates are among adults from Black Caribbean (4%), other Black ethnicities (3.9%), and mixed White and Black Caribbean (3.3%) backgrounds. However, a caveat was noted that some ethnic groups may be less likely to present for diagnosis, potentially underestimating prevalence, and health professionals may be more likely to diagnose certain ethnic groups than others.
The review will also examine specific disparities in maternal mental health outcomes. Nationally, Black women are substantially more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth compared to White women, with mental health issues being a leading cause of these deaths. Approximately 20% of Black mothers report not seeking professional help for low mood or depression during the perinatal period. This review will build upon the Commission's previous investigation into maternal mental health disparities, which found that Black mothers were nearly twice as likely as White mothers to have their care investigated for safety failings, with 2.3 investigations per 1,000 deliveries for Black women versus 1.3 for White women between 2020 and 2023.
The review will also explore the challenges of long waiting times for community mental health services and investigate how co-production of services can be improved to ensure Black women's voices are central to the design and delivery of care. The role of social determinants such as housing stability, benefits advice, domestic abuse support, and community safety in influencing mental health outcomes will also be considered.
Key stakeholders, including representatives from the East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), Homerton Healthcare, Public Health, and various community and voluntary sector organisations, will be consulted as part of the evidence-gathering process. The full public reports pack for the meeting can be found here.
The commission aims to gather evidence through a series of meetings and site visits, with draft recommendations expected in March 2027.
