When lip service is no longer enough

Remembering What’s Forgotten will be a powerful and important year in the history of how we are seeking racial justice in mental health services in Leeds.

I say this because racial injustice, especially when you look at the over representation of black people detained under the Mental Health Act, is not new. We have known and talked about it for years – certainly throughout my career. However, what we have recognised through the Synergi Collaborative Centre and now Synergi-Leeds is that meaningful and sustainable change happens in our communities, way before someone is at risk of being detained. 

We also know that for the diverse communities we serve it can often feel like here we go again when statutory agencies – who absolutely want things to change – announce another ‘initiative’ to tackle racial injustice. 

Our communities have walked the talk so many times and it is for this reason Remembering What’s Forgotten has a crucial role to play. It is how we can pass forward the important work done in our communities so that we can learn and build on what has gone before – and not start again with a blank sheet of paper. 

So many people have invested so much time, energy, passion and ideas – bringing their personal selves to it for the benefit of others through Synergi-Leeds. Which is why we want to create a legacy that informs the work we will continue to do as well as help us pass the mantle onto those who will follow us so they are not starting with that blank sheet of paper but can continue to work with our amazing communities.

Sara Munro, CEO, Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust