FAILURES in mental healthcare is keeping black communities from achieving their full potential, a new coalition has warned.

The group, which includes the Black Minds Matter charity, Mind and the Centre for Mental Health as well as smaller grassroots organisations, called on political parties to commit in their manifestos to positively change a system that is failing members of black communities when they are at their most vulnerable.

Nisa Chisipochinyi, on behalf of the coalition, said: “There have been plenty of words and promises, but failure to take decisive steps such as reforming the Mental Health Act [last year] signal that the mental health of black people still isn’t a priority.

“Without concrete action to improve black mental health and a clear plan to eradicate racism, successive generations of black families will continue to be held back from achieving their full potential.

“For too long, black people have been expected to take responsibility for higher rates of poor mental health within communities, ignoring the real driving forces of racism and inequality.

“And when a black person does struggle with their mental health, they often have no choice but to turn to mental health services ill-suited to their needs.”

Launching what it called the Black Mental Health Manifesto, the coalition said poverty and inequality are contributing to poorer mental health outcomes and that, due to both historical and current injustices, “these social determinants disproportionately affect black communities.”

Housing insecurity, unemployment and school exclusions all “significantly contribute and at times are the cause of mental ill health,” the group said. “It must be accepted that racism and discrimination are often at the heart of why black people face inequities, and there are growing calls for racism to be regarded as a structural and social determinant of health, including mental ill health.”

Other recommendations include a call for a “comprehensive strategy to eradicate racism from society” and the appointment of a cabinet minister specifically to oversee such a strategy with a remit across government departments.

The coalition also called on policymakers, academic institutions, and funders to “actively invest in and engage with community research conducted by and for black communities in a meaningful way.”

A government spokesperson said it is committed to reforming the Mental Health Act “when Parliamentary time allows, to address racial disparities in mental health detentions.”