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Evidence suggests people in some ethnic minority groups experience worse mental health outcomes than people from White British backgrounds. For example, Black or Black British people are 3.5 times as likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act, and people from Black or Black British, Mixed or other, and Asian or Asian British backgrounds are more likely to experience a common mental disorder.
Recent insights from Healthwatch Medway’s project exploring how residents perceive their treatment within health and social care also highlight:
White British people were overrepresented among those who feel health and social care treat all people with equity.
People from Black backgrounds were 1.5 times as likely to say that health and social care do not treat all people with equity.
Through Mental Health Voice, we gather insights into people’s experiences of using mental health services across Kent and Medway. These insights inform the Local Mental Health Networks and mental health services to drive positive change and improve services. In North Kent, health equity has emerged as a key topic. 15% of what people in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley told us about mental health support from January to March 2026 was related to health inequalities compared with 4% across the rest of Kent and Medway.
According to the 2021 Census, Dartford and Gravesham are the most ethnically diverse areas in Kent, with ethnic minority groups accounting for 25.5% and 23.4% of their respective populations, compared with the Kent average of 10.6%. The figure for Swanley is also above average, with 13.8% of the population from an ethnic minority background.
Several people living in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, told us they experienced a lack of culturally sensitive care and encountered barriers when accessing mental health care, including language barriers.
“Medical staff at [a] hospital told me I could get [mental health] help out in the community. … It may be easy for some, but when you are not like them, when you look different, speak different, it feels like they are judging you. This was what got to me at work.”
However, we heard that voluntary, community and social enterprise sector services in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley were instrumental in supporting those affected by health inequalities in times of crisis.
"I have post-traumatic stress disorder from past trauma. I went to A&E at [the local hospital] when I felt suicidal. The workers seemed stressed and dismissive and seemed not to believe me. They sent me home with a leaflet in English. I felt invisible. Someone from the Veterans club in [my area] helped me. They helped me to get a mental health assessment. They spoke up for me when I did not understand.”
What’s next
Drawing on our Mental Health Voice insights and with inequalities being a strong focus in the NHS ten-year plan, we asked the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Local Mental Health Network: “What can help strengthen cultural sensitivity within services?” This was to understand the importance of providing culturally sensitive care and the measures local services had in place to meet the needs of people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Several stakeholders responded that building trust with ethnically diverse groups, encouraging open and honest conversations with colleagues and teams that increase accountability, putting safety before judgement, particularly around asylum seeker processes and practices, and providing comprehensive guidance and advice in other languages were all features that could promote equitable care.
At the next Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Local Mental Health Network meeting in September, we aim to uncover factors contributing to the lack of culturally sensitive and equitable care and explore further opportunities to promote equity for people from diverse cultural backgrounds in local services.
