Racism in health and social care settings: we want to hear your experiences
Updated: 20 hours ago
Have you experienced racism, discrimination, prejudice, or unequal treatment in health and social care settings? This could include treatment because of your race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, culture, disability, age, gender, sexuality or any other aspect of who you are. We want to hear from you. Click here to share your experience anonymously.
Health and social care services experience
Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness when accessing health and social care services. Yet for many people, this is not always the reality. People from Black, Asian and other diverse communities, as well as Jewish people, Roma and Traveller communities, refugees, migrants and other marginalised groups, can experience racism, discrimination, prejudice or unequal treatment when seeking care and support.
Health and social care services impact
Experiences of discrimination are not always obvious. They may involve assumptions about someone, overlooked cultural needs, communication barriers, not feeling listened to, delays in receiving care, or feeling treated differently because of who they are. These experiences can affect trust in services, confidence in asking for help, and ultimately people's health and wellbeing.
Your voice matters
Whether your experience happened recently or some time ago, your feedback can help build a clearer picture of the issues faced, where inequalities exist, what is working well and how services can change to make them more inclusive and equitable. We are inviting you to complete a short survey about your experiences of racism, discrimination, prejudice or unequal treatment while using health and social care services.
Why you should participate in the survey
By sharing your experiences, you can help ensure that local services understand the challenges people face and work towards providing fair, respectful and inclusive care for everyone.
About the survey
The survey is completely anonymous. You do not need to provide your name or contact details. Individual responses cannot be identified. This will allow you to share your experiences openly and honestly. The survey forms part of the work leading up to the Racism in Care Forum. Click the button below to complete the survey.
Racism in care forum
Venue: University of Reading.
Date: 1 October 2026.
Time: 09:30 - 15:00
The forum will bring together community members, people with lived experiences, health and social care professionals, academics and voluntary sector organisations to discuss racism, discrimination and inequalities in health and social care.
Preliminary findings from the survey will be shared at the event, helping to inform discussions about what needs to change and how services can better meet the needs of all communities.
If you are interested in attending the forum please email us at - info@healthwatchreading.co.uk
Need more information or want to share more?
As the survey is anonymous, we are unable to follow up with respondents directly. If you would like to tell us more about your experience, please get in touch. Click here to Have Your Say.
Comments