Dr Jermaine M Ravalier

 Event 

Why Black Lives Matter. Why do so many Health and Social Care staff leave work sick? And what impact does this have on patients?

About the talk

Through this hour, I am going to discuss two distinct and unrelated topics, both of which are timely and passions of mine, and are of particular relevance during the Covid pandemic.

Black Lives Matter (the movement…not the political group) is probably the most influential and important movement of my 35 years. It has led to demonstrations across the UK and the world despite the Covid pandemic. While it took the tragic death of George Floyd in America to bring the systematic oppression faced by Black people in the USA to the consciousness of the general public, a lot of people still suggest that the situation isn’t as bad in the UK. In this half of the talk I will provide an evidence-based outline of why Black Lives really do Matter in the UK.

Throughout the Covid crisis, we have heard consistently how the lack of staff, PPE, and support for staff have affected not only the work that Health and Social Care staff do, but their health, wellbeing, and subsequently patient outcomes such as mortality and morbidity. Here I will review my own research and the wider literature which outlines health and wellbeing in the Health and Social Sectors, and what can be done to support these key workers.

About Jermaine

Jermaine is Reader in Work & Wellbeing (Psychology) at Bath Spa University. His research interests are in organisational and health psychology, with a focus on how the workplace can be improved in order to help maintain positive mental health, and prevent work-related mental health sickness absence.

This talk is part of the 2020/21 Brain and Behaviour seminar series, hosted by the Department of Psychology and the Health and Cognition Research Centre.