Shocking report reveals disproportionate number of young people in prison are black teens, writes Patrick Vernon. BLACK MEN and their relationship with police and the criminal justice system reached a new plateau because of the high-profile deaths of chokehold victim Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Campaign slogans such as ‘Black lives matter’ and ‘I can’t breathe’ are reminders of the harsh legacy of enslavement and modern-day structural racism that linger   Read More ...

Why Afrofuturism can be a tool for change for a new generation of Black Britons, writes Patrick Vernon. AT THE recent BFI Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder event, I spent most of the weekend immersed in the Inside Afrofuturism part of the festival. I watched Sankofa (1993) – a film I last saw about 20 years ago about a black model who is transported back in time to a   Read More ...

Former local councillor, Patrick Vernon OBE, was included by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) in their 2014 list of top health and care pioneers from BME backgrounds. Patrick made the list, which was announcement on Thursday 6 November, for his work with marginalised communities for over two decades. Over the last three years Patrick has played a key role in setting up and developing Healthwatch England – the national consumer   Read More ...

Keep people healthier for longer by giving them more control over the healthcare services they use, writes Patrick Vernon. London has some significant health and care challenges and inequalities. The healthcare system continues to be poor at preventing ill-health and in diagnosing illness early, and too much care is provided in hospitals instead of in the community. London has the highest average income but it is also the most polarised   Read More ...