'I have to do extra research because I'm black': Mum calls on the NHS to update its website
Campaigners are calling on the NHS to make their website more inclusive after one mum couldn’t find any examples of what hand, foot and mouth disease looks like on black skin.
Atinuke Awe was told by her son's nursery that there had been an outbreak of the disease and sent a link to the NHS website to help spot symptoms.
However, when she looked online, she was disappointed to see there were no examples of what the disease looks like on black skin.
She told ITV News: "It made me feel really disappointed and concerned as a parent. You do feel worried and you do feel scared."
"I feel that if I was white, I would easily get a chance to see what certain conditions look like on my child’s skin. But because I am black, I have to do extra further research on sources that may not potentially be verified."
Research shows at least seven million people from black, asian and ethnic minority backgrounds live in England and Wales, but darker skin tones still are under-represented in key medical resources.
Dr Lisa Philip works as a GP in Sheffield and is passionate about tackling health inequalities. She's calling for more diversity and inclusivity in medical education and patient resources.
She said: "Anyone should be able to go to the GP and get the same treatment, but if you have darker skin you're at a disadvantage before you even walk through the door.
"Different rashes do look different on darker skin, and they can be misinterpreted. We need good patient resources, so parents who are worried can have a look at legitimate, sanctioned sites. If that’s the NHS website, then even better."
"They do look different, and they can be misinterpreted in darker skin’" - Dr Lisa Philip
An NHS Digital spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of content on the NHS website being inclusive, both from a clinical safety perspective and in addressing health inequalities.
"We are working to improve the diversity of our content on the NHS website. This includes sourcing images to show skin conditions on different skin tones and improving how we describe skin problems on black and brown skin.
"We have also developed guidance for content designers working on digital NHS services to help make content about skin symptoms more inclusive."
Where can I get information about skin conditions on black and brown skin?
We asked Dr. Lisa Philip where patients can seek help for skin conditions, she said:
Always go to your GP if you are worried about a rash
Use medically-backed websites like Brown Skin Matters, which have a database of dermatological conditions on non-white skin
Mind the Gap is a clinical handbook of the signs and symptoms on black and brown skin