Focus groups to design a theoretical framework of institutional racism
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A focus group study to design a theoretical framework of institutional racism in acute inpatient mental health wards
IRAS ID
315785
Contact name
Sania Shakoor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study consists of a series of focus group discussions which will produce a novel theoretical framework of institutional racism in acute inpatient mental health wards. The study was developed from a previous NIHR-funded project titled, "Evaluating the Use of Patient Experience Data to Improve the Quality of Inpatient Mental Health Care". The patient interviews in this study revealed evidence of racism towards patients and a culture of institutional deniability and non-reporting of racism which required further investigation. A rapid review of literature and secondary data analysis of the patient interviews suggested that there needed to be a theoretical framework of institutional racism that would be accessible to mental health inpatients. The current study addresses this gap in research by co-designing a novel theoretical framework with people who have a lived experience of inpatient mental healthcare.
The design of the study is qualitative based on a framework of realist theory building. The participants will be adults (aged 18+ years) from an ethnic minority background who have a previous experience of inpatient mental healthcare in NHS England. They will be recruited through mental health charities across London, England. There will be a maximum of 18-23 participants (3 focus groups of 6-8 participants) and the focus groups will last for approximately 1.5 hours. During this time, the participants will discuss their understanding of institutional racism, including previous experiences and whether they agree with the core message and components of the framework. The study duration is approximately one year.REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
23/SS/0037
Date of REC Opinion
19 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion