'Count me in' census
This annual national census started in 2005 and will be carried out until 2010 in support of the Department of Health's five-year action plan for improving mental health services for black and minority ethnic communities. It counts all the inpatients in mental health and learning disability hospitals on one day of the year, including recording which ethnic groups they belong to.
The purpose of the 'Count me in' census is to:
- Record the number and ethnic groups of people who are inpatients in mental health and learning disability hospitals and services in England and Wales.
- Encourage providers of such services to keep full and accurate records of patients' ethnicity, and to use this information for ethnic monitoring.
- Provide information that will help service providers to take practical steps to tackle racial discrimination.
'Count me in' census reports
Government action plan
The Government's five-year action plan "Delivering race equality in mental health care" is aimed at achieving equality and tackling discrimination in mental health services in England for people from black and minority ethnic groups. To find out more, you can read this on the Department of Health website.
