I was inspired to watch history in the making as the first ever girls side from Erith and Belvedere FC under 15’s team played against Sudbury Town at the Acclaim Handling Community Stadium in Welling.
Big congratulations to all those involved in making this happen and to the girls on the field from both teams.
This April, it was great to speak at the ‘Black in Business’ event in Parliament hosted by Channel 4 and Lloyds Banking Group. And it was great to hear from the amazing Black entrepreneurs and business owners, who spoke about the work that has been championed by this initiative.
It was lovely to join the RGNS’s celebrations this month as they welcomed a New Year 2081. I want to wish all Nepalis in Erith and Thamesmead and across the whole country a very Happy New Year.
This month, I was pleased to speak with health professionals and charities from One Voice to discuss collaboration on key issues including pregnancy, maternity, neonatal care, and early years services.
I was joined by representatives from the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Sands and many other important organisations. I found hearing suggestions on how to improve the accessibility and quality of care for mothers particularly interesting and I look forward to continuing this important conversation.
As Shadow Minister for Women’s Health and Mental Health, I was also pleased to speak at this symposium focused on how Black Men are disproportionately detained under the Mental Health Act.
The law as it stands is not fit for purpose, with Black people four times more likely to be sectioned than White people and eight times more likely to be placed under a Community Treatment Order (CTO).
My speech emphasised the urgent reform needed to the Mental Health Act and how that can be achieved. I would like to thank Policy Connect and Lord Bradley for inviting me to join as the keynote speaking at this vital event.
I was honoured to be invited to deliver a keynote speech at UNISON’s National Women’s Conference, where the pivotal theme centred on women’s health in the workplace.
Throughout the conference, we engaged in profound discussions surrounding the specific needs of women employees, particularly concerning conditions like endometriosis, menopause, and menstruation. It was evident that when these crucial aspects of women’s health are overlooked by employers, it significantly impacts workplace well-being.
One of the significant motions passed during the conference was aimed at enhancing maternity care for Black women, who unfortunately face heightened risks of miscarriage or maternal mortality. This issue underscores the urgent need for proactive measures to address healthcare disparities and ensure equitable access to quality care for all women.
During my address, I shed light on the systemic racism that women of colour encounter when seeking healthcare services. Additionally, I emphasised the imperative for employers to recognise and accommodate menopause as a crucial aspect of women’s health in the workplace.
Women’s health demands prioritisation at all levels of governance. Unfortunately, far too often, the needs of women have been side-lined. However, I firmly believe that it’s time for a transformative shift.
In my speech, I articulated Labour’s unwavering commitment to reinvigorating the NHS to make it truly inclusive and responsive to the diverse health needs of women. Our vision entails not only addressing existing inequities but also eradicating systemic racism within healthcare systems and instituting frameworks that prioritise women’s health needs.
Now more than ever, we must rally behind the fundamental principle of a NHS that is universally accessible and free at the point of use, ensuring that every individual, regardless of gender or background, receives the care they deserve.
You can read more about the conference and my speech here and read about an interview I did with UNISON here.
Let’s continue our collective efforts to champion women’s health and build a future where every woman can thrive.
It was a pleasure to be on the panel of The Late Debate with ITV News last week and discuss a number of important issues including the safety of public officials, tax incentives for London tourists and the upcoming Mayoral election.
In particular, I raised my concerns about the current climate of abuse against people in public life, with people of colour and women often being more at risk. In my role as Chair of Labour Women’s Network (LWN), I have worked hard to train women to build resilience towards the abuse they are subjected to.
People in public life should not be scared or intimidated while carrying out their responsibilities and I hope to see more progress in changing the current climate.
Last month, I was pleased to visit the Oxleas Goldie Leigh site and officially open the new Woodland Walk. I was very impressed with this new development and excited to hear how it will support the wellbeing of staff, patients and visitors.
It was great to meet with those involved and hear about their vision for the future of Goldie Leigh. I was particularly impressed with the plans for the Health and Wellbeing Centre, which will be an excellent asset to the community.
This month, Abena hosted an important roundtable discussion in Parliament alongside Google and Mental Health Innovations, a charity supported by Google.
The aim was to explore the potential of AI in enhancing the efficiency of Mental Health Innovations’ (MHI) digital support service, Shout. The gathering brought together parliamentarians, Shout beneficiaries, senior representatives from MHI and Google, as well as Professor Peter Fonagy OBE, Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at UCL.
One of the key outcomes of the discussion was Google.org’s commitment to supporting MHI’s with funding to leverage AI in improving their flagship service- Shout. Shout is a text message service providing free, 24/7 mental health support to anyone in the UK.
During the roundtable, Parliamentarians received tailored reports for their respective regions, shedding light on the utilization of the Shout support service and the prevalent mental health issues in those areas. The focus was on exploring how digital services can augment mental health support and better cater to vulnerable groups across the UK.
Abena was joined by other Parliamentarians including Tracey Crouch MP, Liz Twist MP, Jeff Smith MP, and Andy Slaughter MP, who contributed valuable insights from their experiences supporting constituents through mental health challenges, while understanding the ways in which young people seek support through AI Tech enabled platforms such as text services and AI chatbots.
One of the most poignant moments of the discussion was hearing the parents of a 12-year-old girl who benefited from the service and from Emily, a dedicated volunteer at Shout. Their testimonials highlighted the profound impact of tech-based mental health services, such as text support and AI chatbots, in reaching and aiding vulnerable individuals.
Google’s Vice President of Product Management also spoke about how Google Search directs vulnerable individuals towards the help they need, and Professor Fonagy spoke on the transformative potential of machine learning and AI in crisis intervention.
This roundtable highlighted the collaborative efforts between policymakers, tech giants, and mental health experts in harnessing technology to address mental health challenges.
Abena Oppong-Asare, Shadow Minister for Women’s Health and Mental Health said:
“It was a pleasure to join Google and Mental Health Innovations today in parliament to discuss the important subject of mental health. The services provided by the charity are vital for those suffering with their mental health and I’m pleased Google.org is providing the financial resources to help develop the use of AI to optimise and improve the efficiency of their flagship service Shout.”
I am once again very pleased to announce that I’ve been holding a constituency competition to design my annual Christmas Card for 2023. I invited students from schools across Erith and Thamesmead to take part.
The theme for this year was: ‘What Makes Me Happy in Erith and Thamesmead’. I would like to thank all the pupils who drew and painted a design that showed what they love about places in our constituency. This included the parks or open spaces, local communities, shops, landmarks, animals or even family and friends.
The artwork was assessed by a panel of judges, and the winning design has been used as my Christmas Card and sent to more than 1,000 local people, businesses, and community groups.
We had a brilliant turnout for this competition with so many excellent designs being sent in. I’d also like to say a massive thank you to all the schools, teachers and parents who helped organise the competition.
Attached is a photo of me meeting with the Speaker of the House to showcase the winning design, he was very impressed by the competition and has put the winning design on display!
Congratulations to this year’s winner, Mija Liumpa, aged 10, from Parkway Primary School. You can see Mija and myself below with her winning design.
To complement the design, Mija wrote a few words:
“I chose to draw this as it reminds me of nature and the mulberry tree of Abbey Wood ruins. It is an amazing place which calms me, and I can meet many dogs there which is also why I chose to draw them. It is one of my favourite places of calmness and my favourite place in Erith.”
It was great to visit the students of Parkway Primary School in person this week, and hand Mija her well-deserved prize as overall winner of the competition.
Thanks also to the local co-sponsors who kindly supported part of this year’s competition – Co-op Belvedere and Manak Solicitors.
Congratulations again to Mija and I wish a Merry Christmas to all.
