TAKE A STAND
Save ACCI MentalHealth Services
Stand With Our Community
For over 38 years, the African Caribbean Community Initiative (ACCI) has been a beacon of hope for mental health support in the community.
Now, a decision by Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust threatens to decommission our essential services.
This decision puts vital mental health support, community wellbeing, and decades of trusted work at risk.
We are challenging this decision and calling on our community, partners, and supporters to stand with us.
Together, we will not be silenced.
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Why This Matters
The work ACCI delivers saves lives, strengthens communities, and reduces pressure on the NHS.
Yet despite this impact, the Trust plans to remove over 21% of our funding, placing the charity and its services in an unsustainable position.
This comes at a time when:
– The cost of living continues to rise
– Demand for mental health support is increasing
– Racial inequalities in mental health outcomes persist
Data continues to show that African Caribbean people are:
– 3.5× more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act
– 7.5× more likely to be placed under a Community Treatment Order
ACCI exists to challenge these inequalities and provide culturally competent support.
CEO, Alicia Spence
The Impact of ACCI
Our services provide community-based support that prevents crisis and hospitalisation.
In the past year alone we achieved:
Community Support
Community Wellbeing
Carer & Community Engagement
– 110 attendees at our Carers Day
– 84 participants in carers diabetes research and awareness programmes
Supporting the NHS & Saving Public Money
ACCI’s work reduces hospital admissions and prevents mental health crises.
The average cost of a hospital bed on an acute psychiatric ward is:
£429 per day
Preventing just 12 people from being admitted under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act for 28 days saves approximately:
£144,144 per year
Our model provides:
Early intervention
• Medication support
• Crisis prevention
• Community recovery
• Housing and welfare advice
This reduces pressure on NHS services while improving patient wellbeing.
What Happens If The Service
Is Removed
The proposed decommissioning could result in:
Equality & Accountability
Under the Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010, public bodies must consider how decisions affect people with protected characteristics.
ACCI’s members are protected due to Race and Mental health conditions
The NHS is also guided by the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework which aims to reduce racial inequalities in mental health services.
We believe this decision contradicts those commitments.
Our Response
ACCI is taking decisive action to challenge this decision.
Our next steps include:
How You Can Help
This is a critical moment for our community.
You can help by:
Stay Connected
For more information or to support the campaign:
United We Stand
At this critical time, we call upon our community, supporters, and partners to stand together.