| Abstract: | Racism is perhaps the most serious basic problem affecting the welfare of people referred to as migrants or black people in Europe today. Racism is not just about personal racial prejudice but also about institutional processes, ways of thinking and ways of doing things that are deeply ingrained in European culture, including health care—especially mental health care. The prevention of racism in a health service requires a clear statement of intent in a race equality policy that generates monitoring systems, action plans and forward planning. Combating racism must go hand‐in‐hand with the promotion of cultural sensitivity in health care; equal opportunities in access to a service must be balanced by strict control of institutional racism in the quality of the service and employment practices. |
