History of Black Health Agency

Black Health Agency (formerly BHAF) was established in 1990 as a response to the lack of service provision to Black communities related to HIV / AIDS. BHA has always prided itself in being one the biggest charities to tackle the issues surrounding Black sexual health in the UK and in recent years the agency has widened its remit to incorporate a broader range of health services for Black African, Caribbean, South and South East Asian and marginalised communities.
Black Health Agency aims to challenge health inequalities for BME and marginalised communities and to make a positive contribution in health provision and service delivery. By using our expertise in the field of health, social care policy and service development we aim to provide efficient and appropriate advice and services to communities at grass root level. The agency also takes a strategic and consultative role by working in partnership with policy makers and legislators to ensure the effective delivery and development of services to Black people.

Values in Practice

Our philosophy and ethos has always been to work with BME and marginalised communities to develop their capacity where appropriate and needed. BHA develops the needs identified by communities themselves and this approach enables us to work across the wide diversity of communities to ensure initiatives are culturally appropriate.

Growth and Achievement

BHA has grown from a community pressure group into a regional organisation with national significance. Our remit has broadened as a response to community need and ever-changing climate of health care provision.

Status of Black Health Agency

BHA is a company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable Status. Over the last 18 months the agency has rapidly expanded and now employs over 60 paid staff, has a growing number of volunteers and a management board who come from a diverse range of backgrounds in terms of ethnicity and experience.

Social Inclusion

BHA has a long history of working within Manchester and challenging health inequalities. We are ideally placed to understand the needs of inner city marginalized and excluded communities, having built up 18 years experience of working with BME and marginalised communities and raising the profile of their health needs to mainstream statutory and voluntary providers and purchasers.


Capacity Building with Black Communities

BHA assists in capacity building with BME and marginalised communities and enabling the development of local health initiatives. Our philosophy and ethos has always been to work with communities developing their capacity where appropriate and needed. BHA develops those needs identified by communities themselves and this approach enables us to work across the wide diversity with communities ensuring initiatives are culturally appropriate.

1990 - BHAF (Black HIV/AIDS Forum) was set up as a response to the lack of information and services available to Black communities in Manchester around HIV services. BHAF was Initially a pressure group, whose aim was to ensure that Black communities had access to accurate and culturally appropriate information about HIV; they also provided some counselling services to Black people who were affected by HIV. The first five years of existence saw BHAF providing services and information, which were predominantly on HIV.

1995 - Following a review the organisation broadened its remit to encompass a wider sexual health agenda in line with the changing needs of the communities we were working within.

1997 - We successfully bid to Opportunities for Volunteering to develop a befriending service for people who were living with HIV and their families; this service was provided by volunteers from the Black communities who were trained and supported to provide emotional and practical support, and were managed by a Volunteer Coordinator.

1999 - We were able to secure funding to develop a Young Men’s Peer Education Project. This project was to work initially with young men. It has now developed into a project that is looking at the needs of young people generally and has gained many successes

2000 - BHAF was successful in securing the contract to manage the National African AIDS Help line Pilot Project. We were also successful in securing funding for developing a range of Primary HIV Prevention campaigns across the northern region.

2001 - BHAF launched itself as the Black Health Agency (BHA) with a wider health remit in the north of England. BHA has developed a reputation as a key provider and stakeholder in the development of health policy, initiatives and services to the Black communities in Greater Manchester and the northern region.

2003 – BHA wins the contract to deliver 22 Patient and Public Involvement Forums in Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

2005 – BHA is the UK’s leading BME health sector agency, with a turnover of £1.7 million and over 70 staff across the North.

2007 - BHA receives funding to run an HIV support service in Leeds

2008 - BHA wins the contract to facilitate the Local Involvement Networks in Manchester, Warrington and Lancashire