Advancing race equality

Since 2015 all NHS organisations have been required to demonstrate how they are addressing race equality issues in a range of staffing areas through the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES).

The 2021 WRES data report compares data from previous years to assess trends, and the South East has been rated as the top performing region for indicators 2,3,4,6,7,8.

The report shows that the region has performed well around experiences of staff, progression, recruitment and shortlisting and board representation, with an increase on indicators 1, 2 and 3. This success can be attributed to the strong leadership, good culture and focused approach to racial equality that was achieved by engaging leaders in our systems and trusts including trust chief executives and Boards, and integrated care system (ICS) leads, collaborating on our regional Turning the Tide Strategy, as well as a number of successful regional equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) programmes.

Our priorities have included focusing on career progression with targeted talent management programmes including sponsorship, career development programmes, and recruitment support, working with a variety of leadership teams within ICS’s around equal opportunities and fairer practices. The national inclusive recruitment and retention programme (IRRP) has also been a driver for targeted work in this area and has been led by each ICS equality lead.

We also prioritised staff experience by building the capability of our BAME network chairs to support staff further; our human rights training has seen over 700 staff members trained; and we have brought together core groups together such as the inclusion network, medical support workers network and senior nurses network. We will be shortly launching a support offer for EDI executive sponsors on Boards too.

For the next year we will be focusing on indicators 1,2,5,9 looking at progression, recruitment and staff experience around abuse from patients, the public and family.

Our talent management programmes:

Succeeding at interviews – pilot

Offered as part of the Black and ethnic minority Women’s Leadership Development Programme

Being offered an interview can be exciting, but also can feel quite daunting. Gain the skills and confidence needed to thrive in an interview situation. This one-day workshop equips women of all professional backgrounds with the practical tools and self-belief to do themselves justice at interviews – no matter what questions they are asked.

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Women’s Leadership Development Programme (ethnic minority)

Whatever you hope to achieve in your working life, taking the time to plan your route to success is essential. This empowering one-day Thresholds Workshop designed for non-white women will give you the tools and techniques to look freshly at your career and devise a practical action plan to achieve your goals. Taking time to think about what really matters to you in your career is crucial if you want to be fully motivated and effective. Participants leave having developed a viable strategy that gives them the confidence to put their plans into action.

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Black and ethnic minority Coaching Programme 

This programme is designed to develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities to facilitate the improvement of patient care through the development of people and this will be delivered virtually. The programme is delivered by HumanTechnics and accredited by The Institute of Leadership and Management. Successful participants who pass submission at the end of the programme will receive a certificate of Accreditation, which will detail that this is an equivalent to ILM 5.

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International nursing support

The NHS has long term plans to increase our workforce and there are a number of programmes focussed on supporting our internationally trained workforce and recruits. It is important to ensure we provide a welcoming, inclusive and fair environment, so we can all do our jobs and focus on patient care and patient experience. Internationally trained staff often experience problems trying to ‘fit in’, knowing who to ask for help, navigating the NHS, and just feeling part of day-to-day culture. The South East EDI team has been supporting leaders with inclusive practice and interventions that support our diverse staff for the benefit of all.

This video on international nursing support shares some of the work that is underway.

Contact the South East Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team if you would like to find out more.

Reverse mentoring

The NHS Chief Executive set a target of achieving 19% BME representation across all NHS pay bands by 2025, across all organisations. Reverse mentoring (race focus) is considered to be one intervention that can assist this target. White senior leaders have the opportunity to hear from BME staff in relationships that are managed through a programme.

In the South East Region, the EDI team used the opportunity to redesign the reverse mentoring programme, building in improved psychological safety, upskilling communications, confidence building and robust evaluation. Lead by Cavita Chapman, the South East reverse mentoring programme design is being utilised by other interested regions. Watch Cavita Chapman explain how this programme works and how it benefits staff, teams, organisations and systems.

There is also a multi-regional meeting group to support regions to launch their programmes and evaluate efficacy. The videos below provide examples from BME mentors and White mentees on the benefits of reverse mentoring. This is your opportunity to get involved.

Contact Gold.Egele@nhs.net if you are interested in participating in the next cohort and join other leaders in the NHS to support and enable race equality.

Sponsorship Programme

A sponsor is someone who advocates for the person they are sponsoring (sponsee). They can talk to others about their sponsee’s strengths and potential, and help them get actively considered for development opportunities, promotion or lateral moves. A sponsor can use their social capital and resources on the behalf of their sponsee.

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WRES Experts Advancement Programme

The WRES is a critical tool for progress on race equality in the NHS. There are trained and informed WRES Experts who have volunteered to help and support organisations with cultural transformation and improving equality. Our WRES Experts in the South East Region have been brought together to learn from each other and have a space for their own advancement and learning. The NHS believes in investing and supporting our staff. In the South East our WRES Experts are being supported as part of our talent management strategy. The programme was developed and is run by Cavita Chapman, Head of EDI in the South East.