Health and care leaders across the region are making a collective promise to Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) colleagues who make up such an important part of the NHS workforce.
As part of Black History Month healthcare leaders have now signed the promise which is aimed not just at colleagues working in health and care but also those living in the local communities served.
The promise aims to ensure fairness for all and embedding a culture where people can thrive no matter what their race, background or personal experience. The leaders are committed to ensuring that no one person’s experience is influenced by prejudice – either as a staff member or patient accessing health and care services.
The collective promise includes projects to increase diversity in the workforce, introducing new training for all staff to raise awareness of BAME issues, dedicated BAME leadership programmes, a zero tolerance for bullying and harassment as well as other BAME community and staff engagement initiatives.
Yvonne Ormston MBE, Chief Executive of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and regional BAME lead said “Black History Month has given us all an opportunity to celebrate our diverse staff groups and learn something about the different cultures that contribute to our success.
“As employers and leaders of important local organisations we’ve come together to make this promise which not only celebrates the contribution that our BAME staff and communities make to the region, but also marks a promise to them about our collective way of working.
“We recognise that there have been additional pressures placed on our BAME colleagues both as a result of the adverse effect of Covid19 and because of recent international events that have placed a focus on inequalities for these communities. We are proud that our all our staff have been able to continue to provide the best service despite these pressures.
“However as leaders it’s also important that we make sure staff are aware that our organisations do not accept discrimination of any kind towards our BAME colleagues or patients and that we will act to address any instances of discrimination.”