Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Work
The golden thread
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) is the golden thread that must run through all our activity. Our priority is to ensure Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Primary Care teams have a solid understanding of what ED&I means, and support them to build an inclusive, positive culture where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.
Being an inclusive organisation with diverse representation at all levels of our team is important to us. We recognise diversity helps us attain a rich pool of skills, mind sets and experiences which leads to resourcefulness, greater resilience and innovation.
"Hello and Welcome to NATH's ED&I webpage. We hope you enjoy browsing all we offer and get involved by attending events and suggesting topics or issues that may be close to your heart.
Equity, celebrating diversity and inclusion have always been very close to my heart. I believe ED&I is fundamentally about fairness and justice. This is why I took on the ED&I role in March 2023 at NATH, and we have made amazing progress over the last 12 months.
As a team, we want to remove barriers that have historically excluded people from pursuing the careers they dreamed of due to their protected characteristics. We want to be part of and shape our Primary Care to enable equitable access to education, training, employment, and advancement opportunities across Nottingham & Nottinghamshire.
For me personally, engaging with ED&I is not just about addressing current inequalities, but also about fostering an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive regardless of their background. This is especially pertinent to me due to my personal experience of the challenges and benefits of navigating diverse cultural and social landscapes.
At NATH we aim to give individuals a platform to share their stories and perspectives, ensuring that voices like yours are heard and valued.
We look forward to your engagement."
What we are doing at NATH
The NATH team has worked with ED&I specialist, Cavita Chapman, who led Equality for NHS England and Health Education England over the past five years. We have completed an equality impact analysis on our workstreams to support our team in making them as accessible as possible.
We are collaborating with local system leaders to offer support and training to Practice Managers across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to help shape their practice culture.
Our equality impact analysis work has culminated in a free resource, accessible to all in Primary Care, designed to equip Practice Managers and PCN Managers with the knowledge they need to understand protected characteristics and ED&I and why it is important in relation to staff retention, patient satisfaction and CQC.
We want every one of our colleagues to be treated fairly and with respect. We want our colleagues to fulfil their potential and be able to access all the opportunities offered by us.
Our Golden Thread Podcast
Having scoped what work had already been done in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, we created our podcast series to provide a central place for discussions and a safe space to give a voice to those who may not feel comfortable speaking out.
The series will give Primary Care colleagues a place to talk about their lived experiences with protected characteristics and intersectionality, improving representation and acting as a learning tool.
Each podcast can be used as a resource for training and education within practices with signposts to additional related resources.
Celebrating PRIDE
In this series we discuss:
PRIDE and its importance to the LGBTQIA+ community
What does community mean in the context of LGBTQIA+
What does LGBTQIA+ terminology mean to different people
The impact of technology on different communities
How to make Primary Care a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ communities and ensuring their health needs are met
Who do we need to influence to make positive change and what is allyship
Please find a useful list of resources for you to use personally and in your practices to help improve understanding around some of the issues we discuss:
In The Pink: Providing Excellent Care for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual and Trans People in Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County (PDF download).
LTBGQ History Quiz - Test your knowledge with our downloadable resource.
Stonewall provide information, support and guidance on LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Galop is the UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse charity. They work with and for LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse and violence.
Gendered Intelligence is a registered charity that exists to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve trans people's quality of life.
Medway Gender Sexual Diversity (MGSD) Centre provides services for LGBTQI+ people.
Breastfeeding and returning to work in Primary Care
In this series, host, Dr. Errum Mumtaz is joined by guests, Dr. Kirran Bilkhu (Return to Work Scheme Lead at Phoenix Programme) and Dr. Jennifer Moss Langfield (GP Medical Director, Notts ICS CDA GP lead for maternity and CYP) to discuss issues including:
Approaching the return to work as a breastfeeding employee
Bringing your whole self to work as a breastfeeding employee
The experiences of breastfeeding employees across the NHS
What does the 'law' entitle you to as a breastfeeding employee?
Resources mentioned in the podcast, including useful information such as practical considerations and legal requirements, can be found below:
Breastfeeding and Return to Work (Dr. Kirran Bilkhu, Return to Work, Phoenix Programme)
Black History Month 2023 Saluting Our Sisters
Host, Errum Mumtaz is joined by
guests, Lucy Dadge, Elizabeth Andam, Elizabeth Boaheng, Idah Nzuma and Hashiat Sambo to reflect on the Black History Month 2023 theme of 'Saluting Our Sisters'.
Topics covered include:
Women have have inspired us
Working twice as hard to get half as far
Tackling imposter syndrome
The art of being kindly curious
Holding the door open.
ED&I Events
From May 2023 we have held events to celebrate our diversity:
Working collaboratively with our partners in the ICS
We aim to understand the wider ED&I culture across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, through sensitive workforce data collection and active listening.
We will work with our provider colleagues to address the findings of the Racism and Discrimination Survey Report 2022 undertaken by the RED (Racial Equity and Diversity) Group in 21/22. We will support the RED Group to further the conversation and enact recommendations.
We are working with the ICS to create an ICS Women’s Network.
Women's Networks play a vital role in supporting professional development, addressing gender-specific challenges, promoting equity, enhancing patient care, fostering community, and influencing policy. These networks contribute to creating a more inclusive, supportive, and effective healthcare system. NATH working with our ICS ED&I lead and colleagues across the system have come together to scope and develop the first Women's network to support Primary and Secondary Care in Nottinghamshire.
Why we think it is important:
Mentorship and Guidance: Women's networks offer mentorship opportunities, allowing experienced professionals to guide and support those new to the field.
Career Advancement: The network would help identify and promote leadership opportunities for women, ensuring that they are represented at all levels of decision-making within the NHS.
Work-Life Balance: Women in Primary Care often face unique challenges related to work-life balance, including maternity leave and childcare responsibilities. The network would advocate for policies and practices that support flexible working arrangements and parental leave.
Gender-Specific Health Concerns: The network would provide a platform to address and discuss gender-specific health concerns, both for patients and healthcare providers, promoting better understanding and treatment options.
Advocacy for Fair Treatment: the network would advocate for fair treatment and equal opportunities within the NHS, addressing issues such as pay gaps, harassment, and discrimination.
Leadership Development: By providing the opportunity for women to take on leadership roles within the network, women can gain experience and visibility that may translate to broader leadership positions within our NHS.
We hope you agree with all the benefits and be part in shaping the network you want to be part of by completing our survey.
We will endeavour to ensure local, regional, and national learning opportunities around ED&I are shared to increase knowledge and understanding of the local workforce.
We hope to continue working hand in hand with Integrated Care System (ICS) and Integrated Care Board (ICB) partners to shape the wider ED&I Strategy and Priorities.
Inclusive employers
We have signed up to be an Inclusive Employer, joining thousands of people worldwide as we follow the 2023 National Inclusion Week theme: ‘Take Action Make Impact’ #TakeActionMakeImpact. It's free to sign up and there are lots of resources available to use within your Practice.
NHS EDI Framework
The NHS Staff Council Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group has published a new framework for delivering mandatory NHS equality, diversity and inclusion training for all staff.
The framework includes guidance on content, bias, legislative requirements, policies and equality standards. You can view the NHS ED&I Framework here.
Supporting Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Primary Care workforce development
We work to provide inclusive training, learning and development opportunities by actively listening to our Primary Care staff, reviewing our Training Needs Analysis results and continually improving access to our services to all staff. Our aim is to provide courses that are open to everyone in terms of funding, timing, and delivery options, to have the maximal impact on our workforce.
Our range of training events include:
E-learning
Face-to-face events
Remote courses and learning events
Seminars
Workshops
Wherever we can, we record these events and put them on our YouTube channel for individuals to access in their own time.
We provide access to education funds to support the upskilling of staff, enabling them to respond to local population health needs. We monitor uptake and ensure as many people as possible can access these opportunities.
We work with schools, colleges, and Higher Education Institutes to support student placements and apprenticeships to develop routes into Primary Care careers for all. We will work with partners and those we commission for training to support them to incorporate ED&I issues (including differential attainment), into their delivery to enable learners to thrive and develop.
ED&I Networks
Local Networks:
Neurodiversity - to join email,
ICS Women's Network - to join email, Errum Mumtaz, Janine Elson or Rebecca Barker and share your thoughts by completing our survey here.
National Networks:
BME Leadership Network - strengthening the voice of NHS black and minority ethnic (BME) leaders and to support NHS organisations to meet the needs of all communities.
Visible Leaders Network - for BME staff leaders and aspiring leaders in Primary and Secondary Care. It is designed to support your personal progression to senior level roles within the NHS.
Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Network - offers members the opportunity to champion a quality improvement approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. Meetings usually take place monthly on the third Tuesday, 10.00-11.30. Email england.healthinequalities@nhs.net to register your interest.