Spotlight On… Indira Esram Indira Esram, Diabetes Specialist Nurse, has been at the Countess for over six years and is also the Trust’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Staff Network lead. Can you tell us a bit more about your day-to-day job? My team runs diabetes specialist clinics, providing support to patients, carers and other health professionals, including district nurses, GPs and practice nurses. As part of my role, I triage referrals for our services and liaise with community colleagues over plans of care. How do you support colleagues as the BAME Network lead? I am responsible for running the BAME Network and as part of that I’m available to support staff with any queries or concerns they might have. I bridge the gap between
“MY ROLE IS TO ENSURE WE PROVIDE A SAFE AND EQUAL WORKING SPACE FOR ALL STAFF.”
BAME colleagues and management. If staff feel unable to raise concerns directly with their managers, I am here to help make sure BAME colleagues’ voices are heard. At the Countess we refuse to accept discrimination, therefore my role is to ensure we provide a safe and equal working space where all staff can share an open and honest dialogue. What has it been like working during the pandemic? We have had to find new ways of working, with changes being implemented very quickly, whilst keeping safety as our
priority for everyone. It has been paramount on a personal level to support each other and help build resilience to get through this. Have you noticed an increase in concerns from BAME colleagues? BAME colleagues, in particular, have been anxious, following evidence showing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on their communities. I have tried to contact all BAME staff working within the Trust to inform them about my role and explain how I can provide support and guidance.
‘Your Voice Matters’ initiative launches A new campaign called ‘Your Voice Matters’ has been encouraging Countess staff to have more say on how the Trust can improve as a place to work. This initiative, which has already seen a 12% increase in Trust staff completing the latest NHS Staff Survey, is a longterm project to strengthen engagement with employees at all levels, from ward to Board. Additional mental health support has been made available to all staff during the pandemic, while several new staff networks are also being created to provide focused support for minority groups, including LGBTQ+, neurodiversity and a women’s network.
Every member of staff has been given a ‘thank you’ pin badge and an extra day of annual leave in 2021 as small tokens of appreciation.
how valued they are and how we can make the Countess better for everyone.”
Results from an internal survey showed that improving wellbeing spaces would make a huge difference to Countess staff. Work is under way to deliver these improvements, using some of the money given to NHS Charities Together during the pandemic, alongside other initiatives by the Countess Charity (more on page 11). Fleur Flanagan, Head of Organisational Development, said: “We have seen during this pandemic just how much the NHS means to people, but we also know how difficult it has been for staff. Your Voice Matters is about reminding our teams
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